DINE: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CHEF
The Adventures of Tubby Robot Two lifelong friends unite their passions for ice cream and video games under one roof. By Leo Dillinger Photography By JPG Photography (jpgphotography.com)
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ver since they met in sixth grade at Julia R. Masterman School, Chris Maguire and Steve Wright Jr. have shared an unwavering enthusiasm for ice cream and video games. On March 19, that enthusiasm materialized into their very own storefront. Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory delights its patrons with homemade ice cream and a side of nostalgic video games. For both Chris and Steve, creating a shop focused around “two of the greatest things in life” comes as a complete turnaround from their previous careers. After graduating from New York University with a custom degree in 36
Art, Computer Science and Animation, Chris became a web developer who co-founded a handful of startups. Oddly enough, Chris originally designed the “Tubby Robot” mascot during this time as a 404 Error graphic on his websites. But the further he ventured into his career, the more Chris felt disenchanted with his non-stop work life. The inability to look people in the eye while continuously staring into a computer screen disconnected him from the real world. It didn’t take long for Chris to devise his next step. “At this point, I had saved up a bunch of money from web development and I was between jobs,” Chris said. “I asked myself ‘What do I do next?’ and I was like, ‘Think, Chris! If there’s anything you could do in life...money is not an object. Time and space is not an object. What would it be?’ And the obvious answer was an ice cream parlor that has arcade games — the two best things in life combined.”
manayunk.com | Summer 2017
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5/18/2017 10:56:40 AM