After walking into what I can only describe as sensory overload mania, playing arcade games after eating my body weight in tater tot nachos, dare I say that ROAR Entertainment Center is what’s been missing from Rock Hill’s family-friendly nightlife.
ROAR opened just six months ago in February. Located at 220 W White St., it has less than 10 people on staff and menus on letter-sized copy paper, but the potential is there. ROAR originally started in Winston Salem in 2022. It expanded to a second location in hopes of bringing family fun dining to Rock Hill.
When walking in, customers are immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia and excitement. The number of things to do inside is almost overwhelming. There’s a mini-golf course, full arcade, bar, dining room and eight lanes for bowling.
On Wednesday night after work, I routinely find myself in bed and catching up on Love Island. This Wednesday night, I had the place nearly to myself as I checked out ROAR for the first time.
Dining at ROAR
I was the sole dining customer at the time, but staff members said peak attendance is on weekends. With a large family and children audience, it makes sense as to why they would be slammed on a Saturday afternoon.
There’s plenty of table space, couch seating near the bowling lanes and bar seating. Staff members are also extremely welcoming.
ROAR also has a daily happy hour from 3 – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, where everything is half-priced. Bowling and mini golf prices drop from $15 to $7.50, and all appetizers are half-priced. Based on my experience, you already get a bang for your buck at normal rates.
They also have a deal where kids eat free with the purchase of just one adult entree, and it doesn’t matter if there are one or three kids.
Because of Charlotte area rush-hour traffic, I got there just after 7 p.m. After previously scoping out the menu online, I had one goal for the night and it was to get the tater-tot nachos or, as they call it, the ‘tot’chos.
For $18, these were no joke. While they did not come with everything the online menu said they would, they still were loaded to the brim. As the waitress brought them to the table, my eyes widened and I was face-to-face with a mountain. While I barely left a dent in these, the ‘tot’chos could easily feed a family of three.
Unable to conquer the whole dish, I took the majority home.
With a wide variety of food options, ROAR has a menu that can fit many costumer needs: salads and cauliflower bites, brick oven shareable pizza and a classic smash burger.
The bar is on the smaller side; however, the drink menu does not reflect any limitations. A few of the signature cocktails at ROAR include a campfire martini, a spicy strawberry margarita, an espresso martini and a ROAR whiskey sour.
I chose to get the spicy strawberry margarita. The drink was not my favorite, but it was not bad.
What’s the ROARing arcade like?
To walk off my incoming food coma, I headed over to the arcade area to play some games. Visitors of ROAR have the option to either purchase a card and put money on it or just use their debit cards at each stop.
Since my visit was a solo trip, I opted to just pay by game that I played with my debit card — a convenient option to avoid committing to $20 plus worth of arcade games.
I was surrounded by by flashing neon lights, the sound of Pac-Man machine near by and roaring TV screens from the motorcycle race simulator game.
There are over 20 game options, including an air hockey table and a Dance Dance Revolution stage. The options are not limited and it took a minute to decide where to start.
Sure, I’m 21-years-old, but I had to give a shot at one of the claw machine games and win a stuffed animal. To my surprise, I was successful on my first try and gave the family next to me a laugh as I threw my hands up and cheered.
As I was walking out, I noticed a photo booth right by the entrance of the gaming area. I figured “why not,” and stepped in to strike a few poses. For $7, customers can chose any filter they want on their pictures and at the end they receive two printed versions.
What’s missing?
The advertised 1920s-themed style was lackluster and could have benefited from some more bold decorations or designs.
The general dining area and arcade all seemed trendy and not giving the “old-fashioned” vibe some might expect. There were even modern-day, digital jukeboxes where customers could select songs while they bowled.
Overall, ROAR Entertainment Center might still be finding its footing, but the foundation for something truly special is already in place.
Whether you’re looking to bowl a few frames, conquer the claw machine, or just share a massive plate of ‘tot’chos, ROAR delivers a good time. It’s a space that encourages play, laughter and maybe even a little nostalgia—exactly what Rock Hill didn’t know it was missing.
ROAR
Website: ROAR Entertainment Center
Location: 220 W White Street, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Instagram: @roar.rh
Hours of operations: Monday – Thursday: 11:30am – 11:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 11:30am – 12:00am, Sunday: 11:30am – 10:00pm
This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.heraldonline.com ’
