Decades Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary
Decades is celebrating their 5 year anniversary in March 2024 with a special limited-edition food menu, IPA collaboration with Ever Grain Brewing Co., collectible merch, new upcoming project announcements (including a Summer 2024 outdoor bar and soon-to-be available designed-from-scratch Decades 8-bit arcade game!), a newly-opened mezzanine balcony, and additional retro games to play!
Decades recently held a VIP, Partner, and Media Night to preview the big milestone where a variety of local leaders, community members, vendors, influencers, and more, came together to celebrate.
LEFT to RIGHT: Ed Harris (President and CEO of Discover Lancaster), Marshall Snively (President of Lancaster City Alliance), Chris Trendler (Partner & Operations Manager of Decades), Mayor Danene Sorace (Mayor of the City of Lancaster), Jonathan Yeager (Partner & Design/Development Manager of Decades), Ezra Rothman (President of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County), and Heather Valudes (President and CEO of the Lancaster Chamber) celebrating at the Decades 5-year anniversary event. Photo by Nick Gould Photography
Opening in 2019, Decades is a full service restaurant & bar, 40+ game retro arcade, 6-lane boutique bowling alley, and events venue in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Guests can visit for a large range of approachable food items with a twist, retro games, happy hours, elevated cocktails (plus beer, wine, and additional beverages), mocktails, parties & events, theme nights, 50¢ Sunday Wing Nights, late night specials, and more. Decades is next to the North Queen St. Parking Garage for easy parking. Decades is open Wednesdays-Sundays (check out the hours here before planning your visit).
Explore the below story featuring 5-year celebration plans (from delicious limited-edition food options to hundreds of dollars in giveaways), upcoming new experiences, a soon-to-be launched exclusive designed-from-scratch 8-bit Decades arcade game, and much more!
Construction and mock-up sketches as Decades prepared to open
How It Began: A Quick History
Decades started as an idea between childhood friends (current Decades Partners Adam Ozimek, Jonathan Yeager, and Chris Trendler) who grew up playing video games and enjoying retro arcade fun together. They wanted to bring that throwback amusement to their hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and in 2019 opened Decades in the historic Stahr Armory building on North Queen Street.
Adam, Jonathan, and Chris have been friends since childhood and always thought it would be cool to do something that has now turned into Decades
The 95 year old, 15,000 square foot gymnasium is a beautiful backdrop to the restaurant and arcade while breathing life once again into this iconic staple downtown.
The partners–including Chris Trendler (General Manager / Partner), Jonathan Yeager (Design & Development Manager / Partner), Adam Ozimek (Partner), Mike Callahan (Parter), and Bri Callahan (Partner)–wanted Decades to be an intentional space that evokes nostalgia while offering throwback arcade games, unique bowling, space for memorable events, an intentional atmosphere (full of decor from the Netflix show House of Cards) and approachable yet elevated food and beverages meant to share with others, cultivate connection, and create memories for guests of all ages.
Decades Partners Jonathan Yeager (Left) and Chris Trendler (Right) look forward to business growth - Nick Gould Photography
"The past five years have been an amazing journey at Decades,” says Trendler. “Seeing our vision come to life through renovating the Stahr Armory has been extremely rewarding. As I look back on our five years in business, I am extremely proud of what Decades offers to Lancaster and feel very privileged to be a part of a team made of such outstanding people."
The team is enjoying a moment to reflect while also looking at what’s next–a future of exciting opportunity and growth.
“It's a really exciting time for us,” says Yeager. “We can't wait to see how the next five years flourish with new additions to our venue, an amazing team, and continuous creative ideas to entertain the community that we love.”
The Decades team continues to look at new ways to showcase unique experiences–like the upcoming outdoor bar and patio coming summer 2024 (more on that below!).
A sampler of food at the sneak peek event that will be featured during the month of March 2024 - Nick Gould Photography
New Food & Drink Features To Celebrate
It wouldn’t be a celebration without new delicious food and beverages.
Five additional greatest hits food items will be offered throughout March 2024 inspired by some top flavors over the last 5 years. They include the Classic Rib-Eye Cheesesteak, Crab Pretzel Bowl, Pimento Shells & Cheese, Honey Garlic Wings, and a Skillet Cornbread.
