Myself and a few others hosted an event at this location yesterday, Sunday evening. Everything was superb!! We had a buffet that consisted of fajita meat, salsa, guac, queso and other sides. The food was DELICIOUS!!! I can't say enough about how good everything was. The food, the staff, EVERYTHING!!! I would definitely recommend this location and we will most certainly be back. read more

My family went there this evening. I ordered a regular cheeseburger and it came to me with bacon on it. The restrooms were utterly DISGUSTING! No toilet paper, toilets clogged and paper all over the floor. No soap in the ladies room. 2 employees were made aware of the situation. When we were leaving they were still in the DEPLORABLE condition. We will NEVER return. read more

Lots of potential here, but terrible service in every aspect. It's a fun, cool, new looking entertainment venue, but that's about it. The restaurant is absolutely terrible. It's "seat yourself" but there is no sign saying this, so my group of ten people and myself waited to be seated at the host podium like at most restaurants. Meanwhile, several other groups get in line behind us, while countless staff members walk by and not a single member of the staff tells us that it is seat yourself. Finally, after a huge line builds up after about 10 minutes, another customer lets us know that seating is self serve. Not a staff member, a customer. Then, after our orders are taken, the 10 of us are all served at different times. Our first person got his food, and an hour later, our last person got his food. I realize the place is newer, but the management is absolutely atrocious. I'll give it another chance down the line, but they need to get their act together. read more

This is the worst place to go to it is very small bad service the only good thing was La Bella's pizza the place is small and they have wasted my money and time. I asked the lady if I could see a monkey and she said no and the child started crying and saying plz and they said no. Also their was poop all over toilets and it smelled. I wanted to vomit. WORST PLACE 100% DO NOT COME HERE EVER!!! read more

I hosted a birthday party here for 20 kids. The service was perfect and the food was tasty. Bowling and gaming package was very affordable and my child was given the VIP treatment. Everyone had a blast! The venue is huge, modern and clean. Many activities are offered aside from bowling. This place is great for all ages! read more

I will never come to this place again. My friend paid $500 for a birthday party for 2 hours. The party started at 330pm and the room was not available for 15 minutes. The party lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes. They did not communicate with her they were closing the entire venue for a private party that started at 5pm. They kicked everyone one out by pulling the plug on all of the games to make sure everyone left. Such a lack of integrity and does not obviously care about its customers. Stay away from this place and go to Dave & Buster's! read more

This place is great but it needs some work in order to stay in business. We're watching the World Series and 11 screens in front of me, some behind me and the only televisions with audio are the ones at the bar?! REALLY?! Take some pointers from Westwood Tavern, whenever there's a game, especially the World Series in your hometown, they only have audio for the game in the entire restaurant/bar. This is how it should be done. People come here to watch sports and the World Series, just provide the audio and people will continue to come here. We don't want to watch the game without audio. I could sit in my living room instead. As for the service, it's good, not bad, not outstanding. Food is decent, just had the apps. read more

Worst place ever very "short staffed" waited 10-15minutes at the bar for a drink. On a weekend being busy they only had one bartender. But i saw many employees just sitting back doing nothing and chatting. Visited the bar 3 times and each time waited 10+ minutes to order. If you're planning on visiting you're better off going to Dave & Busters read more

1. Not all, but half of the employees I talked to had an attitude and weren't polite. 2. I got ripped off because I wanted to do the zip-lining and payed $10 per person when I could've spent $10 more and got a bracelet. The bracelet includes everything and I was mad that they didn't tell me about the bracelet. It was my first time there and even if it wasn't, the employees should offer you better offers to save money. 3. It was fun, besides that I had a great time and the food was not too bad, but that was the only things I did not like about main event. read more

I came here for an event and was impressed walking in at the sheer size and offerings this place has. However, the service and price left me less than impressed as my evening here went on. If not for Dominic, our server who was helpful, attentive and efficient, I would have lost complete faith in the staff here to keep our tabs straight. Another server brought us several checks asking if we knew the people, which we did not and were afraid of getting stuck with a stranger's tab. The games were fun, but play per swipe didn't last very long at all. In my opinion, it made me feel like I was in some training ground for teaching kids gambling habits at an early age because some of the machines resemble those you'd see at a casino. The food was okay and 2 beers and a glass of red wine cost us about $22. It could be a costly night out for a family with kids wanting to eat dinner and play games so definitely seek out some coupons or specials before coming here, if they exist. read more

