Like Chuck E. Cheese for Your Geeky Young Professional Brother

Nolan Bushnell may shy away from comparisons between his aging pizza place and this hip, swanky establishment but both revolve around food and fun… and profits.

October 16th saw the grand opening of Bushnell’s latest dining destination, uWink, in Woodland Hills, California. The establishment has a typical hipster menu and plenty of barstools but the big draw is the gaming and social interaction. Each table is topped with a glowing touch screen that allows diners to peruse the menu, tailor their choices (mayo on the side? salad before entree?), and even request refills.

Food and drink is just one aspect of uWink as the monitors offer an array of mid-dining entertainment. Bushnell has reportedly spent $10 million to create 72 exclusive games (read: generic versions of classics) for uWink. Poker, trivia, and even Pong are playable alone or against other tables. There’s also a six-player party table which uWink’s website describes as a “social lubricant”. Not the thought I want running through my head as I dig into dinner. uWink also boasts “edutainment” titles like Wine Flight School where a runner delivers four shot glasses of wine to your table for a crash course test on color, aroma, and taste. Your preferences are then compared to other diners as well as the bistro’s wine experts.

The fun isn’t free, though. Stopping in for a quick game will cost between $4 and $8 an hour while diners get complimentary credit as long as they keep ordering drinks and food. Bushnell hopes that uWink’s hip atmosphere and networked cross-table play will draw friends, family, and co-workers out of the seedy local bars and to his electronic mecca.

Much more to be had at uWink’s site (check out some of the mock scenarios for a good laugh) as well as at their Bistro Blog.