Old games a new draw at Olde School Deli

NORTH CANAAN — A little more than a year after the tiny eatery opened on Railroad Street, Olde School Deli is expanding. It will soon have elbow room for pool tables, arcade games and a jukebox.

Owners Ron and Theresa Clavette have been serving big crowds at breakfast and lunch, but wondered how they could attract families for dinner, and provide a fun and affordable night out.

Meanwhile, the adjoining storefront has been vacant since spring, with the departure of the Sidetracks gift shop.

The Clavettes got the idea of opening a game room, with pool tables, arcade video games, pinball machines and a jukebox. That way, they figured, the kids could occupy themselves while their parents lingered over coffee.

Pool teams — yes, there are more than a few here, and there is a pool league — will be welcome. The Clavettes hope it will be like a family game room.

Last Saturday, an opening was cut in the wall that has long  divided the two spaces —which began life as a single space many years ago.

The Clavettes found that an affordable way to start up an arcade is with older games. The “plus� here is that some of the first arcade and home-game system offerings are so old — dating all the way back (gasp) to the 1980s — they’re back in style. Who thought we’d ever look back to those dinosaur days of gaming technology? But classics, such as Ms. Pacman, Frogger and Galaga, all handily loaded onto one machine at the deli, are enjoying a revival. They are a new fascination for kids, and spark Atari-crazed memories for adults.

The deli, which specializes in soups and sandwiches, is open Monday through Saturday, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday,  5 a.m. to 7 p.m.