Starting the Game

Snakes & Lattes, Toronto$$s foremost board game caf$,$ came into being in $2010.$ Ben Castanie had the idea of opening a caf$$ where patrons could play board games. This was based on what he had experienced while in Asia, where there were a few board game caf$$s$,$ and his experiences in Europe and North America, where customers would play board games in board game stores. Castanie$$s reasoning was that if people were willing to sit in the back room of a small store to play the latest board games, they would be willing to sit in a more inviting environment where they could get food and drink while they played. Castanie summed it up by saying, $$we thought it would be cool to put board games on a shelf.$1$ Besides, Castanie said in $2015,$it$$s about time that people get back to looking into each other$$s eyes.$2$

$1$ Freehill$-$Maya, L$.$A pint, a pizza & a game of chess: Board game cafes are coming,$$ The Irish Times, February $25,2016.$

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$2$ Kaplan, B$.$Unplugged: Singles are signing off from Internet dating sites and seeking a more personal connection,$$ National Post, February $5,2011.$

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The caf$,$ opened in Toronto near a large university, was a success almost immediately. It was the first board game caf$$ in North America. Waitlists for a table were common and Snakes & Lattes had to remove their online reservation system because the caf$$ was already booked so far into the future.

Nine years and three more locations later, Snakes & Lattes was still going strong in $2019.$ During the intervening years they added a logistics and fulfillment arm, acquired a board game publishing house, enhanced their service with an offsite program, and went through many changes with regard to marketing planning. As more competitors entered the market, the company stayed at the top of the list of well$-$known, well$-$respected boardgame caf$$s$.$ What would the future hold?

Questions

$1.$Have you visited a board game caf$?$ Why did you choose to go$?$ What value did the experience offer?

$2.$Consider how Ben Castanie got the idea for a board game caf$.$ Was this based on consumer need, or innovation, or something else?

$3.$ Snakes & Lattes emerged and found success during a time when the board game industry was experiencing a rebirth and rapid growth. How much do you think these industry factors contributed to the company$$s success?