17 January 2008
World Sports Grille due at Foothills Mall
Imagine watching a Brazilian soccer match on a 103-inch flat-screen HDTV while nibbling on spinach-and-feta-stuffed mushrooms or vegetable spring rolls dipped in a sweet chile sauce.
Welcome to World Sports Grille By Sega, the latest brainchild of GameWorks' parent Sega Entertainment USA (Yes, that Sega, the video-game company).
Tucson will become the launching pad for Sega's newest restaurant-gaming concept, which has been test-marketed in GameWorks arcades in Detroit and Seattle.
The world-themed sports bar will open in late May or early June at the Foothills Mall, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd., said Sega spokesman Clint Manny. The company already operates a GameWorks' entertainment center inside the mall.
Manny described it as a refined sports bar experience that serves up an American fusion of dishes from around the world and a unique world-gaming experience where you can play the latest, greatest craze out of Japan - some in the native language - that won't hit America for another year.
The 15,000-square-foot restaurant, still under construction on the Ina Road side of the mall behind Outback Steakhouse, is a sports bar in theme, but not necessarily temperament. You won't find an abundance of sports paraphernalia or team banners on the walls. Instead, Manny said, patrons can expect a wide array of sporting events from around the world, broadcast on television sets with an advanced sound system.
The restaurant and bar will occupy two-thirds of the space. The rest will be taken up by arcade games, traditional billiards and a darts arena.
Manny said Sega plans to open a second World Sports Grille By Sega in Harrisburg, Pa., in early summer. Another four or five are planned around the country in the next 18 months.
