‘We built this place for Merced.’ New arcade bar opens, bringing more entertainment downtown

Shawn Jansen

Andy Beltran didn’t feel like he stopped moving for three days after his new bar arcade named Joystiq opened in downtown Merced recently.

The new business at 325 West Main St. held its official grand opening Jan. 19 and hosted large crowds all weekend. Joystiq hit capacity of 200 people on Saturday night and people were lined up outside.

As people left, they would let new customers in. “We had an amazing turnout,” Beltran said. “It was awesome, something I never expected. I was blown away by the amount of people who showed up. The crowd didn’t slow down until after the football playoff game on Sunday night.”

They were so busy they ran out of food on the first night. Employees had to make shopping trips to restock supplies and Beltran had to call in more servers and bartenders. “We had to iron out some kinks like any new business,” Beltran said.

The first week was a resounding success. It made the long wait to open the bar arcade well worth it.

“Families were in there eating, kids were playing games, people were hanging out watching the games and people were in the karaoke room singing,” Beltran said. “It’s just how I pictured it in my mind.”

Many activities to choose from

The 8,500 square-foot, two-floor establishment features corn hole, bocce ball, darts, shuffle board and there is also a private karaoke room.

Patrons can find about 100 retro arcade games like Ms. Pacman, Mortal Kombat, NFL Blitz, and NBA Jam. There are racing games, skee-ball, hop shot, air hockey and pinball.

Joystiq is also a full bar and restaurant, featuring Mediterranean and American food. There are healthier options including salads, vegetarian and vegan options. Tradition bar food like burgers and chicken wings are also available.

Some of the popular dishes so far have been skewer plates with the choice of chicken, lamb, steak or shrimp, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese and doner fries – a large plate of french fries loaded with cabbage, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta cheese. The fries are topped with garlic aioli and avocado dressing.

“Some people are scared to try the bacon-wrapped dates because they’ve never had a date before, but once they start eating them they don’t stop,” Beltran said.

Joystiq employs 45 people, including servers, bartenders, security, dishwashers and bar backs. The business is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to midnight, except on Sundays when Joystiq closes at 10 p.m.

Joystiq is open to all ages until 9 p.m., when it is open for the 21-and-older crowd.

“It feels amazing for me and my family,” Beltran said. “We’ve been working on this for five years. We put our hearts into it. To spend that long and built this place from the ground up, it’s a great feeling.”

“We built this place for Merced and to see people have a great time is amazing,” Beltran added.

A view from the second floor inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
A view from the second floor inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Arcade games and pool table inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Arcade games and pool table inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Andy Beltran, owner of Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street, speaks about how he came up with the idea for the business, in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Andy Beltran, owner of Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street, speaks about how he came up with the idea for the business, in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Arcade video games inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Arcade video games inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Games inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
Games inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
An area to play cornhole inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.
An area to play cornhole inside Joystiq, a bar, arcade and restaurant venue located at 325 W. Main Street in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022.

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