Continues Arcade — Local services in Alexandria

I was initially excited when the breakfast/coffee window opened but I have constructive feedback based on the now three visits I’ve made:

My first visit was the day the window first opened and it was a good size crowd. I understand that for openings there will be kinks to work out but after waiting 20 minutes for a latte I had to ask what the wait was and they told me the machine wasn’t working. The owner was there that day and it appeared he invited a lot of family and friends for opening and he spent time talking to them outside. However it was clear me and others from the neighborhood were paying customers and he didn’t even come up to say hi and thank you for coming. It also could have been nice for him to acknowledge the long wait considering the machine issue but he didn’t.

On my second visit, my order was fine but it became clear that when they are busy, having one small window for both ordering and pickup is not efficient. The line moves slow because they are passing through orders the same window you order from and then wait outside. Perhaps they need a designated food runner to come through the inside.

Finally this morning, I went to pick up breakfast not realizing they don’t open on Sundays until 8:30. It was 8:24 and the window was open and a woman was there and she said she could make me a drink but for a food order I’d have to wait another six minutes before they could even start the order. I expressed that I thought opening for breakfast at 8:30 is a bit late and she said it’s because they don’t get busy until 10 and it would be a waste of employee hours. While I understand that I think opening 30 minutes earlier would make sense considering the closest competitor is Chewish and I know they open at 8. And there’s definitely people like me out walking dogs at 8am.

Overall, I hope they work on customer service attitudes, efficiency with orders, opening a bit earlier for breakfast, and doing more to be known in the community and understanding...

Two stars, recognizing they’re still working out the kinks. The vibe is pretty great—the venue is cool and the games are spot-on for what you’d hope to see.

The problem is the staff seems to not like their customers much.

The owner was working the door when I arrived. I didn’t get five words out before he told me I couldn’t bring a gift bag with prosecco into the restaurant. Hey, no problem; I understand bars have policies, and that could be the case. But he was so smug and condescending. I walked the gift bag home and return. Again, not fighting the policy. It’s not unusual. But the way he spoke to me felt personal, if not unprofessional.

The servers were scattered. Twice I had to flag down staff to find our server, who then forgot to bring our soda (I had to go over to her and remind her about it ~15 mins later).

We ordered the chicken strips, but were told we couldn’t have them because it’s only for kids and “the bar has to make money and the chef is very strict.” Ok cool. Instead of two orders of kids chicken strips ($12 each/$24 total) we split one “adult” order ($17 total). I suppose this policy makes sense if they’re selling kids items at a loss. I’d recommend they offer smaller portions at price points that allow them to be profitable so folks can just order what they want.

The cocktails were inconsistent. Three of us ordered the Polybuis cocktail over the course of the evening. Every time one came, it was a different color and taste from the others. The one that was ginger-beer flavored was delicious; the others less so.

This was definitely an off night. They’ll assuredly work out their kinks. It’s a cool concept and novel addition to the neighborhood. Once they get into their flow it’ll be a good place for a fun evening. I really hope they succeed. If I start to hearing good things I’d go back. Lots...

It's been said old shopping malls should be converted into retirement communities for Generation X. Anyone considering that advice should use Continues Arcade as a template for making the idea work.

Imagine some kids from the 8-Bit Era playing games in their room talking about building the ultimate game room and what that might look like: Lots of then-current (now classic) stand up arcade games, plenty of couches and other seating with console games, a section with good food, and another area in the back with even more games. Those kids grew up and made that a well-executed passion project here. As an example, wanting to stay on theme, I wore a T-shirt with the C64 startup screen. One of the owner's was there, saw it, told me he still has his Commodore in the back room, and gave me some tokens!

Continues drips with classic gaming easter eggs, from the menu names to items displayed in the bar top. I lost count how many times I thought, "I haven't seen this in forever!" Beyond the nostalgia, Continues is a legit bar and grill. The Black Materia will appeal to anyone liking a good Manhattan or smoked cocktails; Great Fairy Fountain is as fragrant and attractive as refreshing; Polybius is summer in a glass - and, despite the name, not hallucination inducing. The food options are top-end gastropub classics. Even someone that doesn't like video games (if such a person exists...) would still find Continues worth a visit. To top it off, all the staff are very friendly and there's a covered garage for parking...