Out With The Old'is, In With The New'is

Just over two months ago, Lewis left R-CADE Glasgow to go and get a big boy job. And we couldn’t be prouder of him.

When he joined the company in January 2020 both he and the world were a lot different. Despite everything that’s happened over the last two years, it’s been a joy to see Lewis grow. In the time he’s spent with us, a tremendous amount of heartwarming development has taken place. It’s a great reminder of what R-CADE can do for the people that step through our doors.

“I definitely felt like I grew a lot as a person,” Lewis said. “I met a lot of cool people with different perspectives in life so it opened my mind up too. My confidence has grown a lot because of the customers.”

“With shawarma Sundays I grew a lot outward too.”

“Truly, I'll miss the people. Games are great and all but the co-workers were what made it.”

“Through the highs and lows they had my back and I had theirs.”

I’ll admit, when we brought on both Lewis and Nadia I was unsure. It’d been a long time since R-CADE had added any new members to the team, and there’s always a fear that new people changes the dynamic and creates a different energy.

But I think that everyone who’s set foot in R-CADE when either has been on the floor knows that Lewis and Nadia have been nothing but incredible additions, increasing our variety of knowledge and building on our positive energy and sense of community.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Here at R-CADE our hiring process is extensive, and aims to make sure whoever we bring on board fits into our weird little world. Applications, interviews - both normal interview procedure - it’s making them play games with their fellow applicants that sets us appart.

Lewis and Nadia had to do it, and now the latest addition to the roster has had to do the same.

Soph, who started on September 15th, still has a lot to learn - but granted so do I after four years. Really, she’s already taken like a duck to water, becoming a valued member of our staff and community.

“I've felt really positive so far!” said Soph. “There’s still lots I'm unsure of but I'm looking forward to what's to come!”

“I was happy with how welcoming everyone was and I love how there's a lovely community.”

“I've enjoyed getting to know everyone including all the regulars and I love seeing all the families come in - seeing the parents get just as excited as the kids.”

“I've had to make a few adjustments just cause this job is so different from my last one and I've never done like barista stuff or anything so I've had to figure all that out.”

Thank you to Lewis for being a part of this team and Soph for already bringing so much to the table. -You can hang out with our awesome staff Thursdays to Sundays, 12-7pm (or after 7pm if you are over 18). Book your arcade passes at www.rcadeglasgow.com and visit us at 121 Saltmarket, Glasgow

We're BACK baby! - Opening weekend blog

After a month away from our favourite geeks playing their favourite games, the R-CADE team re-opened our venue on July 23rd at the already iconic 121 Saltmarket.

To dip our toes in we started with a private event on the Wednesday prior, just for people that support our Patreon. We packed our new space with as many of our friends and Patrons as possible, to test the limits of our games, our coffee machine and our staffs.

Two days later the shop experienced our first danger: a stag do. A private party booked well before we announced our move, this was the litmus test for if the space worked as well as how to run it and explain the set up to brand new customers. The usual games were played (Micro Machines, Street Fighter) as were the unusual games (Just Dance 3, with a side of Madonna sing-along), and our first booking was a complete success.

A lot of positive feedback came in - despite this there was still much to do. Our window vinyls and signage was yet to go up, our 90s-tastic bathroom was in need of a splash of decoration, and Androo hadn’t moved anything yet. All of that would change by week two. (And Androo would move more things in week three…).

The biggest compliment we’ve heard thus far has been all about the decor. Whether its the walls adorned with childhood memories, a beautiful wall designed by Negative Destination or the 90s bedroom-bathroom: we’re perty.

The official opening weekend was not without its difficulties however.

Day one was fine. A busy Saturday kept us on our toes, introducing brand new customers to our nostalgia experience, while welcoming back favoured familiar faces.

The night was complete with a full session of R-CADE Lates, including an incredibly dapper man in a tuxedo, who when asked why said: “It’s cold.”

