Poydras Properties, LLC
Dave & Buster’s
Salas O’Brien provided engineering design services for Poydras Properties and Dave & Buster’s new, $24 million entertainment center development in downtown New Orleans.
Our client
Dave & Buster’s restaurant and gaming center was the result of an inspired idea. The company’s namesakes were proprietors of popular adjacent establishments in Dallas, Texas, but when they noticed people frequently rotating between the restaurant and entertainment center, they decided to combine forces. With this plan in mind, they bought out a 40,000-square-foot warehouse and opened the first Dave & Buster’s in December 1982. Since then, the company has become a nationally recognized brand and expanded to include over 90 locations across the United States.
Project highlights
Their challenge
When Dave & Buster’s partnered with Poydras Properties, LLC, to open a new location in downtown New Orleans, they needed a firm to provide mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering design services. Centrally located just blocks away from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Central Business District, and the French Quarter, the new six-story structure totals just under 260,000 square feet including ground floor retail space, four stories of naturally ventilated parking deck, and the restaurant gaming center on the top story.
Our solution
Salas O’Brien’s design included a cold dark shell customized to the specifications of Dave & Buster’s and the retail space; an emergency generator to support the life safety systems, elevators, and fire pump; and a utility transformer vault.
The results
The finished spaces are now open for business and running smoothly thanks to Salas O’Brien’s efficient and effective design work.


