A new dedicated pinball arcade dubbed Ballerz Pinball Cafe is coming to 412 12th St W in Bradenton this December, helmed by longtime pinball distributor and enthusiast Jon-paul Taylor.
“I’ve been doing pinball machines all around the Bay area for five or six years – a lot of breweries, bars, and all that – and I just always wanted to have my own spot,” Taylor tells What Now Tampa. “So that spot became available in Bradenton on a street with nice foot traffic, and the idea of doing a pinball cafe is what we’re doing.”
As for the cafe part of Ballerz Pinball Cafe, Taylor says they’ll be offering sodas, beer, and wine alongside a “loaded mac n cheese” and a “loaded hot dog” bar, where folks can build their own creations, piled high with toppings such as bacon, caramelized onions, Belgian cheese sauces, crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, jalapeños, lobster, and more.
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to do by itself, so the fact that I can combine it with my passion for pinball, I’m kind of happy about it,” says Taylor.
Taylor says he’s ultimately trying to get 30 machines, however, he’ll open Ballerz when he has about 20, and then roll out titles both old and new over the subsequent months.
“I don’t want to just put 30 machines in there day one, I kind of want to get like 20, and then just search for the really good ones and bring those in slowly.”
The highlight of the arcade will be new games that use an emerging QR code technology rolled out just this year, which allows players to compete with others around the world for top scores and global pinball supremacy.