See all

The kids enjoyed the laser tag, gravity ropes and zipline. There's a nice bar for the adults. We will definitely be back soon. read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Nice bar - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

This place went downhill. It use to be my go to spot for bowling and arcade. I went on a Saturday night and they stated only arcade is open and the wait is extremely long. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME COMING HERE! read more

I went there to celebrate a friend's birthday. We ordered food. Terribly understaffed, service was beyond slow. We waited over half an hour for the check at the end and didn't even stay to play their rather dismal selection of video games. The only plus side? The kitchen got the food right. It was tasty. Not the server's fault. It was a staffing problem, but this is still unacceptable. The location may be newish, but the chain is not, and the Yelp reviews consistently show slow service. read more

I wouldn't give this place one star, but I have to select one so I selected the lowest rating. I booked on line for bowling and confirmed it but when I showed up at the appropriate time they said they did not have my reservation/confirmation. What they did do is charge my card which I am now disputing. Don't bother calling the number of Main Event in Hoffman Estates as no one picks up the phone. When I went to the location it was messy and kids were running all around. This was my first and last visit to Main Event. I hope this review is published so people avoid this place. It was a disorganized event. I asked about my credit card charge for the reservation they allegedly didn't have. They told me to call Sue at the main number, but no one answers the phone. Worst customer service I have ever experienced. Glenn read more

Me, my two teenage kids and my parents came here for lunch and some arcade fun during Spring Break. When we got there, we noticed the long line for...what? Was it to put our names in for Laser Tag? Bowling? Ropes Course? We weren't sure, so we asked an employee who happened along if we indeed had to wait in line just to buy arcade game cards. He said yeah, we had to wait in that line for that purpose. So we did. When we finally got to the front of the line, I told the girl we just wanted three reloadable game cards and she said, "Just so you know, you don't have to wait in line for those. You can buy those cards at the kiosks" Hmph. So the fellow we asked was quite misinformed. So if you're reading this, know that you don't have to wait in line for arcade cards! The line is only for the other activites. We sat down and had lunch and it was fine. No issues with our server, food quality or speed of service. The only other teensy problem I had (and most people will think this is pretty silly over a matter of $2) is when my daughter swiped her card at the SkeeBall lanes. The machine debited her game card, but didn't release the balls. So she swiped it again, and again it debited her card but no balls came down the chute. So, figuring this must happen a lot, I decided to go get the $2 put back on the card. I was sent to the ticket redemption area, where the attendant swiped my daughter's card and asked where we had used the card that it didn't let her play. I told her it was the middle lane at SkeeBall. She informed me that according to whatever screen she was looking at, the card hadn't been swiped there. Whatever - I had just watched the machine debit the card twice (it shows you the new balance once you swipe it) and not release the balls, but I wasn't going to cause too much fuss by arguing with a sixteen year-old over $2. It still kind of chafed me, however. So...the upshot is, you don't have to wait in the line for arcade cards, and look out for malfunctioning games because apparently you have to have a notarized statement from the game that it's taking money for nothing in order to get your money back. Even if it's only for $2. read more

Had a birthday party at the following, worst experience never go there again. Made us wait for more than one 1hr to reactive the lane after playing 1hr. They wanted to move us with food and bunch kids. read more

Came here on a Saturday for bowling and games with the kids. Bought the unlimited pass. When we got a lane another family came over and said this is our lane. We got a employee who said your not supposed to be here. Went back to the counter they said no you are supposed to be there they are not. Instead of reassigning a lane they let an argument pursue between our two groups. Finally got a lane but the families who come here need to watch their children and respect other people. Trying to bowl with kids running in your lane and throwing their ball in your lane takes away from your enjoyment. We had kids and watched them and corrected their behavior. The lane we were on was an issue it broke down often and every time we had to contact them they said they were busy. Spent 20 min trying to get the balls to return. The employee honestly don't seem to care We asked for help because the kiosk for ordering food wasn't working correctly they didn't help The employees don't seem to care about when you have a complaint or try to figure out a solution We have 6 people in our group and everyone was just angry then entire time we were here It ruined our night out My son who is 24 said he would never come back to this place again and would never recommend it to his friends. He spent the first 45 min posting on social media what a Sh*t show this place it Don't bother for the money your spend it is not worth it read more

