Trevor W.
Yelp
I've been to this place a few times and honestly, I'm pretty mixed about my experience there.
Positives:
+I like the Japanese-inspired themes and games. Being a company from Japan, it additionally has a number of Japanese-culture related things, such as anime prizes, arcade games from Japanese companies (Konami, Namco, Taiko, etc). It's locally unique in that aspect.
+I do like it has karaoke.
+I like how I can get a single scoop of ice cream for 99 cents (plus tax, so it's really around $1.07). That's a huge plus for me considering the nearest ice cream place where I live costed $4 for a single ice cream scoop, which was ludicrous.
Negatives:
-Arcade games tend to break down frequently. I haven't experienced it myself, but I've heard staff don't do a good job handling malfunctioning/errors with their stuff. They should have mechanics/technicians do hourly checkups on game malfunctions.
-The customer service is probably their biggest flaw. While I haven't experienced anything completely outrageous or abysmal, from what I've seen, the staff seem very disinterested in what they do. I can tell from their body language that they have zero work chemistry and would rather be anywhere else. Some staff members are alright. I've personally received great service from George and Katy, who were pretty nice (the former was outstanding imo), if not at least tolerable. But those two are pretty much the exception, not the norm.
-While I like that it has karaoke, it seems there is no real definite time for how long you can reserve the room. I did not see any time specifications on the prices or karaoke room rules, and when I asked a staff member, she (in a rather monotone and disinterested tone mind you), just replied "one or two hours". Key word is "or". That tells me total jacksquat. There should be a firm time limit for how long customers are allowed use the karaoke room. I've heard things about other Yelpers waiting outrageous times for karaoke, so it seems pretty clear that they don't have a clear time limit system for karaoke room reservations.
Comparison to Coconut Bowl: One place I want to bring up is Coconut Bowl, a place I regularly go to and enjoy. Round1 is very similar to Coconut Bowl in that it's an arcade that has other activities such as bowling and billiards. Upon first glance, both are nearly alike in terms of concept. However, there are a number of aspects that Coconut Bowl does better that Round1 lacks. For one, customer service and staff are far better at Coconut Bowl. I can tell from the staff members that they have good work chemistry and more often than not always try to satisfy customers in the best way possible. While on the subject of that, when it comes to arcade malfunctions, maintenance and engineers are always on it, being as proactive as possible checking/testing for game errors. I feel the sole bridge Coconut Bowl has that Round1 lacks is staff communication. I can tell with CB that staff attendants are always on it communicating with maintenance when technical problems do arise. I've experienced a game malfunction once and the manager quickly called over a technician to fix the problem at CB. Round1 on the other hand, has very little to none of that. A game will break down, a manager or staff member will look at it, but they wont do much to fix the problem. Additionally, attractions have very clear and concise procedures for the customer to know about. While CB may not have karaoke, it at least has clear-cut procedures for its attractions.
I should also bring up food between both places. Round1 has cheaper prices, but there are less menu items. Coconut Bowl, while more pricier, has more variety overall. Whether you prefer the former or latter is entirely your preference. For me personally, I think Coconut Bowl does a far better job food-wise.
In conclusion, there are some good upsides to the location. It having karaoke, the cheap ice cream and the Japanese-inspired theme and arcade games are positives in my book. However, the place falls flat with it's mediocre staff service and not-so-clear attraction rules. It still has some good strengths that I admire, but for me at least, the inferior customer service is what gives me less of a reason to come back.