Arcade games, pinball and a rooftop bar: Player 1UP to soon open in Murrells Inlet
Video gamers will have an opportunity to get nostalgic with the opening of an arcade bar in Murrells Inlet as early as the first weekend in February.
Player 1UP is opening in a 7,000-square-foot building that was formerly Milardo’s Pizzeria and Sports Pub at the entrance to Inlet Square Mall on U.S. 17 Business.
The owners are Rock Hill residents Mike Bost, Steven Fowler and Howard Bohrer, a former Myrtle Beach city police officer who will be the managing partner in Murrells Inlet. They opened the original Player 1UP in Rock Hill in August 2019. “Arcade bars is really a big thing that’s happening and it has been real successful for us,” Bost said.
The bar is expected to feature classic cabinet arcade games such as Galaga, Pac-Man, Centipede and Donkey Kong, some more contemporary arcade games, about two dozen pinball machines, billiards tables, air hockey, Skee-Ball, NBA Hoops, racing games and shooting games. There will be more than 75 games in total.
The pinball machines will be both contemporary and classic, including many that were popular in the late 1990s.
Bost said Player 1UP will be part of the Stern Army, meaning it will host tournaments sponsored by the Stern Pinball manufacturer. The bar will regularly have karaoke, trivia and music bingo, and DJs on weekends.
The business will have a full bar with video game-themed craft cocktails and will feature more than a dozen draft beers including IPAs. There will be a number of TVs at the bar and throughout the building.
The menu will consist generally of American bar food including stone-cooked pizza — the stone ovens are a holdover from Milardo’s — burgers, cheesesteaks, chicken tenders and fries.
Player 1UP will be open seven days per week. All ages will be allowed until 9 p.m., when the bar will change to 21 and up. It will cater to service industry workers with late-night specials and will be open until 2 a.m. this summer, though closing hours this winter are still being discussed.
“Your restaurants and bars that close early, they will have a place to come,” Bost said. “. . . People we’ve talked to have been really acceptive of what’s going on and really excited about having something to do, especially late night. That’s the thing about bars. You sit and drink and talk, but this gives you something more. We’ll have a lot of multi-player games where groups of up to four people can play.”
A 2,000-square-foot rooftop bar is being renovated for an expected spring opening.