Servers were slow despite a lack of people. The game selection was worse than Dave and Busters/Gameworks despite a high/higher price. Mediocre to bad food, poor service and prices. I don't usually leave bad reviews, but this was a pretty trash experience. read more

I came here with my friend,Her mom,and her grandmother. When we walked in I was very excited, there was laser tag like trapezes? (Or what Whatever it's called lol), and bowling. We got a play card that gave me and my friend ultimate plays one games that didn't need cash. Laser tag was fun we played twice, the employee working the first time wasn't really helping or explaining the rules but the 2nd employee was VERY nice and explained the rules. We did the trapezes thingy which was fun. We played for a bit, but when we went to redeem our points, our card wasn't showing our points. When we told the employees at the front she seemed mad and annoyed (I think her name was Candy?). We were finally able to use our points. I gave this a 3/5 because of how bored,annoyed, and mad employees. read more

We had a birthday party yesterday for our kids there. Wow!!!! What great service!!!! The staff was super friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. The kids had a great time and didn't want to leave. I highly recommend!!! We will for sure be back!!! read more

Excelente lugar de esparcimiento y para disfrutar en familia, mi hijo disfruto mucho de las maquinas, pagamos por el servicio para jugar Bowling estuvimos esperando 2h donde querían que siguiéramos esperando faltando dos horas para cerrar. Nos fuimos decepcionados por las largas colas y no tener la manera de usar el pago para otro día en vista de la cantidad de personas. read more

Spent a Saturday evening here with a group of neighbors. It was our very first time here. The $18.95 all you can laser tag/bowl/gravity ropes is a great deal. We had pleasant service at the bar. We did not order any food, So, I can't offer an opinion about that. The place was really packed and the staff did a great job of keeping the facility clean. We had a fun afternoon and plan on returning. All of that being said, the bulk of the 5 stars in this review is because of one staff member. Cici, a very sweet young woman at the Gravity Ropes. My 9 year old son went up the ropes in the 7:30 group with his four friends. However, my son was the only one who got scared when he reached the top. I saw the "What the crap did I get myself into?" expression on his face. He turned around and went back down the stairs. (Personally, I was terrified of him going up there, but I didn't want my fear to impact his decision.) So, when he came back down I was about to say. "At least you tried." But, before I did, as I approached Cici was talking to him and asking him about his fear. He said he really wanted to try the zip line but walking across the open spaces freaked him out. She offered to go up with him and stay with him as he walked across. He agreed. Because of Cici, my son faced his fear and did the zip line. Now he is talking about doing it "The next time we go." I was so proud of him for not walking away and I seriously wanted to hug Cici for helping him. read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

See all

We came on a Tuesday, it's dead and the service is still crappy on the gaming floor. The employees are too busy playing games and socializing than actually running the games. The waiters are another story, our waitress was very attentive. The food was average and not too pricey. The beer is a little overpriced though. I would come back for the bowling but management really needs to manage their employees better. We noticed Alex, a maintenance guy maybe had to go get the kids out of the laser tag game because the other employees were all playing air hockey. Props to Alex, thanks for actually working! read more

