Enterrium[3] (formerly known as Level 257 then Pac-Man Entertainment) is a contemporary American restaurant and video arcade located at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois.[2] The restaurant and entertainment destination was originally inspired by Pac-Man and the name refers to the famous kill screen, which occurs when the player reaches the 256th level of the original Pac-Man game, meaning "the next level of dining and entertainment".[4] It was owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment from 2015 to 2021, which also owns all Pac-Man-related intellectual property.[5] The restaurant celebrated its soft opening on March 2, 2015, and its grand opening in April 2015.[6]
In May 2021, the location was sold to Kiddleton, a joint venture between GENDA and Round One Corporation, and was rebranded as the Enterrium.[7]
Style
It sits on 42,000 square feet which was previously used as a warehouse for a Sears department store.[8] In addition, the restaurant also features sixteen boutique bowling lanes, table tennis and social sports, as well as video and board games in the Lost & Found Game Lounge.[9] The interior decor is up-scale modern urban-chic in style and includes levels of references to the video game character Pac-Man. The menu also features references to well-known video game terms of the 1980s, such as "1-UP", chocolate "power pellets", and "Game Over".[10]
History
The restaurant was first conceived as a prototype in 2013, when Namco announced that the restaurant (codenamed Level 256 at the time) was being developed in partnership with a restaurateur in Kansas City, saying that were eyeing the Chicago area for possible locations.[11] The restaurant celebrated its soft opening on March 2, 2015.[12]
In May 2021, Pac-Man Entertainment was sold to Kiddleton, following Bandai Namco's decision to withdraw the amusement facility business in North America, citing the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacting their business.[13] Pac-Man Entertainment would be rebranded as the Enterrium, stripping the location of its Pac-Man theme.