Board game cafe to open in Dauphin County with full menu of sandwiches, mac n’ cheese - pennlive.com

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With the roll of the dice, a new game board cafe is en route to the Harrisburg area.

By July, URTurn Cafe will open at 7710 Allentown Blvd. in West Hanover Township. The cafe at the former Sizzle-N-Chill will offer a variety of board games, card games and role playing games, along with a full menu of appetizers, sandwiches and small and shareable plates.

“We are looking for a comfortable atmosphere for people to feel like they are at home in their living rooms," said Mary Ann Bonn, co-owner with her husband, Tyson, and partner Nick Pozza.

Nationwide, the rise of board game cafes is proving a night out doesn’t have to revolve around movies or sporting events. The popularity of board games has been steadily climbing, with sales expected to reach $12 billion globally by 2023, according to market researchers.

“It allows for family time without having to look at screens, and brings the communication aspect back,” Pozza said.

In Mechanicsburg, The Game Table Cafe was the first game cafe to open in the region in 2016.

URTurn’s partners, all self-described game board enthusiasts, said they were fueled to open the business by their combined love of games and food.

• READ MORE: Mechanicsburg to close portion of street for outdoor dining area

Mary Ann Bonn is a teacher at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School in Hershey and runs an after-school program, where she encourages students to play games. Meanwhile, Pozza is a chef who worked for about 12 years with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Coincidentally, they used to eat at the Sizzle-N-Chill and viewed the building’s layout as the perfect design for a game cafe. After looking at properties in Harrisburg and Palmyra, Bonn said they learned the restaurant was for sale.

They closed on the property in March, just as the coronavirus pandemic started.

The owners say the cafe’s address will likely draw people from Harrisburg, as well as Hershey and Lebanon County. A field behind the cafe likely will be used for an outdoor game garden with seating as well as concerts and car shows.

Guests will pay a cover fee to play games and order off a full menu including a coffee bar.

While most game cafes serve snacks and coffee, Pozzo said they are expanding on the concept with a full kitchen.

“Canoes,” basically sub sandwiches made from bread cut on top with a U-shape and filled with ingredients, will highlight the menu. Choices will range from Cubans to buffalo chicken, tuna, ham and cheese, a cheesesteak and a Pilgrim, made from turkey and inspired by other Thanksgiving ingredients.

Homemade mac n’ cheese with loaded variations made from buffalo chicken or cheesesteak, along with loaded tater tots and shareable pretzel bites will fill the menu. Diners also will find shareable plates such as hummus with fruit and cheese and naan bread pizzas including a specialty pizza, a French onion soup variety.

The owners hope by July the cafe’s dining room will be permitted to be open under Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 plans. If not, they said they will concentrate on takeout.

In addition, they said games will be sanitized in between uses.

The cafe will operate Wednesday through Sunday.

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Board game cafe to open in Dauphin County with full menu of sandwiches, mac n’ cheese - pennlive.com
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