Area Four and Roxy’s Propose a Bar Arcade

The original Area Four in Cambridge. / Photo Provided

Next year, MIT students could have a seriously fun hangout spot near their campus. Boston Restaurant Talk has noticed that Michael Krupp of Area Four and James DiSabatino of Roxy’s Grilled Cheese have applied for permitting on a joint booze-and-junk-food-fueled arcade.

According to a Cambridge licensing board hearing agenda for next week, the 108-seat spot is looking to get licensed for a full bar, as well as “computerized digital media,” 20 video games and/or pinball machines; foosball, skeeball, shuffleboard, and pool. There could be an additional 40 seats outside, too.

The arcade seems like it could be a passion project for Krupp: In a 2014 interview with his wife, Liana, Boston home learned the restaurateur has an obsession with, among other things, 80s-era handheld video games.

A rep for Area Four says the collaboration is still in very early planning stages, and at this point the team hasn’t settled on a menu, other than “bar-friendly food.” With these gentlemen behind the new project under an LLC aptly called “Cheese Pizza,” it’s safe to say they’ll figure it out. Area Four’s wood-fired pizza is some of the best in Boston, and Roxy’s Grilled Cheese operates a wildly successful food truck and catering company, plus a brick-and-mortar in Allston.

The yet-unnamed arcade is planning to move into 300 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. BRT notes this is where the University Park expansion project is currently under construction; MIT is working with a developer to bring new more vibrant retail to the area, as well as more research facilities. The project is slated for 2016 completion; a rep for Area Four says a timeline has not been set for the new venture.

Area Four’s director of operations, Joseph Barone, is scheduled to appear before the Cambridge licensing board next Tuesday, November 10.