LongBeachReport.com | LBReport.com | KDB-Long Beach</i> opens at The Pike In Former <i>Gamesworks</i> Location

(Aug. 18, 2010) -- Los Angeles-based Trifecta Management Group opened its second KDB Restaurant (aka Kitchen, Den, Bar) on Wednesday August 18 in the former Gameworks location at LB's Pike at Rainbow Harbor.

Photo credit: Joe Mello

The new venue, called KDB-Long Beach, opened to the public at 8 p.m. following an afternoon ribbon cutting ceremony with 480 invited guests including Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal.

Divided into three distinct venue experiences under one roof -- the Kitchen, the Den and the Bar -- KDB-Long Beach fills an entertainment void at The Pike after the close of both GameWorks in March and Club V20 in July. The new store employs 90 people.

Trifecta Management Group managed and operated GameWorks from 1999 to 2005, selling its holdings to part owner Sega. Sega later closed 29 GameWorks nationwide including the Long Beach location. Trifecta Management Group then took over the Columbus, OH and Long Beach, CA GameWorks locations and reopened them this month as KDB locations geared to an older demographic than GameWorks' child and teen demographic.

Photo credit: Joe Mello

The 40,000 square foot KDB-Long Beach offers familiar attractions with more contemporary dinning, live entertainment and less of an emphasis on the trademark video game experience of the GameWorks venue, a concept similar to Dave and Busters.

The Kitchen venue features a more upscale inside restaurant and casual patio seating and serves contemporary cuisine such as gourmet pizzas and signature sandwiches and salads.

Photo credit: Joe Mello

Half of KDB is devoted to the Den venue. The 20,000 square feet area retains the former GameWorks bowling lanes with plans for a night time Rock and Bowl event.

Photo credit: Joe Mello

The Den also features 130 attractions that include a scaled back video arcade, billiards, a live music stage and a contemporary full service bar at the bowling lanes focused on martinis.

Photo credit: Joe Mello

The second bar of the Bar concept will be a sports bar in the middle of the Den. The venue also includes private event banquet rooms. Altogether both bars and private rooms feature 50 television and projection screens for sporting events.

Trifecta Management Group's partners are Ron Lam, former CEO and President of GameWorks; Michael Auger, former Executive Vice President of Operations of GameWorks; and Bruce Nussbaum, former Executive Vice President of Operations for GameWorks and General Counsel. The company operates over 15 distinctive concept restaurants.