Who Opened Dave and Buster's: The Real Founders Behind the Name

Dave and Buster's was opened by two real people — David "Dave" Corriveau and James "Buster" Corley. They launched the first location in Dallas, Texas, in December 1982. Not celebrities. Not a marketing stunt. Just two entrepreneurs who ran neighboring businesses and had a simple idea that turned into a national chain.

The Myth First: Did Dave Chappelle and Busta Rhymes Open Dave and Buster's?

No. This is false — and it comes up often enough that it's worth addressing directly.

The claim that comedian Dave Chappelle and rapper Busta Rhymes founded Dave and Buster's circulates regularly on social media.

According to Wikipedia's entry on Dave & Buster's, the company was founded by David Corriveau and James "Buster" Corley, who opened the first location in Dallas in 1982. The names match up in a way that makes the story feel plausible at first glance, which is probably why it keeps spreading. 

David Corriveau was an entertainment and games entrepreneur. James Corley ran a restaurant. Both were based in Little Rock, Arkansas, before they ever set foot in Dallas.

Worth noting: this kind of myth tends to stick because the brand name sounds like a celebrity collaboration. In practice, it's simply the first names of two businesspeople who met by proximity, not by fame.

Who Were the Real Dave and Buster — The Founders?

David "Dave" Corriveau

In the late 1970s, Corriveau ran a place called Cash McCool's in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a game parlor and saloon — adult-oriented, focused on entertainment rather than food. He understood what kept people entertained and how to design a space around it.

He was the gaming side of what would eventually become Dave and Buster's. Every arcade floor, every game card system, every redemption counter traces back to the instincts he brought to the original partnership.

Corriveau passed away in 2015.

James "Buster" Corley

Right next door to Cash McCool's, Corley ran a restaurant simply called Buster's. Food, drinks, hospitality — that was his domain. His place had a steady crowd, and he knew how to run a kitchen and a bar.

He brought the food and beverage operation to the partnership. The full-service restaurant and bar that still defines every Dave and Buster's location today reflects what Corley contributed from the start.

As reported by Fortune, Corley passed away in January 2023 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His daughter confirmed he had recently suffered a stroke that caused severe damage to the communication and personality centers of his brain.

How Did the Idea for Dave and Buster's Come About?

The observation was straightforward: customers from Corley's restaurant kept wandering over to Corriveau's game parlor, and vice versa. People wanted both. They were already doing it — just splitting their time between two separate venues.

That pattern was hard to ignore. Instead of continuing as competitors on the same street, the two decided to combine their concepts under a single roof. One space. Food, drinks, and games together.

To fund the venture, Corriveau sold Cash McCool's. That was a real financial commitment — not a casual side project. Raising the startup capital required giving up the business he already had. It's a detail that often gets glossed over, but it says something about how seriously he took the concept.

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When and Where Did the First Dave and Buster's Open?

Why Dallas?

Little Rock was where the idea formed, but Dallas was where they built it. The two headed to what was known as "Restaurant Row" in Dallas, looking for the right space. What they found was an empty warehouse — about 40,000 square feet — that had room for everything they envisioned.

The restaurant industry at the time was skeptical. By some accounts, people in the business thought the concept was risky to the point of being foolish. Combining a full arcade with a sit-down restaurant and a bar, for adults, at that scale, was not a proven formula.

What the First Location Actually Looked Like

The first Dave and Buster's opened in December 1982. The startup cost was around $3 million — a substantial investment for an untested concept at the time.

The original setup included pool tables, arcade games, and a full-service bar and restaurant. It was deliberately positioned for adults, which set it apart from the family arcades that were common in that era. 

Corriveau managed the entertainment side. Corley ran food and beverage. The division of labor reflected exactly what each of them had been doing separately for years.

How the Name Was Decided

Both names had to go somewhere. They settled it with a coin toss. Dave won. His name went first.

That detail — a coin flip deciding the name of what would become a national chain — is one of those founding facts that tends to surprise people. There was no branding strategy behind it. Just a coin.

What Made the Dave and Buster's Concept New in 1982?

The term "eatertainment" gets used a lot now, but in 1982, the idea of combining a serious restaurant, a full bar, and a large arcade in one space was genuinely unusual — especially for an adult audience.

