San Francisco’s High Tech, Midway-Themed Arcade Bar And Dining Destination, Thriller Social Club

Proof Positive Partners, the team behind Westwood and Wilder in San Francisco, recently introduced Thriller Social Club in a former SoMa foundry that’s home to a custom wood-fire pizza oven. Inspired by a vintage midway theme, Thriller is a 10,400 square-foot space complete with two floors, three bars, a kitchen, and tons of gaming, of which includes the world’s most expensive golf simulator priced at $85,000.

“When designing a new arcade bar in a small pond of existing amusement-driven establishments (Detour and Emporium come to mind) we wanted to stand out from the crowd with a unique take on an arcade experience,” explains says owner Kingston Wu, also a well-known San Francisco hospitality investor in concepts like Horsefeather and Last Rites. “We thought we’d avoid plugging our establishment with a mishmash of random cabinets and focus on the same thrills and skills-type games that my friends and I enjoyed.”

Wu tapped “Joey The Cat,” the #1 Skee-Ball® player in the world, to oversee the curation of the arcade games. Thriller’s game selection includes Skee-Ball®, Connect 4 HD (Pop-a-Shot meets Connect4), Ring Toss, Down the Clown, Hyper Pitch (baseball throw), The Boxer, and more. According to Joey, they’re all games of skill, analog, instant gratification, and simple to play. Moreover, Thriller is home of the San Francisco Brewskee-Ball®, a national competitive league of rollers.

Thriller’s menu takes inspiration from classic Americana fare, but with an elevated twist. Snacks include French Fries with nori-ranch powder, herbs, and roasted garlic aioli; Bavarian Style Salted Pretzel with port wine cheese; and BBQ Pulled Pork Deviled Eggs with apple slaw, fried onions, and cilantro. Pizza highlights include Sausage with mascarpone, honey, jalapeno, mozzarella, parmesan; and Mushroom Pizza with goat cheese, caramelized onion, mascarpone, potato chips, herb pistou, and parmesan; and Peking Duck made with roasted duck, hoisin, caramelized onions, shitake mushrooms, mozzarella, fried wonton chips, which was a crowd favorite at California Pizza Kitchen in the ’90s.

Other popular bites include Veal-Pork-Beef Meatballs and Fresh Mozzarella with baguette; Smashburger with fancy sauce, shaved onions, American cheese, dill pickles, shredded lettuce; and the 13’’ Thrillerdog with cheddar, scallion sour cream, bacon, chive, brown mustard, mayo, and potato sticks. For Dessert, guests can revel in Cinnamon ‘n Sugar Donut Holes with boozy coffee frosting.

We chatted with owner Kingston Wu, Chef Jordan Grosser, “Joey The Cat,” and Carlo Gaabucayan, head of the cocktail program, on Thriller Social Club’s inspiration; food and beverage programs; gaming and more. Here’s what they had to say.

What’s the inspiration for Thriller Social Club — why the classic midway carnival theme? 

Kingston Wu: While I love getting lost in a duel against a computer General M. Bison (from Street Fighter, 1994) or imagine I have cat-like reflexes as I lean into a pinball machine trying to track a bouncing silver ball, the most memorable experiences I’ve had at arcades were going head to head against friends in a physical game of skill and coordination… counting down the seconds on Pop-a-Shot to see who would walk away as the supreme shooter, cheering as a random ricochet earned me the title of the best roller at the Skee-Ball lane, or filming each other at a Punching game so we could brag about who was the biggest powered slugger in the group!

The midway-style approach to these amusements made the most sense as it was a great activity for a date, a team-building event, or just a night out with the guys or girls as it depended less on one’s familiarity with the secret power moves in Street Fighter but more of general interest in cooperation and competition.

Talk about the design of this fun-filled destination; what elements were key to creating the experience?

Kingston Wu: These days, customers generally want to know what your business offers even before looking at the menu.  They’ll draw conclusions about your product by looking at the quality of your build-out, playfulness in the design, and inventiveness of your decor. We knew we’d get extra scrutiny based not only because of our concept but the fact that we were taking over the former home of a very popular arcade spot – Coin-Op.

We had a few ideas going into the remodel phase (string lights indoors, fun circus-inspired photos, and patterns throughout) but knew we needed to bring in a ringer to deliver an  authentic, intriguing midway-inspired design experience. We were introduced to Scott Levkoff, a local event producer and immersive designer that lives and breathes circus life!

Under his guidance and through his relationships, we were able to stay true to the theme with circus colors, motifs and patterns, fabricated detailed bar facades (check out the bar in our Shooter’s Gallery or in our Fortuna Lounge). We also commissioned a mural from a popular artist in the theatre scene to adorn the 10,000+ square foot space and embellish the wood accents we’ve incorporated throughout the space.

Unfortunately, we had to proceed cautiously given the lower traffic count in the area.  As the Downtown and SoMa neighborhoods return to life as office buildings open up and we adjust to a new way of doing business in the hospitality industry from pre-COVID times, we look forward to investing in further enhancing the space! We’re particularly proud of our Full Swing Golf Simulator, the most expensive in the world at $85,000, and excited to host everything from a first Bumble date to a birthday or bachelor party.

How did you decide what games to include? What have been some of the most popular games so far?

