Opening News
Fun new restaurant Farm + Feed in Plano comes with video & board games
There's a new restaurant-combination-game spot in Plano, now open at the Shops at Legacy. Called Farm + Feed, it's a unique multi-faceted venue that, according to a release, merges chef-driven restaurant and full bar with all the latest gaming technology, plus old-school board games, which are a trend unto their own.
Farm + Feed, or as we would like to call it, F + F, occupies the former Gordon Biersch brewpub space at 7401 Lone Star Dr., where it promises to provide both novice and experienced gamers an all-in-one hangout.
The decor theme is "post-apocalyptic," making the most of the space's 8,000-square-foot interior, with several distinct sections:
- You enter via the Village, stocked with 20 booths, each containing two 55-inch TVs, a Nintendo Switch, and either an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, plus four controllers. The Village also features 18 PCs equipped with all the latest gaming tech.
- The Library is full of sci-fi books and 16 more PCs and 6 more date-night couch co-op console setups.
- The “Bunker” is where larger groups can gather to relax and face off at game stations featuring classics like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Within the Bunker is also a private, enclosed area that can be reserved for eight to 10 people, and includes a 77-inch OLED TV equipped with a Nintendo Switch, PlayStation5 and Xbox X. There are couches throughout the space as well as a 1,200-square-foot patio,, also with outdoor gaming.
In addition to console and PC gaming, Farm + Feed offers 100+ board games, chess boards, and card games with numerous works of collectibles showcased on the walls.
PC and console gaming starts at $5 per person per hour and analog boardgames are a flat $5 fee per table.
They'll also host launch parties, tournaments, and cosplay events.
Food
The menu was created by Matt Yuen, and consists of "fun, craveable" dishes such as:
- Flamin' Hot Cheetos corn cheese balls
- pizza rolls
- spicy chicken sandwich with cabbage slaw and yuzu koshu aioli
- bao brisket buns
- grilled pork lettuce wrap
The bar serves top-shelf spirits, local craft beers, wine and signature cocktails with fun, themed names like Tonic the Hedgehog.
That name
In a statement, owner Max Seel explains the name, which surprise-surprise has a gaming connection, which is good that he is explaining it because it sounds like a farm place or a feed store.
"Our name is a play on words that refers to gaming terms,” Seel says. "Farming is when you repeatedly defeat an opponent and farm them for resources, while feeding is the opposite, when you lose and give up your resources." Who knew? Younger people, probably.
This is the first location but Seel, who previously founded a pizzeria in the Northeast called Oath Pizza, came up with the idea and has been putting it all together in his head since 2018, a spokesperson says.
The goal is to create a space where gamers and geeks can enjoy themselves in an inclusive hospitality setting.
"We grew up playing video games and DnD late into the night, always with plenty of food and drinks," Seel says. "It was a great way to meet people and make friends, but as everything has moved virtual, that ability to socialize in person, doing the activities we love, has largely gone away. We're hoping to bring that element back with Farm + Feed, while adding great food and a full bar to the mix, because we believe that games are more fun when enjoyed together."