Boardwalk Board Game Lounge

Dylan and his brother Chef Connor have started something Amazing!

Boardwalk BoardGame Lounge

By Susan Irwin

Whether you are a games person or not, you will love the experience at Boardwalk Board Game Lounge. Chef Connor Reinhart and his brother Dylan offer something unique in Peterborough.

The Colonel Mustard

Why a board game lounge? Connor (who is a Red Seal Chef) says, ‘The restaurant industry is really hard, and I’ve been doing fine dining for the last 10 years. I became tired of the energy. I really enjoy that style of cooking, I just wanted to do something that was totally different. Dylan is an outdoor educator and worked at a leadership centre in Haliburton. We grew up playing board games. Dylan started going to board game cafes in Toronto where he realized that people standing over a table teaching him to play board games was fundamentally the same skills that he was using to teach kids. And myself being a chef, we had this A-HA moment where we realized that this was the perfect intersection of both of our skills. We’d both been looking for a change and we decided to go all in on it.

You don’t see a lot of cell phones out at Boardwalk Board Games Lounge unless there is a social accompaniment within the game. Connor says, ‘It’s a compliment to the experience, like a narrated timer or something. The guests are interacting. We aren’t anti-technology, we are super active on Facebook and Instagram, and we understand that’s how people want to communicate these days, but we also understand that people are looking for an outlet to disconnect. Not permanently, but have an evening that’s not technology based. As we dig in deeper to it and spend more time in this business, we’ve found that the generation that’s looking for it is 25 to 35. Which is a surprise on the surface, but when you really think about it, it makes sense. I love technology, but it’s still nice to have an analog experience.’

They have something for everybody. On snow days, children accompanied by an adult can play for free. ‘I imagine snow days are stressful for parents. So we just want to let them know that there is something for that generation in Peterborough’, says Connor.

Boardwalk Board Game Lounge hosts a meet up night on the third Tuesday of the month where people can come in and play with strangers. ‘We started it so that people who don’t have a group of friends that play can still meet people with similar interests. We serve food and drinks and facilitate the experience to help connect people to games that they might like and that will allow them to find common ground', says Connor.

Pasta Panic Chef Boyardee

Boardwalk Board Game Lounge has a unique take on how they select their alcohol. ‘All of our alcohol is either produced in Peterborough or within an hour of town. We serve Persian Empire Spirits, Black’s Distillery spirits, Kawartha Country Winery cider (which is Connor’s favourite), Rolling Grape wines. We are aiming to bring in as many unique styles of craft beer from as many from as many different breweries as possible within an hour of town. We want to showcase everyone. There’s a lot of great beer produced here.’

Charcuterie

The brothers serve great food and put a lot of love into it. Connor says, ‘I just need to give people a really good experience, but the experience that they are looking for. That’s how we crafted the menu. We want to echo the game experience. People can come in and play whatever game they want and have whatever experience they want.‘ The Mac and Parcheesi is delicious, and the Pasta Panic Chef Boyardee inspired pasta was crafted to remind you of when you were a child. But it doesn't end there. There is local roasted coffee, deli sandwiches and the best charcuterie in Peterborough.

Charcuterie

Connor says, ‘Dylan is really, really good at being the face of this place, I just hide in the back and make saucy comments. (he laughs) We always wanted to support local and focus on allowing Peterborough to have a fully social activity.‘

What a great concept, and the perfect place to relax and have fun.

261 George Street N, Peterborough ON 705-312-7529 www.boardwalkptbo.ca