Board game café considers move due to shortage of people with ‘nerdy hobbies’
Rogues Quarter took over a closed down bookmakers
Friday, 13th June — By Frankie Lister-Fell
Rogues Quarter in Queen’s Crescent
A FANTASY board game café in Queen’s Crescent said it was considering ending its lease early as customer numbers had fallen this year.
Nick Masetti, founder of Rogues Quarter, told the New Journal last week that the previous weekend was “one of the worst weekends they’d ever had” for business.
The café has been open for four years after replacing an empty betting shop which locals had hated for being a magnet for trouble.
In contrast it serves drinks and small plates while guests pay a small price per session allowing them access to their library including the board game Kingdom Death, which retails for £450, and their most popular game Magic: The Gathering.
But this year, Rogues Quarter has seen fewer people come through its doors.
Mr Masetti said: “With rising constraints in terms of people’s wallets it does seem like we’re getting less and less busy, as opposed to getting more and more, the more people know about us. It was up and up every year, making money every year until now.
“If we’re talking calendar months, January was pretty much dead. February always picks up and gets quite busy, and then it’s just been kind of low since then.
“And normally it would be like ebbs and flows, and we would still get good revenue. Our weekly events have started to wane, clubs have gone to cheaper venues.”
Nick Masseti
Referring to the recent weekend, he added: “I’m not sure if it was just, you know, a one-off. It doesn’t feel like a one-off. It feels like it’s been lulling for quite a bit.”
Mr Masetti said the café is a “destination location”, where people will travel to play their niche games, adding: “There weren’t many board game cafés when we opened up but now there seems to be one opening every other month.
“There are a lot more bars that seem to be incorporating board games, so they have a small repertoire whether it’s a digital game where you can just drink and then play on a Switch or something.
“We do get locals. It’s just whether or not you’re into nerd hobbies or not. If it’s your hobby, for sure. We literally were here last night until 1am with one of the gents who works in the Sir Robert Peel.”
But he added that changes to Queen’s Crescent such as the removal of free parking may have had an impact, especially when there was building work happening right outside his door last year.
Mr Masetti added: “The market seems to be much smaller. There’s only two stalls out today, so there’s not going to be that footfall of people just coming up and down the road.”
