Bowling
alleys started it. Then Dave and Buster's brought it up a notch in the '90s. Top Golf took it to the next level but now this trend has leveled up again and it's an arms race
to come up with the funnest, hippest, most hi-tech way to play, eat, drink and be merry. They call it "eatertainment," a confluence of recreation and bougie chow and there's a tsunami of these concepts opening in the ATL in the next few months.
The newest is now open on the Westside and it's called Your 3rd
Spot. Your 1st spot is your
home. Your 2nd spot is
work. So other than when you are sleeping, this is designed to be your happy place. It's tucked
away near the Chattahoochee Food Works in a mammoth, high-ceiling space that
includes over 70 types of games: from high-tech darts, billiards, electronic cornhole, (non-ice) curling, ping pong, shuffleboard, skeeball,
air hockey, and an arcade with vintage video games and pinball. It's a big-time "wow factor" when you walk in and designed for millennials and the Instagram generation all the way. Faux houseplants throughout with other high-design features including little nooks and crannies to chill, eat
and drink—they call it a "vibe-forward social dining experience." Basically, it's a We Work without the work; a clubby restaurant, bar, beer garden,
and chill zone under one roof.
Chef Stuart
Rogers formerly of Lyla Lila in midtown has curated a menu that is light
years from bowling alley grub. For serious foodies like me, they have bites like cold water oysters, foie gras cannelloni, sea
urchin toast, and roasted bone marrow. I
tried all these and got weak in the knees they were so good. For the less adventurous fear not: they have slow-smoked pork ribs, beef cheek
nachos, and yummy flatbreads so there is plenty of approachable items strewn in with the weird stuff.
Another notable tenet of Your 3rd Spot is its use of technology. It's in all the games and there's even an app called "Match and Connect" which is part functional for use on the property (to order stuff and play games) and part dating app with the intention of match-making right there in real-time at the building based on their personality and game preferences. And if you live within a couple of miles, you can purchase a "subscription"— essentially become a member and have your own little hipster country club.
