Hey Arcaders!
I hope you guys are enjoying Pac-Man Month as much as I am! Today’s Pac-commercial is something special to me. Being a local in the Central Florida area, the was one restaurant that stood out for me- and I loved going to. The Pac-Man Cafe!
The Pac-Man Cafe was awesome. Unfortunately- It didn’t last long. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Pac-Man Cafe started life as another arcade- XS Orlando.
Pointe Orlando opened in 1998. It is still open today- but is missing the panache of it’s early years. It’s hard to compete with things like-
FAO Schwartz. Biggest toy store in Orlando.
MUVICO Theater- First movie Theater in Orlando with IMAX!
Along with XS, It was quite a fun day.
Then, one day (around 2002, I believe) XS- closed.
I remember seeing an ad in the paper for Pac- Man Cafe- which conveniently , was in the old XS location. I went- and I wasn’t disappointed!
Here’s a flier from Pac-Man Cafe!
When you entered, you were greeted by this happy fella-
And once inside- they had a full service restaurant- where the specialty was the Pac-Pizza… with the first piece missing! Then, you could go over to the Galaga Bar to have a drink! The main arcade we upstairs, but the fun was at the Retro Arcade on the first floor! It had all the classic games you could remember- plus a few you didn’t! Add to that the Pac-Museum, It was the best time in Orlando next to Disneyquest!
But, in 2005- it was gone. Why? I had heard that the rent went up at Pointe Orlando. Also, Namco was slowly closing their arcade division in the U.S., – so, it was a sad time in my household- we went every weekend. Now Pointe Orlando has Main Event, and Arcade city- but they pale in comparison.
Now- there seems to be a resurgence in the Pac-Man Cafe idea… Check this out-
These seem to be pop up locations- there has been some in Shanghai, and Hawaii. Let’s hope they do more!
What do you think of the Pac-Man Cafe? Did you ever get to go? Let me know in the comments!
Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!
And Stay tuned for MORE Pac-Goodness!
The Arcade Archives! 
I didn’t know there had been a Pac-Man type café in Orlando. Shame it didn’t continue, but rent being what it can be sometimes…
Still though, looks like a great place, and one I wish I could’ve visited once. 🙂😀
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What if I told you I was the chef and operations manager at PAC-Man Cafe @ XS-Orlando? That Namco was the original owner from the start when it was just called XS-Orlando and that the Pac-Man Cafe concept was from a few of us upper management who ran with the idea since Namco was our primary company. That the revamp put us in the black. The only reason we closed the location was because Point Orlando bought us out of a 13 year lease so that they could re-vamp the point Orlando plaza. I miss that place so much! If I could reopen it and do it all over again I would in a heartbeat!
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