Looking for a great place to eat and entertain the kids all at the same time? With arcade games galore, look no further than Flight Deck in Columbia, SC! From great food to fun arcade games, they’ve got just the right recipe for a fun family evening out.
Watch! Our Visit to Flight Deck
The Restaurant: Flight Deck
Just walking toward the entrance is an experience in itself! The restaurant is situated at the back of a small shopping center, and the path leading to it is lined with palm trees, patio tables, and storefronts. The palm trunks are wrapped in lights and beautiful as it was in winter, I can only imagine the landscaping in the spring and summer!
The kids will be captivated by all the things to look at inside Flight Deck. There are life-size superheroes, which are great photo ops, airplanes hanging from the ceiling, and even a huge King Kong! Be warned parents – they have a case of fresh baked cookies, Jelly Belly Station, and gumball machines with candy, gumballs, and toys so bring quarters and be prepared for the “Can I have those PLEASE?!” line! Go ahead and get yourself a cookie, too, because they are delicious!
The Flight Deck menu is very kid-friendly, and prices are affordable, as well. If the kids get antsy while waiting for the food, take a stroll around and look at the military memorabilia throughout the restaurant! All the cool medals, patches, coins, and decor will surely spark some questions that you can even transform into a learning opportunity! Each piece has its own unique story!
Our meal was good; the service was fast and friendly. I highly recommend ordering a slice of their gourmet cake, even if you just take it to go. It was delicious, and the worst part was deciding on just one kind! One slice is large enough to share.
Arcade at Flight Deck
The arcade does have a separate entrance from the back of the building/parking lot but walking in the front is fun! If you choose to come in through the arcade entrance, be sure to take the kids on a quick walk through the restaurant, and don’t miss the 3D wall sculpture as you pass through!
The arcade has bright lights and a fun atmosphere. There are lots of games including, skee ball, whack a mole, racing, pinball, air hockey, giant connect four, and claw games. Keep in mind, not all the games give tickets so if your little is on a mission for prizes, check to make sure first.
While the arcade area is not a huge space, it is big enough that you don’t feel crowded but not so large as other popular chain arcades where keeping an eye on young ones is overwhelming. They also have 2 smaller rooms off the main room that offer several games where you can let younger ones spread out while still staying contained.
There are ticket counting machines that you feed any tickets into once you are done. They also have a prize vending machine if you want to skip the prize line and choose from something within instead. They do have different items in the case than in the vending machine, so be sure to check out both.
Special Events
They offer special events throughout the year, and it would make a great place to celebrate your child’s birthday. Flight Deck has several private rooms available in varying sizes to accommodate your needs.
The night we went, they were hosting a ladies-only bingo night and had several vendor tables set up, and it was decorated so beautifully! Check their Facebook page for upcoming events or contact them to set up your own private event.
Tips for Flight Deck
- Keep tickets in longer strands for easier putting into the counting machine
- Bring something to easily carry tickets and tokens (small tote bag, etc)
- If you happen to forget a tote, the hostess desk has grocery bags, and there are condiment-sized cups at the token machine which makes carrying tickets easier. You can also fold all the tickets and carry them in the cups as well.
- Bring cash (small bills) for arcade and quarters for the gumball machines:
- They have an ATM machine there which appears to dispense $5 bills; however, the ATM machine carries a fee. Once you have the tokens, they cannot be exchanged back for cash, so only take out what you plan to use. We got $30 worth of $5 bills but only cashed in $5 at a time for the tokens – while we did end up using all our tokens in this visit, it was easier managing a few tokens at a time, and it helped my son to be more selective in what he chose to do. Had we cashed in all of them at once, it would have looked like an endless supply of tokens. Plus, we had the option of leaving with our cash rather than a pocket full of tokens to keep track of until our next visit.
- If you don’t earn enough tickets to snag the prizes you want, you can print your ticket receipt, keep it in a safe place until you return, and “save up” the tickets you need!
Timing: Avoiding the Busier Times
We came on a Mommy & Son date and took advantage of a half day of school. We were able to come early, around 2 pm – and stayed until about 6 pm. We only saw about 3-4 other people in the arcade during our visit, and most of the time it was just us.
We were able to eat (around 4 pm) with only a couple of other people eating at that time. As we were heading out, both the arcade and restaurant were beginning to get busy, and I can only imagine it gets quite busy during peak hours.
I would recommend consulting Google to determine the best time to go for your family. If you have young children, they would be able to have more freedom to roam during the less busy hours.
We decided to play until we were hungry, ate, and then went back to the arcade to spend the remainder of our tokens. We left with full tummies and happy hearts. This was a great place for our date night, and we look forward to going back again soon!
Find more great restaurants in Columbia, SC!