Board game bar coming to Wadsworth

WADSWORTH — A strong family bond and love of board games is bringing a new bar and eatery to Wadsworth. Great Oaks Tavern, 210 Great Oaks Trail, is targeting a mid-June opening as it awaits final approval to do so from local officials. Brothers Alex and Jordan Nassos, 29 and 27 respectively, are going into business together for the first time. Both are Highland High School graduates and said their experience in the restaurant field is set to pair well with a collection of more than 500 board games that will be available to guests. "We've gotten some valuable restaurant experience working with family and at places all around Cleveland and Akron," Alex said. "This is something we've wanted to do for a long time and we're happy to be doing it in Wadsworth. Thinking back, Wadsworth is where we hung out most of the time growing up. We were at the library here all the time." The extensive game collection has been curated to cover all skill levels. A full bar will stand alongside a menu largely made from scratch in-house, said Jordan. "We used to have these large gatherings, sometimes it could be 20 or 30 people playing board games, and it always ended up being such a fun night," he said. "We've seen other bars with board games because they're things that give people a reason to interact around a table and just enjoy the company." Alex Nassos said the food will be a great added touch. "Our sauces are going to be made here on site, we're going to smoke our own meat, and focus on sandwiches and shareable food," he said. The establishment will be located at the former Great Oaks Lanes, which shut its doors in 2012. Since that time, the building's restaurant portion has been used by Brubaker's Pub and The Tasting Room. For the time being, Great Oaks Tavern will only make use of the restaurant portion, but the Nassos hope to reopen the bowling alley in the future. "I remember coming to Great Oaks Lanes to play for my fifth grade bowling team," said Jordan. "Those are great memories and we'd love to bring that back to the community. I don't remember the bowling alley being in very good shape when it closed down but there's a lot of people out there who miss it." A $5 fee set to go toward maintaining games will be charged for access to the collection, the brothers said. Visitors will also be welcomed to bring their own games with them. Choices on-site will include stalwarts such as Monopoly, "Star Wars"- and "Game of Thrones" -themed versions of Risk, as well as newer favorites like Gloomhaven and Great Western Trail. "Board games are still a $13 billion industry," said Alex. "People still have a lot of passion for them. It was a few years ago that I realized how much people are still into them and were still creating these new competitive experiences with so much depth. We want families and people of all ages to be able to come here and enjoy themselves, and that's been considered when picking out every single one of our games." He added that all proper safety measures will be taken in regards to sanitation and social distancing as businesses are still fighting back from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We have a lot of our inspections done, but the (Medina County Health Department) is the major one that still has to come through," said Alex. "Obviously, there's a lot more regulation going on right now and we want to be in line with all of it." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330)721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.