‘There’s a little bit of everything.’ New arcade bar opening soon in downtown Merced

Andy Beltran has spent a lot of time all alone the past few months in his new business surrounded by arcade games, pinball machines, big-screen televisions and empty booths.

Beltran, 34, can’t wait to open the doors to his new bar arcade named Joystiq located at 325 West Main St. in downtown Merced.

“I’m so excited, “ Beltran said. “I’m ready to see some people in here. I’ve been in here most of the time by myself.

Beltran always considered himself a “gamer” growing up. Many of his old gaming consoles now serve as decoration in his new bar.

It was while living in Philadelphia six years ago when he got the idea of bringing an arcade bar to Merced.

“My girlfriend at the time knew I was a big fan of video games, arcade games and stuff and said I had to check out this arcade bar in Philly,” he said. “As soon as we walked in there I was like, ‘This place is awesome.’”

When Beltran moved back to Merced he wanted to bring the idea of a bar arcade with him.

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

“I played all of these as a kid,” Beltran said. “The past five years I’ve been searching online, word of mouth, trying to find them all. Eventually I got lucky enough to find all these. Some were broken down so I had to fix them and bring them back to life.”

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

“There’s a little bit of everything,” Beltran said. “Once we open up I’d like to get customer feedback to see what else we can bring in.”

Joystiq will also be a full bar and restaurant, featuring Mediterranean and American food. There will be healthier options including salads, vegetarian and vegan options. There will also be burger and chicken wings for people wanting traditional bar food.

“It’s going to to be for all ages, families are more than welcome,” Beltran said. “We’ll have live music and DJs playing every now and then.”

Beltran says from about 9 p.m. until closing, Joystiq will cater to the adult customers.

“I think this is something different than we’ve ever had here in Merced,” Beltran said.

This has been a passion project for Beltran for the past five years since he moved back to Merced. During the COVID-19 pandemic there were times when he wasn’t sure his business would ever get off the ground.

“I didn’t really know what was going to happen in the world so I didn’t want to put in too much money at that time,” Beltran said. “My family members own the pool hall (The Cue Spot Billiards) and they had to shut down for a year and half too. We really didn’t have any money coming in so it was scary times.”

Now Beltran says he plans to open by the end of the year.

“It’s hard to wrap my mind around that we’re finally finished and it will be nice to see people enjoying themselves,” Beltran said. “I can’t wait for that.”

Joystiq will soon be hiring for all positions, including cooks, bartenders, servers and dishwashers. If interested you can email Joystiqmerced@gmail.com.