Joey “The Cat” Mucha: The formula for the games was very simple — let’s bring the boardwalk to the big city. Every single game in the space is something that you’d probably see on your favorite boardwalk.  These games are simple to play, provide instant feedback (e.g. a score), and are games of strength and skill. We’ve created an assortment of games that appeal to all audiences, young and old, male and female. There’s also a general theme of screenless games. We spend most of our days staring at a screen (computer and/or phone) so it’s ideal to have games without screens where possible. The basketball, Down the Clown, Whac-a-Mole, Skee-Ball, and boxing games all don’t have big screens. 

Tell us a little bit more about Thriller Social Club becoming the home to San Francisco’s Brewskee-Ball® League.

Brewskee-Ball® SF rollers have been competing in San Francisco since 2008. We’ve rolled at a few different bars over the last decade but haven’t had a place we could truly call home. Thriller now has SF’s only Skee-Ball Arena with eight classic lanes. I’ve partnered with Thriller to become the San Francisco home of Brewskee-Ball®, a nationwide Skee-Ball league (and I know a thing or two about the game as the current world’s #1 Skee-Ball player!). We have aspirations of growing the league to over 100 teams during the next 12 months. Players of all skill levels are encouraged and welcome to join our fun and competitive Skee-Ball league. More information is here.

What can guests expect when they come? Is it just for adults or kids too?

Carlo Gaabucayan: When guests arrive can expect a FUNTATSIC stimulation of all their senses. From the sounds of cheers during a competitive game, the sights of fun being had in the beautifully designed space, to the deliciousness of the cocktails and quirkness of both the Boozy Cotton Candy & Popcorn.

Although we do cater to the “big kid” in all of us, kids are most definitely welcome. 

Talk about the Fortuna Lounge, its offerings, and concept… dealers choice cocktails, private parties… etc. 

The Fortuna Lounge is an ever evolving space. Currently the space will now be our themed bar with the goal of changing themes every couple of months complete with decor and cocktails to match. It enables us to stretch out our creative muscles and gives a “fresh coat of paint” if you will.

How did you meet your partner, Stag Dining Group, and what really impressed you with their visions for the culinary concept at Thriller Social Club?

Kingston Wu: Stag Dining Group was reintroduced to me through an early collaborator in the project. If you’ve been in the food and beverage space as long as I have, you’ve heard about Stag, and co-founders Jordan Grosser, Ted Fleury and Matthew Homyak. I honestly thought they were out of our league in the sense that they are often associated with extremely elevated dining experiences.

Fortunately, our stars were aligned as were looking for a kitchen space from which to regrow their events business post-COVID, and I was seeking a kitchen partner that could bring excitement and fun to the food program, which checks all the boxes related to food taste, quality and consistency.

What are the food menu highlights? Were there any existing elements in the space that sparked some of your creativity? (i.e. the pizza oven) What are you most excited to introduce to the culinary program as it evolves?

Jordan Grosser: Definitely the pizza oven was a huge reason to deep dive and sparked creativity. Chef Mike Jarrett (who is spearheading Thriller Social Club for Stag Dining Group) and I spent a lot of time finding our pizza dough and understanding our pizza oven. 

We decided to go all natural using a sourdough starter. It was actually a starter baby, newly created by Chef Mike and mixed 50/50 with an older starter I had made. We are very happy with the pizza dough we are using at Thriller, it is crispy and chewy and full of flavor. Because good dough is so finicky it really is the only “wizardry”, all things considered, on our menu. 

We are offering a very classic smashburger, wings, hot dogs and fries-type of menu but the food is well thought out even though it’s very simple fare. We are always attempting to make playful with small twists on some menu items and keeping others classic. 

The 13” Thriller Dog is definitely a special dish. We wanted a jaw dropper and well, a 13” weiner was the answer. It’s a loaded baked potato basically in hot dog form and comes with scallion sour cream, potato sticks, bacon, chives and melted cheddar cheese. 

Our kitchen is ready to have more fun experimenting with not so classic pizzas and want to get to a place where our guests are ready to have fun with us, such as adding caviar to our lobster for the adventurous, with a taste for a little luxury supplement while having fun at Thriller. 

What other playful elements have you incorporated into the food and beverage offerings that allow adults to feel like a kid again?

Carlo Gaabucayan: With an ode to the boardwalk and carnival feel for the space we’ve added afew elements to the “cocktail list”. Have you ever had Boozy Cotton Candy? We infuse vodka into our assorted flavors of cotton candy! The joy on guests faces as they consume the cotton candy says it all. Who doesn’t love sugar? 

How about Bourbon Caramel Apple Popcorn? A play on the caramel apple, this adult version pays homage to that feeling we had as kids. Or should I still HAVE to this day.

What influences the cocktail menu and what are some of the can’t miss cocktails?

The influences are definitely a BIG over-the-top feel with the spirit of an action arcade in mind. “The Happiest Gilmore” who’s name is inspired by not only the 90’s classic but by our state of the art golf simulator brought to you by the good folks at Full Swing. All of our drinks use the freshest seasonl ingredients and will change with each upcoming season.

A personal favorite of mine is our “Bearded Lady,” using Ketel One Vodka, Ancho Reyes liquor for kick, fresh citrus and muddled black berries. My favorite part is our single large Blue Ice Rose that sits in the glass that makes for a real show stopper. We grow all our ice roses in our garden making it a very farm-to-table (hah!).

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