Only on ABC-7: A sneak peek inside Dave & Buster’s ahead of opening
ABC-7 is getting an exclusive tour of El Paso’s first Dave & Buster’s, located inside Bassett Place Mall at 6101 Gateway West Boulevard in Central El Paso.
The new restaurant and entertainment venue may officially open next week, but the place was bustling as many of the 200 new employees stocked shelves, cleaned dishes and tested the dozens of arcade games.
Dave & Buster’s general manager Frank Scarpello walked ABC-7 through the large arcade room, which is filled with more than 160 games. “Star Wars was signature-released to us,” Scarpello said, pointing at a dome-shaped game called the Star Wars Battle Pod.
Scarpello said the dining room with El Paso-based art and the focus on sports viewing set the Sun City location apart from other older Dave & Buster’s venues, which have had less emphasis on sports.
“We have 24 televisions in our sports bar and we have a huge wall of HD screens in our sports viewing lounge,” Scarpello said.
When it was announced that Dave & Buster’s would open at Bassett Place, some took to ABC-7’s social media platforms to complain about its location in Central El Paso, stating the venue should have chosen a spot in Far East or Northwest El Paso.
Scarpello told ABC-7 that he didn’t have a say in the location, but disagreed that Bassett was not a desirable site.
“It’s centralized to the city, so it gives people from all sides of El Paso, New Mexico and Chihuahua access to Dave & Buster’s.”
Dave & Busters employee and El Paso native Julio Morales also dismissed the complaints. “It’s going to revitalize this entire area, not just Bassett, but this entire area,” he said.
Morales is sure the naysayers will be quieted once they set foot inside.
“It just shows that El Paso is not only on the mark, but has grown up to the point to where we not only want this, but we deserve it,” Morales said.
Dave & Buster’s opens on Monday, April 11. Check out some items on the menu with chef Jesus Haro by watching the video in Related Content.
Watch Good Morning El Paso Anchor Stephanie Valle’s story in the 6-6:30am half hour of GMEP and in ABC-7’s evening newscast.
