🎮 Dave & Buster’s — Key Facts
| Parent Company | Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. |
| Stock Listing | NASDAQ: PLAY |
| Founders | David “Dave” Corriveau & James “Buster” Corley |
| First Location | Dallas, Texas, USA (1982) |
| Headquarters | Coppell, Texas, USA |
| CEO | Chris Morris |
| Major Acquisition | Acquired Main Event Entertainment (2022) |
| Locations | 200+ locations across USA & Canada |
Dave & Buster’s is a publicly traded entertainment restaurant chain (NASDAQ: PLAY) that combines full-service dining with a large arcade and entertainment venue under one roof. The company is owned by its public shareholders — with no single controlling individual — and operates over 200 locations across the United States and Canada.
Who Is the Owner of Dave & Buster’s?
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ under the ticker PLAY. The original founders — David “Dave” Corriveau and James “Buster” Corley — no longer own or control the company. Corriveau and Corley opened the first location in Dallas, Texas in 1982, combining a restaurant and an arcade game room in a novel concept. The company went public and has changed hands through private equity multiple times before its current public ownership structure. Institutional investors including Vanguard, BlackRock, and various hedge funds hold the majority of shares.
The Dave & Buster’s Origin Story
The concept emerged from an unusual origin: Dave Corriveau owned a restaurant and Buster Corley operated an adjacent saloon in Little Rock, Arkansas. They noticed customers moving between the two establishments and decided to combine the restaurant-bar-entertainment concept into one venue. In 1982, they opened the first Dave & Buster’s in Dallas, Texas. The “eatertainment” formula — food, drinks, and arcade games for adults — was novel at the time and became the blueprint for the entire category.
Main Event Merger and Modern Strategy
In 2022, Dave & Buster’s acquired Main Event Entertainment — a competing family entertainment center chain backed by RedBird Capital Partners — in a significant $835 million deal. The merger positioned Dave & Buster’s as the dominant player in the US “eatertainment” market. The Main Event brand continues to operate under its own name as a subsidiary, targeting slightly more family-oriented demographics than the adult-focused Dave & Buster’s flagship brand.