Crab Pretzel Bowls will be one of the delicious items added to the Decades menu during March 2024 - Nick Gould Photography
Decades also partnered with Ever Grain Brewing Co. to create a limited edition Demi-Decade IPA in celebration of their 5th Anniversary. It’s a Mid-Atlantic take on a New England style IPA that’s a blend of pine and citrus flavors.
Ever Grain has partnered with Decades to collaborate on a Demi-Decades special IPA for the anniversary - Nick Gould Photography
The full normal food and beverage menus will also be available full of legacy favorites like the fried soft pretzel bites, the lineup of classic burgers, elevated experiential cocktails (such as the Dragon Ball Z), vegan favorites, local pasta dishes, and much more.
Check out other stories focused on the delicious Decades food and the intentional beverage program.
Creating popular games in 8-bit design for the upcoming Decades-inspired arcade game
Coming Soon: Exclusive Decades Arcade Game
One of the most exciting projects to help celebrate the moment is a special designed-from-scratch arcade game that will be an exclusive addition to the Decades game lineup!
The game will be an 8-bit side-scrolling adventure game (similar to many of the favorite arcade classics) and feature a completely unique story, gameplay, characters, and settings.
Players will take the role of a soon-to-be-announced main hero (a character design connected to some of the Decades partners) and conquer challenges while moving through levels inspired by the Decades space and feel.
Jonathan creates one of the iconic chandeliers in 8-bit form for the game
All the designs are being created by Jonathan Yeager, Design & Development Manager / Partner of Decades, and will blend the nostalgia of Decades with an interactive gaming experience the team is super excited about sharing. Jonathan also designed many of the elements that have created Decades’ unique vibe (check out this behind-the-scenes story focused on designing the whole Decades experience).
The game is slated to launch later in 2024–keep your eyes out for teasers and announcements so you can be one of the first to play!
Photo by Nick Gould Photography
Let’s Party: Celebrations Not To Miss
The Decades team is excited to participate in the 10th anniversary of Lancaster City Restaurant Week happening March 4 - 10, 2024. Decades will be open Wednesday, March 6 - Sunday, March 10 and will offer a $35 meal for two deal!
Photo by Nick Gould Photography
Decades is giving away 5 big anniversary prizes on their Instagram, one a week, starting on March 1 so make sure to follow for your chance to win.
Super Mario Bros. Day is also on Sunday, March 10 where Decades will be offering special giveaways, and, of course, access to Mario Kart, Dr. Mario, and the Super Mario Bros. games within the arcade.
St. Patrick’s Day will bring the delicious A Famous Fast Food Restaurant Cocktail Pouch (with a certain iconic creamy mint flavor) to the menu along with plenty of appetizers to kickstart your bar hopping for the holiday.
With March Madness basketball on the horizon, Decades will host watch parties for the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four games later in the month—stay tuned for more details.
Keep checking this specials and happenings page to get the latest info about all the parties, deals, and celebrations.
Photo by Nick Gould Photography
New Decades Experiences
While the celebration reflects on the past 5 years, it’s just as much a moment to look ahead to the future with exciting new projects.
Decades looks to open an outdoor bar and patio space in the front of their building for Summer 2024. They are hard at work designing the space, creating tentative renderings, and thinking about how to best channel the Decades experience into an outdoor area that’s both special and unique.
A tentative sketch for one version idea of Decades’ upcoming outdoor space. Designs are not final. The team is continuing to develop the idea and prepare it for later in 2024!
Ideas for the project include cocktails exclusive to the outdoor space, ice cream availability, lawn games, themed designs, and more.
Keep checking the Decades website, along with Facebook and Instagram, to learn more about the upcoming Summer 2024 outdoor project (and when it’ll be ready for guests!).
The new upstairs mezzanine at Decades
In case you missed it–Decades just opened their upstairs mezzanine featuring an area for events, dining, and more games. The mezzanine looks out over the rest of the venue providing a fascinating view of the historic space. Stop in and check it out on your next visit.
What’s Next: Continued Momentum
In the first 5 years Decades navigated the elements of a new business, pushed through a pandemic, innovated options, hosted countless events, and provided many guests an unforgettable experience whether they were visiting for dinner, stopping by for happy hour, or partying for their company’s holiday social.
As the team looks towards the future they are excited to continue growing, creating, and celebrating–all while offering an elevated yet casual atmosphere for guests and customers.
Follow Decades on social media (including Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and LinkedIn) and sign up to be on the Decades email list to stay informed about upcoming events, projects, and specials.
Cheers!
