The owners of Quarters, the food and entertainment venue at the intersection of Sherwood Forest and Coursey boulevards, have announced they are closing temporarily to upgrade and rebrand the 35,000-square-foot facility.
Collis Temple, III, who opened the facility in 2012, says the move was prompted, in part, by COVID-19 and the public health restrictions that have limited the number of customers allowed in commercial establishments. But even before the pandemic, he was planning to reinvent the business, which had not been performing as well in recent years as he had hoped.
“This gives us time to do some things we had been wanting to do,” says Temple, who estimates the renovations will cost at least $250,000.
Among the planned changes will be an overhaul of the facility’s restaurant, The Grind, which he hopes to “take to a new level and transform into a legitimate restaurant.”
Perhaps more significantly, plans call for doing away with the 8,000-square foot laser tag arena and repurposing the space as an event venue to accommodate gatherings.
“I think of it as a cross between The Lyceum downtown and The Varsity,” he says. “We’ll be able to host everything from wedding receptions to boxing matches.”
The facility’s bowling alley will remain unchanged, while its gaming options will be upgraded and enhanced, he says.
While there’s no telling when people will once again feel safe flocking to restaurants, bars and event venues, Temple believes the time is right to invest in his facility so that once the pandemic is under control and restrictions are lifted he’ll be poised to capitalize on a public that’s hungry for entertainment.
“We don’t know where things are going to go,” he says. “But we want to be ready for it.”
Temple doesn’t have a new name yet for the facility or a potential reopening date. He says he’d eventually like to grow the concept and franchise it around the region.
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