Dine and Play Board Games at Planned Venture

If you don’t think Danny Lott is enthusiastic about board games, just check his video promoting his upcoming Kickstarter project to start a game cafe in Lakeland. Or the YouTube channel dedicated to his game reviews.

The goal of Lott’s Kickstarter campaign, set to launch Feb. 20, according to a Twitter post, is help funding the Game Shelf, a venue where customers can order meals, snacks and beverages while having access to a wide array of board games.

The games will be sorted by theme, time commitment, number of players and recommended player age, Lott says.

His Kickstarter goal is to raise $3,000 to buy more games and continue scouting sites, Lott told The Ledger. While the location hasn’t been determined, the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority’s Julie Townsend said she would recommend a nighttime entertainment venture like Lott’s to the city core.

The current plan is to charge a $5 admission and possibly serve alcohol after 8 p.m., a strategy that won praise from business/restaurant consultant Larry Ross. “Then they’re not a restaurant; they’re an entertainment venue that charges admission and serves food and beverage. That dramatically increases their chance of success,” he told The Ledger.