Warwickshire's first and only board game cafe say they've doubled business since opening

The Dice Box say people play their games as a form of escapism.

Author: Luke ReeveyPublished 29th Aug 2024

The Dice Box board game cafe say they've managed to double trade since first opening pre-pandemic in 2018, in a world where more and more people turn to digital content for entertainment.

They started off with just under 200 board games in their first venue in Leamington Spa- it now boasts over 1,000 different games.

Board game cafes have now popped up all over the UK, some people think that lock downs during the COVID-19 pandemic reignited the public's passion for having 'board game nights' and spending time with family or friends away from the digital world.

Stephanie Davies co-owns the cafe with her husband, Trevor, she said: "During the pandemic, people really turned to board games.

"People started to think, 'Hang on a minute, we can be in our house but still have an experience and do something together.

"Especially for me and my husband, it took us away from what was going on outside- it was a form of escapism."

"Our ethos has not changed from when we first opened: it was all about growing the hobby and introducing more people to board games.

"There is something really special about watching people interact together over a table and play a board game.

"Especially when people come in and they've never played anything before as a family, and suddenly, every person at that table is engaged.

"All we can hear when we're working- apart from those fighting over the rules- is that; that noise of laughing and happiness over board games.

"That is what it's about- being present and in the moment and playing those games."

The cafe- located on Victoria Terrace, near the Art Gallery & Museum, was Warwickshire's first, and remains only, board game cafe.

They also have venues in Worcester, Peterborough, and Stockport- with an additional Dice Box in Wolverhampton in the works.

Stephanie Davies co-owns the cafe with her husband, Trevor, she said: "We're slightly different to a normal cafe. Here, customers come in, they pay a cover charge per person per hour and with that they can play as many different games from the library as they like.

"When we opened the cafe in 2018, we only had our own collection. Trevor kept buying games- you learn about whats coming out so he keeps up with knowledge to make sure we have a really good library.

"When people talk about business, they say, 'Advertise towards your target market'- well we can't. We have such a big demographic here at the Dice Box, we have games that say 'suitable for aged 5 to 99' and that is completely true.

"One of my favorite customers even brings his magnifying glass so he can really look at the details and clues in one of our escape room games."

They say the most popular game people play is Ticket To Ride; where players collect cards of various types of train cars that they then use to claim railway routes in North America.

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