SerpApi.Org
NORTH CHARLESTON — Let the games begin. An amusement center that includes a full restaurant and bar is set to ring the opening bell soon.
Next Round Social is bringing some entertainment to the Bi-Lo anchored Dorchester Square Shopping Center with a lively mix of arcade games, duckpin bowling, axe throwing, mini golf and more.
Owners Erica and Mike Garriss are planning to open the doors at 4391 Dorchester Road on August 10.
Erica Garriss said Next Round is like if “Dave and Buster’s met Stars and Strikes met Chuck E. Cheese, but with a way better atmosphere.”
The idea to open Next Round Social was born after the Garris’ oldest son, Trent, showed them a video of a couple doing a “gameified” version of mini golf in Atlanta.
They took their family to experience it, and both agreed that Charleston needed a similar venue.
The Garisses said they chose Next Round’s location on Dorchester Road because it offers residents in the downtown Charleston and West Ashley areas, like themselves, a closer option for amusement park-themed offerings.
“For us to go to Stars and Strikes or Frankie’s (Fun Park), it’s a 45‑minute drive for us to get up there,” Erica Garriss said. “We definitely wanted something closer to downtown that people can enjoy.”
Next Round offers traditional arcade games like Connect Four Basketball and Down the Clown, as well as newer contests that center on “Jurassic Park” and “The Fast and The Furious” franchises.
“We want it to be a fun, easy experience but bring it up to modern day,” she said. That includes adding interactive technology and updating scoring systems to axe throwing and mini golf.
Inside, the full restaurant and bar offer traditional American bar food. Garriss said her favorite menu items are the pretzel grazing board that is “essentially a charcuterie board on top of a giant Bavarian pretzel,” and the hand-breaded, made-to-order chicken tenders.
Next Round also has plenty of drink options, including mixed-drink pitchers and an “iceberg,” an alcoholic drink that has beer on the bottom and a frozen margarita on top.
The venue’s colorful decor complements the gaming vibe and Garriss said she took inspiration from her hometown of Miami.
"We’re going for a South Beach Art Deco vibe,” she said. “We just want this place to scream, ‘Let’s have fun.’”
Garriss said Next Round Social offers something for every member of the family, making it a “perfect” place to come and hang out.
“It’s not a place just for kids. It’s an adult space as well,” she said. “Come have fun, get food, drinks, but also bring your kids, and you guys can all have fun together.”
