Craving a hot, fresh plate of dots? Need a little waka-waka-waka in your life? A new restaurant in suburban Chicago, Illinois will be opening to serve your needs very soon.
A 40,000-square foot Pac-Man-themed restaurant, named Level 257 (taking its moniker from the number following the original Pac-Man arcade game’s infamous Level 256 “kill screen“), is set to open in a space formerly occupied by Sears at Schaumburg, Illinois’ Woodfield Mall in January.
Pac-Man creator/publisher Namco is taking an active role in Level 257′s creation, overseeing its development with plans to use the restaurant to celebrate the beloved ghost slayer’s 35th birthday in May. “Level 257 seeks to explore Pac-Man’s impact upon our society and pop culture, reminding us all of the importance of play in our lives, while facilitating our desire to relive those times when beating the next level was the most important thing in our world,” Namco says on Level 257′s official website.
Level 257 concept drawing (photo credit: Chicago Tribune)
Level 257′s official Tumblr reveals plans to integrate the 180-seat restaurant into a bigger entertainment complex. Details include “sixteen boutique retro-styled bowling lanes with smart technology, table tennis, pinball machines and our Lost & Found games parlor”, as well as a “first-of-its-kind Pac-Man shop” and “gallery space” documenting the dot muncher’s legacy.
Level 257 stands as the latest entry in a long series of tie-ins and franchising opportunities for one of classic gaming’s most enduring tentpole characters. Fans hungry for more recent Pac-Man appearances in popular media can also catch him in Disney‘s 2012 paean to arcades Wreck-It Ralph, Nintendo‘s Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, and upcoming Adam Sandler movie Pixels.