Most entertainment venues at the time were either family-focused arcades or standard restaurants. The two categories didn't really overlap. What Corriveau and Corley built was a third thing: a place where adults could eat a proper meal, have drinks, and play games — all without leaving the building.

That positioning proved durable. Dozens of competitors have tried variations of it since. The core concept, though, has remained largely unchanged from what two people put together in a Dallas warehouse over four decades ago.

From Opening Day to Public Company — Key Timeline

Year	Key Event
Late 1970s	Corriveau runs Cash McCool's; Corley runs Buster's — adjacent businesses in Little Rock, AR
1982	First Dave & Buster's opens in Dallas, TX (December) — ~$3M investment
1988	Second Dallas location opens
1989	Majority stake sold to Edison Brothers; founders remain involved
1995	Spun off from Edison Brothers; company goes public for the first time
2004	Acquires nine Jillian's locations after competitor's bankruptcy
2005	Wellspring Capital acquires D&B; company goes private
2010	Oak Hill Capital buys from Wellspring Capital
2014	Returns to public trading on NASDAQ under ticker PLAY; IPO raises $94 million
2015	David Corriveau passes away
2022	Acquires Main Event Entertainment for $835 million
2023	James Corley passes away (January)

What Happened to Dave and Buster After They Opened the Chain?

Early Growth — Still Running the Show

Both founders stayed involved through the company's early expansion. They operated as co-CEOs, each managing their respective areas of the business. That structure reflected how the partnership had worked from the beginning — Corriveau on entertainment, Corley on food and beverage.

In 1989, they sold a majority stake to Edison Brothers, a retail company that provided the capital needed for more ambitious expansion. Larger venues, new cities, bigger investments. Selling that stake was a turning point — it brought outside money in and began shifting the ownership picture away from the two founders.

They remained with the company after the sale, though their direct control naturally diminished as institutional ownership grew.

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The Transition Out

As Dave and Buster's moved through private equity ownership — Wellspring Capital in 2005, Oak Hill Capital in 2010 — and eventually returned to public markets in 2014, the founders' operational roles faded. By the time the company was trading publicly on NASDAQ again, neither founder was in a controlling position.

That's a common arc for founder-run businesses that scale into institutional ownership. The original vision carries forward; the original owners, less so.

Their Deaths

David Corriveau died in 2015. James Corley died in January 2023. His death was reported as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Neither founder lived to see the company's 2022 acquisition of Main Event Entertainment, which expanded the portfolio to over 230 locations across North America.

Who Owns Dave and Buster's Now?

Neither founder nor their estates control the company today. Dave and Buster's Entertainment, Inc. trades publicly on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol PLAY. Ownership is distributed across institutional shareholders — as of late 2023, the largest included Hill Path Capital (17.67%), BlackRock (13.27%), and Vanguard Group (10.98%).

The company is board-governed and management-operated. If you're curious who owns kick or how similar entertainment brands are structured, the same public-company ownership framework typically applies. For current Dave and Buster's shareholder data, the investor relations page and SEC filings are the most reliable sources, as institutional positions shift regularly.

Conclusion

Dave and Buster's was opened by David Corriveau and James Corley in Dallas in December 1982 — two entrepreneurs who noticed customers splitting time between their neighboring businesses. The celebrity myth is false. Both founders have since passed away, and the company is now publicly traded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Dave Chappelle and Busta Rhymes open Dave and Buster's?

No. This is a widely shared myth, debunked by Snopes. The real founders are David Corriveau and James Corley, two businesspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas, who opened the first location in Dallas in 1982.

Who are the real founders of Dave and Buster's?

David "Dave" Corriveau and James "Buster" Corley. Corriveau ran a game parlor; Corley ran a restaurant. They merged both concepts into one venue.

When did the first Dave and Buster's open?

December 1982, in Dallas, Texas. The location was a 40,000 sq ft former warehouse, built with roughly $3 million in startup investment.

Why is Dave's name listed first?

A coin toss. Dave Corriveau won, so his name came first in the brand name.

Are the original founders still alive?

No. David Corriveau passed away in 2015. James Corley passed away in January 2023.