Dungeons & Dragons-Themed Immersive Restaurant Announced

An immersive fantasy-themed restaurant will open in the birthplace of Dungeons & Dragons in 2024. The Griffin & Gargoyle is a planned 350-seat restaurant that will open in Lake Geneva, best known to D&D fans as the home of Gary Gygax, one of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons, and the headquarters for original D&D publisher TSR. The restaurant would use actors to portray various characters, with a story unfolding over the course of a meal. Visitors can go to just enjoy a meal, or they can explore the restaurant area and discover the secret history of the fictional adventurers who founded the restaurant by interacting with the staff and looking for clues hidden in the architecture.

Each room would have a different theme based around different D&D classes and tropes. In addition to a restaurant is an axe-throwing range called “The Barbarian in the Basement,” a ‘secret’ game store called “The Library,” and a steampunk-themed mixology bar called “The Gnome Alchemist.”

Also included at the restaurant are private game spaces where visitors can hire a professional Dungeon Master to guide them through their first D&D session, as well as a gift shop. An event and wedding facility would also be located at the site. 

The Griffin & Gargoyle project is the brainchild of Daniel Colwell and Michael Paylor, who have been working on the project since 2016. The duo have already identified a site for the project and is currently looking to secure investors and financing by the end of this year. If the timeline holds, the project would be open by 2024 in time for Dungeons & Dragons’ 50th anniversary. 

“We’re really hoping we can use that space as almost a cultural ambassadorship for the game of Dungeons & Dragons,” Colwell said of the project to the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal. 

While Dungeons & Dragons is no longer published out of Lake Geneva, the Wisconsin resort town still has ties to the game. The gaming convention Gary Con is run out of Lake Geneva every year by Gygax’s son Luke Gygax. Additionally, the house where the first D&D game is played is occasionally opened up to visitors (although it remains a private residence for most of the year.) 

You can find out more about the Griffin & Gargoyle project at their Facebook page.