Battle Royale, their upcoming “brewcade,” will combine both at a humble storefront in Springfield when it opens this summer — and you can bring the kids.
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“It’s a space that kind of spans the generations,” Matt said.
When the Courchains moved to Delaware County from Northeast Philly a decade ago, they found a welcoming community of other parents who enjoy suburbia but miss having easy access to social settings where they can unwind with their kids outside the home.
“A lot of people from Philly move out here because of good school districts still close to the city, but you don’t get a whole lot city stuff without having to travel into the city,” Matt said.
Stephanie and Matt Courchain moved from Northeast Philly to Springfield a decade ago. They’re hoping Battle Royale will give the community a space that fills a need for parents and kids alike.
Last April, Matt left a job he had for 13 years and suddenly found himself rethinking his professional compass. He came up in the trades, has been brewing small batches of beer for about 20 years and is a diehard gamer with a knack for repairing electronics.
“I’m the kind of guy that doesn’t sit down,” he said. “I’ve had so much support from the community and friends like, ‘Dude, you’re 40. This is your shot.'”
When a West Chester arcade closed and auctioned off its collection of pinball machines, Matt pounced and packed them into the family’s living room. Stephanie’s mother, who invests in real estate, bought a 1,000-square-foot storefront at 21 E. Springfield Road and gave Matt the rare runway to build the couple’s dream business from scratch with low overhead.
“I don’t know if we’d call this a midlife crisis,” said Stephanie, who works full-time in graphic design. “I feel like a lot of people our age are like, ‘Why don’t we just go into business for ourselves?’ I feel like it’s coming at the perfect time where we’re all so consumed by AI and digital crap everywhere. Going to a place where there’s just analog stuff, where people can walk to it and hang out, that’s sort of what’s exciting.”
Provided Image/Matt Courchain
The Courchains will open Battle Royale at 21 E. Springfield Road in the space of a former dog grooming business.
Battle Royale will operate with a brewery license, which is considerably cheaper than obtaining a liquor license in Pennsylvania, and the business will sell a variety of beers, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages. Despite the gloomy outlook of the craft beer industry in recent years, the Courchains feel optimistic that they can be successful in a limited “safe space” without pushing too hard for expansion.
“We’re making two barrels at a time,” Matt said. We’ll have a few standards on tap like a pilsner, amber lager and English bitter. I’ll kind of use two or three other taps to experiment and see what sticks and what doesn’t.”
Seltzers with customizable flavors and other home-made options, like root beer and birch beer, also will be available at the bar.
The business will have eight quarter-operated pinball machines, including two “Simpsons” games that Matt felt were obligatory for an arcade in Springfield. He also acquired newer machines themed around X-Men, the Avengers franchise, “Stranger Things” and the “John Wick” movies.
Behind the bar, TV screens will be hooked up to Nintendo Switch consoles and retro platforms with extensive game libraries.
A hot dog roller and popcorn machine will be at the arcade for snacking, but customers will also be welcome to bring in food from other local businesses.
Matt has been busy at the storefront — a former dog grooming business — building out the space over the past few months. There will be multicolored black lights in the ceiling, glow-in-the-dark slinky chandeliers and a touch-sensitive bar top rigged with LED lights.
“If you put your beer down, it’ll light up where your beer is,” Matt said.
Provided Image/Matt Courchain
Battle Royale will occupy a tight 1,000-square-foot storefront on Springfield Road. Owner Matt Courchain is building out the space ahead of a summer opening.
The Courchains have also been deepening their ties with neighbors and the local business community ahead of Battle Royale’s opening.
Matt said the beer community has been supportive, including encouragement from the owners of Aston’s 2SP Brewing Co., and Sleepy Hollow Delly, the sandwich shop next door, already wants to collaborate on a pumpkin beer. Parents in Springfield have buzzed about having a cozy hangout spot to drink beer, play video games and join activity nights for karaoke and Quizzo.
Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and Battle Royale will only permit people over 21 after 8 p.m. The business will be open from 3 p.m. to midnight during the week and noon to midnight on weekends.
The Courchains plan to do a combination of private parties and open hours for the general public. They’ll test out the space to find the right balance, but they feel confident there will be an appetite for their blend of low-key bar and arcade. The region has a handful of similar concepts, from Philly’s Barcade to West Chester’s Bier and Loathing and Phoenixville’s Fun Dungeon.
Construction is still underway at the storefront, and Matt is ironing out remaining details with various permits — which he calls a learning experience in its own right — but he’s anticipating a grand opening before the end of the summer.
“I just want it to be like a nerd den,” Matt said. “Everyone’s kind of looking for that little escape.”
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