Day two immediately presented challenges that our team had not faced at the old venue.

With the introduction of a professional coffee machine we all had to learn a new skill, and got through the first 24 hours without issue. The cafe side of our old venue had been sorely missed during our second stint across the road, and its return has been one of the most celebrated elements of our triumphant return.

On the morning of our second day however - kaput. Our brand new coffee machine was dead, as were our hopes of strong cafe sales.

Glasgow’s love of cake and appetite for games kept us strong though, leaving us ready to fight another day. All issues were handily resolved by the second weekend and we can officially say that R-CADE 2.0 is in full swing and ready to meet any and all of your retro gaming needs.

Now onto our third week of business many of the same faces are still showing up, while I still get to say my favourite phrase 20 times a day:

‘Welcome to R-CADE Glasgow! The Happiest Place on Earth™’

“I think I was running on two hours sleep,” said Androo. “It was all a blur to me. A wonderful blur of smiling faces - which is what we want to hear.”

“I was on holiday. I missed it,” said Lewis. “The christening was amazing”

If you want to see everything that went down during our opening week, or any week here at the shop, we regularly post vlogs to our Patreon account, with end of the month round ups available on out YouTube channel.

Glasgow's Favourite Retro Arcade Has Levelled Up!

Glasgow’s premier retro video game arcade is opening a brand new venue.

R-CADE Glasgow is moving to 121 Saltmarket after over four years at its previous locale, and it’s time for both a return to normality and a change in operation.

“A bigger venue means more people can enjoy what we do, like retro video games, tabletop games, and events,” said Androo, owner of R-CADE Glasgow.

“More over it means we can tie in some of the new aspects of the business that have grown from the pandemic, like our live streams, our retail offering, and our refurbishing and repairing workshop.”

The venue is full of retro videogame consoles, ranging from Pong up to a Wii U, with almost everything in between. Customers can request game changes as often as they like while they’re there, from a range of more than 1700 games. The room is a buzz with the low hum of CRT TVs and the excitable cheers of little and big kids alike.

R-CADE Glasgow is based on Saltmarket, an area of the city that today is full of small businesses, and planned change of venue is just across the street.

Androo said: “Saltmarket has been our home for the last four years. It's an eclectic part of the city that has not been hit by gentrification or lost touch with its roots.

“The local residents are a big part of who we are and they have been a great support over the years too.”

From the shops launch to this day, R-CADE prides itself on feeling like someone’s front room, and a place where customers can feel comfortable exploring their nostalgia.

Androo said: “We are after all a family run business and not a massive chain or conglomerate. We don't have a bottomless pit of investors or shareholders to rely on.

“It is an independent family run business. We all pitch in and we all work together.”

While the family atmosphere is of great importance to the shop, the beauty for Androo lies in the shop's position as a safe space for people from all walks of life: “R-CADE exists as an open and welcoming social space for everyone.”

The business has found a way to cater to every age group and background. Family fun sessions every weekend provide a safe space for parents to show their kids games form their own childhood. Private hire gives larger groups the opportunity to customize their experience. And for adults looking for an escape into nostalgia, there’s R-CADE Lates: over eighteens only, BYOB, a safe space for an early evening night out different from the typical pub.

All of these are great - but it pales in comparison to what the team was doing, and had planned before COVID struck.

“Unfortunately the pandemic took a massive toll on moving and so we are stretching every last penny we can to finally do it now.

“The social space and tabletop events that we used to run have been sorely missed by not only the customers but by our staff too.”

R-CADE opens on July 23rd for family gaming, over 18's gaming, meetups and event nights. Quiet sessions will run every Thursday from 12-2pm too. You can book your passes via the R-CADE website or pop in and hang out in the social space anytime for a coffee and a casual board game.

For full details on venue events, prices and updates, follow R-CADE on social media @rcadeglasgow or sign up to their Patreon for discounts and free passes.

Sam Roberts