About Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s is a publicly listed company based in Dallas (United States) founded in 1982 by James Corley, and was acquired by Oak Hill in May 2010. It operates as a chain of bars serving food inhouse beer. Dave & Buster’s has completed 1 acquisition, including Main Event. Its website daveandbusters.com draws about 2.1 million monthly visits. Its focus areas include Food and Agriculture, Food Service Chains, Bars & Pubs and Breweries. Its competitors include BrewDog, Granite City Food and Brewery, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Charleys and Punch Bowl Social and 4 more; 2 of its 9 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Dave Busters was founded in 1982 in Dallas, United States, with James Corley serving as co-founder. Operations are conducted as a chain of entertainment venues in the hospitality and leisure sector, where food, in-house beer, and arcade games are provided to patrons. Locations are maintained across various U.S. regions, and online access is facilitated through daveandbusters.com for reservations and information.
Apps and channels of Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s publishes 2 mobile apps with over 1M+ downloads.
Funding Insights of Dave & Buster’s
- Total Rounds 2
- First Round $800M
(Aug 2017)
- Investors Count 1
All 2 funding rounds of Dave Busters with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | – | Post-IPO | – | – | |
| Aug 2017 | $800M | Debt – Conventional | – | – | – |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include KKR and Oak Hill.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Multiple sectors are invested in by this private equity firm. | 1976 | kkr.com | New York, United States | |
Mid market focused private equity firm | – | oakhill.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for Dave Busters
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People of Dave & Buster’s
1 people are tracked at Dave & Buster’s (1 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
James Corley | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Dave & Buster’s
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IPO & Listings of Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s is a publicly listed company on the NASDAQ with ticker symbol PLAY in USA, operating in the Consumer services sector. As a publicly traded entity, the company provides investors with opportunities to participate in its growth story through equity ownership. The listing enables access to capital markets, enhances corporate visibility, and provides liquidity for shareholders while maintaining transparency through regulatory compliance and regular financial disclosures.
- IPO date10 Oct 2014
- Listed onNASDAQ: PLAY
- Listed entityDave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.
- Exchange sectorConsumer services
Investments & Acquisitions by Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Main Event.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of venue for events | mainevent.com | Plano, United States | 1998 | Apr 2022 | $835M |
Complete acquisition details for Dave Busters
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Timeline of Dave & Buster’s
6 dated milestones of Dave & Buster’s across 40 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Dave & Buster’s is founded.
- Exit Acquired by Oak Hill.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Funding First funding round of $800.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Post-IPO,.
- Acquisition Acquires Main Event.
Competitors of Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s has 9 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include BrewDog, Granite City Food and Brewery, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Charleys and Punch Bowl Social, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| brewdog.com | 2007 | Ellon, United Kingdom | $440.93M | 1,767 | Brand of craft beer and brewery chain operator | |
| gcfb.com | 1997 | Golden, United States | – | 519 | Chain of American Fast Casual restaurants with On Site Brewery | |
| hopdoddy.com | 2010 | Austin, United States | – | – | Burgers and beverages are offered by a chain of eateries. | |
| charleys.com | 1985 | Columbus, United States | – | – | It serves as a food service chain offers breweries. | |
| punchbowlsocial.com | 2010 | Denver, United States | $2.1M | – | Chain of bars & pubs | |
| ironhillbrewery.com | 1996 | Wilmington, United States | – | – | Bars & restaurants chain | |
| chebahut.com | 1998 | Fort Collins, United States | – | – | Provides creative toasted subs, salads, munchies, and beverages for casual dining. | |
| thegreeneturtle.com | 1976 | Alexandria, United States | – | – | Chain of bars | |
| walk-ons.com | 2003 | Baton Rouge, United States | – | – | A chain of restaurants and bars is owned and operated. |
Detailed competitors of Dave Busters
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Web traffic of Dave & Buster’s
The website of Dave & Buster’s (daveandbusters.com) receives about 2.1M visits a month and ranks #34,066 among all websites worldwide, #952 in Restaurants and Delivery.
- Monthly visits2.1M
▲ 16.9% vs previous month
- Unique visitors1.1M
per month
- Global rank#34,066
among all websites
- Category rank#952
Food and Drink · Restaurants and Delivery
- Bounce rate44%
- Pages per visit2.4
- Average visit2 min 15 sec
- DevicesDesktop 14% · Mobile 86%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Dave & Buster’s. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chuckecheese.com | 100% | 1.8M | #38,322 | View details | |
| gameworks.com | 89% | 12.4K | #1,622,204 | View details | |
frickers.com | frickers.com | 89% | – | #696,418 | – |
| applebees.com | 87% | 5.5M | #9,512 | View details | |
| opentable.com | 83% | 43.9M | #829 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Dave & Buster’s
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Top companies in Food Service Chains
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Dave & Buster’s (Food Service Chains), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brand of craft beer and brewery chain operator | 2007 | Ellon, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom | USD 440.93 M | USD 313.06 M | 1,122 | |
Chain of limited service restaurant serving coffee | 2017 | Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia | USD 240 M | – | 5,146 | |
Salads and meal bowls are offered by restaurant chains. | 2006 | Los Angeles, California, United States | USD 479.07 M | USD 679.47 M | 2,868 | |
Doughnuts and coffee are provided by the international chain. | 1937 | Winston-salem, North Carolina, United States | USD 114.68 M | USD 1.52 B | 21,000 | |
A chain of restaurants provides meals and catering services. | 2009 | Colorado City, Colorado, United States | USD 11.45 M | – | 526 | |
Provider of bakery-cafe services and a loyalty program | 1987 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | USD 145.61 M | – | – | |
Coffee and related products are served by a restaurant chain. | 1993 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 236.07 M | USD 110.67 M | 2,863 | |
Mediterranean fast-casual dining is provided by CAVA restaurants. | 2010 | Washington, District Of Columbia, United States | USD 680.15 M | USD 1.18 B | 10,690 | |
A chain of coffee houses is operated in Indonesia. | 2018 | Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia | USD 40 M | USD 89.74 M | 3,180 | |
Tea and snacks are served by Chaayos in limited-service restaurants. | 2012 | Delhi, Delhi, India | USD 94.23 M | USD 31.69 M | 2,075 |
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Related news about Dave & Buster’S
Complete news archive for Dave Busters
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Frequently Asked Questions about Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s was founded in 1982 and raised its 1st funding round 35 years after it was founded.
Dave & Buster’s is headquartered in Dallas, United States. It is registered at Dallas, Texas, United States.
Dave Busters was founded in 1982 in Dallas, United States, with James Corley serving as co-founder. Operations are conducted as a chain of entertainment venues in the hospitality and leisure sector, where food, in-house beer, and arcade games are provided to patrons. Locations are maintained across various U.S. regions, and online access is facilitated through daveandbusters.com for reservations and information.
Dave & Buster’s's top competitors include BrewDog, Granite City Food and Brewery and Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar.
Yes, Dave & Buster’s is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol PLAY.
Dave & Buster’s has made 1 acquisition, including Main Event.
Yes. Dave & Buster’s was acquired by Oak Hill in May 2010.
Yes. Dave & Buster’s publishes D&B Rewards and 1 more app, with over 1 million downloads.
The website of Dave & Buster’s receives about 2.1 million visits a month and ranks #34,066 among all websites worldwide.

