How Dave & Buster's is run
At the start of February 2026 Dave & Buster's Entertainment owned and operated 243 venues in 44 states, Puerto Rico and one Canadian province: 179 Dave & Buster's and 64 Main Event. (Dave & Buster's annual report, fiscal 2025)
Outside the US
The company is in early-stage growth as a franchisor abroad. It has signed five international franchise partnerships, covering India, Australia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and Mexico, which plan 37 venues; four were open by February 2026, in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Manila and Santo Domingo. (Dave & Buster's annual report, fiscal 2025)
Who owns Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's Entertainment is a public company; its shares trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol PLAY. It also owns Main Event. (Dave & Buster's annual report, fiscal 2025)
Franchises like Dave & Buster's
If you want to own a entertainment business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to Dave & Buster's, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky ZoneFee $75K · Royalty 6% · Sales $2.26M a location | $3.25M–$6.4M | $75K | 6% | 245+83 in 3 yrs | $2.26M |
| Urban Air Adventure ParkFee $100K · Royalty 7% · Sales $3.09M a location | $2.85M–$5.44M | $100K | 7% | 206+40 in 3 yrs | $3.09M |
| X-GolfFee $40K · Royalty 7% of adjusted gross sales | $1.15M–$1.8M | $40K | 7% of adjusted gross sales | 133+63 in 3 yrs | – |
| EscapologyFee $45K · Royalty 6% · Sales $794K a location | $631K–$2.54M | $45K | 6% | 88+35 in 3 yrs | $794K |
| The PicklrFee $60K · Royalty 7% of gross sales · Sales $963K a location | $1.25M–$2.08M | $60K | 7% of gross sales | 59+53 in 3 yrs | $963K |
| Sandbox VRFee $50K · Royalty 5% + minimum | $1.44M–$2.48M | $50K | 5% + minimum | 43+19 in 3 yrs | – |
| Five Iron GolfFee $50K · Royalty 7% · Sales $2.87M a location | $1.96M–$4.66M | $50K | 7% | 37+22 in 3 yrs | $2.87M |
| Slick CityFee $75K · Royalty 7% · Sales $4M a location | $1.49M–$4.71M | $75K | 7% | 25+23 in 3 yrs | $4M |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
Sky Zone is the largest, with 245 US locations, and Escapology costs least to open, from $630,500. Sky Zone added the most locations, +83 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, Slick City reports the most per location, $4M a year. The typical entertainment franchise starts at $286K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these entertainment franchises loses the fewest owners?
Sky Zone. About 1.4% of its franchised locations a year closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 2.9% a year at Escapology. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand