More Than “Just Drinking”

Ktown Karaoke, Good Lie Mini Golf Bar and Cargocade show how Wilmington’s activity bars turn a night out into an experience

By Katie Schmidt

Rocks or neat; draft or bottle; soprano or alto? When you walk into an activity bar in Wilmington, you’re not just ordering a drink — you’re hitting high notes, golf balls and pinball levers. With the rise of activity bars throughout the world, it’s no wonder Wilmington followed suit and got in on the action of combining drinking culture with a slew of activity options. Local spots like KTown Karaoke, Good Lie Mini Golf Bar and Cargocade don’t just offer drink menus, but song lists, putting paths and 40-plus arcade game options.

While blending drinking with an activity is a tale as old as pitchers of cheap beer at bowling alleys, it has become unavoidable in the hospitality industry. In 2019, SevenRooms, a technology company that provides guest data to hospitality operators, released a report stating that 29% of Americans preferred a club or bar that offered food, beverage and activity all in one place. Of course, between that report and the time of writing, a curveball got thrown not just at the rise of “eatertainment venues,” but in the hospitality industry in general.

“We all went through COVID and everybody was so isolated,” Kyra Tebo Faina, one of the owners of KTown Karaoke, says. While the pandemic may have slowed the rise of activity bars for a few years, it is now likely one of the driving factors in their current success. “I think now that we’re able to go out and meet strangers and do activities, people want to hold onto that,” she says. “We had it taken away from us for so long.”

Good Lie’s general manager, Tara Fitzpatrick-Chambers, adds: “There was a post-pandemic shift in the industry as a whole. People want to go out and have fun and make memories.”

Tebo Faina says that she and her fellow KTown owners saw a need for a karaoke bar in Wilmington and — based on the consistent crowds at the Front Street karaoke bar — they were right. “It has so quickly taken on its own personality and has exactly the good vibes that I wanted,” Tebo Faina says. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, you’re a singer,’ or ‘Oh, you’re not a singer.’ It’s a no-judgment zone. When you get in there, it is like a little community. And I love that.”

The communal element is a key ingredient to a successful activity bar. At KTown, a karaoke league has started on Monday nights, where teams compete against each other. Good Lie also has league nights, even culminating in a playoff of sorts.

Fitzpatrick-Chambers describes the players on the bar’s league nights as a diverse crowd. “It’s just really cool to see that everybody from all walks of life — ages, marital status, whatever you name it — everybody just kind of mixes together for a good time,” she says. “My philosophy around the industry is that everybody’s life is hard, and so people are choosing to spend their time and money in places that are going to bring them the most enjoyment. Right now, that’s all about the experience.”

With that, Fitzpatrick-Chambers touches on another element in the activity bar conversation — its place in the experience economy. The term, first coined in 1998, essentially implies that consumers ultimately find more value in investing in memorable experiences than in tangible goods. This is, of course, what activity bars are banking their success on.

“I think people are really looking for experiences these days — even simple ones,” Cargocade owner Billy Batten says. “An arcade bar checks that box without being over the top. It’s an easy date night, a fun spot for groups and a way to hang out that’s more interactive than just sitting at a table. Places like Cargocade give people something to do while they’re catching up, and that’s a big part of why activity bars have taken off.”

The experience economy works in the business’s favor, too, with income streams coming from two directions. For Good Lie, that includes revenue from both mini golf sales and bar sales. At KTown, where small soundproof rooms can be rented for anyone who would prefer some privacy over the larger karaoke room, Tebo Faina jokes that it’s by-the-hour real estate income.

Another factor in the uptick in activity bars is the downward trend in alcohol consumption in young adults over the last few years. A 2023 Gallup poll showed that 62% of American adults under age 35 say they drink, which is down 10% from two decades ago. Whether someone is committed to long-term sobriety or simply participating in things like Dry January or Sober October, it can be assumed that a night out sans drinking is more enjoyable when the main event is something other than just drinking.

“I think that not everyone just sits around and drinks anymore,” Tebo Faina says. “Everything was so alcohol-focused before, but now some people go to bars and they’re not even drinking, which is traditionally what a bar was, right? You think back to the ’80s and you’re just sitting there, and it’s like, ‘Pour me a whiskey,’ but that’s just not what it is anymore. It’s more social.”

Fitzpatrick-Chambers, who has managed a handful of Wilmington bars before Good Lie, has seen firsthand the change in drinking behaviors in young adults. “There’s been a whole shift in the human population where the majority of people aren’t going out just to sit at a bar and have a drink,” she says. “They either aren’t drinking as much, or they want to be doing something if they do. So, with activity bars, everyone can feel included because it’s not like you have to be drinking. Anyone can play, participate and feel a part of the group, whether or not they have a drink in their hand.”

Tebo Faina, Fitzpatrick-Chambers and Batten all reference inclusivity as a vital part of their business model, touching on an overarching sentiment of “kid-friendly, but adult-oriented” and even offering event space for anything ranging from 8- to 80-year-old birthday parties.

“I think Cargocade gives Wilmington a place that feels local, relaxed and easy to enjoy,” Batten says. “We’re family-friendly during the day, then after 6 p.m. it shifts into a more adult crowd, so everyone gets their space to enjoy the vibe they’re looking for.”

Tebo Faina includes KTown’s operational hours as a factor in its positive availability. “You can check the times and go watch a movie or get tickets for a concert, but this is accessible all the time,” she says. “It’s entertainment all the time, music all the time, for you and by you.”

Activity bars have successfully transformed a night out from being dinner, then entertainment, then drinks into a one-stop experience. As Fitzpatrick-Chambers puts it: “They are bridging the gap between nightlife and recreation.”