If you are reading this just keep reading this because Main Event is the worst place for you to go to. Here are some reasons: 1. The food is terrible. I don't know if I was unlucky but many other people including my friends say the food was so bad and the pizza was not too bad but below average. If you ever plan to order a dessert here I would recommend not too. The dessert tastes cheap and I do not want to describe it as the thought would make my stomach hurt. And the food tasted very processed. So I looked at one of their ads that claimed that their dessert is better than a birthday cake (really...) and it contained exactly 2520 calories; that is more than the daily recommendation! 2. Inexperienced workers: Honestly, I have no clue if they are trained. They did not look polite. If you are a worker here who is kind I am sorry but I was a former customer. So me and my friends were enjoying ourselves until the food came and we demanded a refund for many issues. I asked them if the food came from McDonald's and my friends said the food was horrible. We also told them the donut hole was a copyright infringement of Dunkin' donuts LLC (I don't work at Dunkin'). Then my server started arguing and went over to the cashier and we did not get any money back. But we got game cards. I came to Main Event for a birthday party so I am pretty sure the game cards were part of the B-day package. But I am positively sure that our server was just trying to change the conversation. But that led to more customer dissatisfaction. 3. Game cards. The game cards were a little pricey and were unable to scan the cards. It always said "no funds in your account" or "error" That is not the bad part. The bad part was that the game cards were only valid for 30 minutes. Then they ask you if you want a day pass and I had enough of Main Events greediness. Basically the game card was reducing my wallet into a few pennies. You can use your game cards to to earn points and then turn your points into actual prizes. The prizes were cheap and at the end I only had 75 points which got me a whoopee cushion and 3 toy soldiers. But I spent my money! (This is a rip-off) 4. Service problems. The bathroom was horrid in my opinion as urine was all over the place. It was not hygienic and yes it did not smell well either. My friend also reviewed Main Event and he stated "It was bad. I want a refund. Do not go here because the food is terrible. I wish I could give this 0 stars and their cards aka fun passes are OK." For me it was a place where I felt severely depressed after the experience. The only fun part was laser tag. Bowling was neutrally fun but again I had bad things happen. The arcades were normal and some of them were free mobile games like "Ninja". They charge money for free games?! On Yelp the average review is 2.5 and one person said "Strictly because the men's bathroom was the dirtiest, most disgusting bathroom I've been in in a long time. Pee all over the floor by all urinals and the toilet in every stall was also covered in pee or dried pee. It's 5pm on a Monday. C'mon." Another person said "Honestly won't ever return. Sat at a table for 15 minutes before a server even came by. Once we made eye contact with someone our Server was great...very nice attitude, pleasant and made sure to double check he had our order right. My issue was with the game cards. Consistently unable to scan the cards during games when needed to continue game play. Error message of too many continuous swipes? Really? We were standing at the game and both my boyfriend and I had a card so we were not trying to scam and only use one card. Bathrooms were HORRENDOUS. Filthy...overflowing garbage cans, one paper towel dispenser never had paper (we were there for about 3 hours) and the cans were not emptied. Toilet paper all over the floor in the stalls and only two soap dispensers worked. Not enough games for the size of crowds." So my summary would be don't go here ever again. I would chose somewhere else. And remember that I am not trying to harm Main Event's business. I regret going to Main Event. read more

This place is awesome.. a bit pricey, but worth the fun, and memories. I definitely recommend.

One fun stop with great food which I did not expect especially their tuna, they have drinks for the adults to enjoy while kids are enjoying other activities in this place. From bowling to laser tags, and arcades. They also have pools for the adults to enjoy. If you're not up to playing, this is a nice place to hangout and drink at the bar. read more

The place was nice, but the customer service was horrible, we went there for a birthday, we wanted the gravity, and the sales person pointed us to the credit machine to purchase credit for gravity. When we were in line for gravity, they told us the credit doesnt work for it, it has to be separate ticket. The manager was so rude and refused to refund the money from the credit that we brought. We were like double paying. It is not worth it to go back at all !!!! read more

Just spent $70 On a Monday night for the all you can play special and looks like we won't even get to do anything. I know Wanted to play pool and front desk said to put your name on list at bar and bartender said they don't keep a list as it's first come first served. Watching 2 family's using 3 pool tables and other people buying in front if other people who have been waiting longer. Seems there is no real organization other than taking money for nothing. What a scam. I know it's busy but at least offer a refund if you cannot get to use anything in the place. Staff were very rude as well. read more

Saw this place on an ad and there website listed so many fun activities to do! I visited this weekend with a group of my friends and the first thing I noticed was how huge this place looked from the outside. Unfortunately once I walked in it wasn't as big as I thought. Games are $1.50(+) each with not much of a selection and lowest you can put onto a game card is $25.00. Overall I think this place is overrated. read more

Its a very nice facility with a bunch of activities. The downfall is the staff however. They don't give much info or help with laser tag or the high ropes course. Staff acts clueless. Food is pretty good though and games are fun. read more

I am amazed by the building and more amazed by the customer service. I walk into this place with my wife and 5 children on a Monday night where there is a $10.95 special to either play arcade games, activities or you get a $20 card for food or games. We decided to grab dinner and get the "lay of the land". Because I had a younger child, I didn't feel comfortable having her sit in a high top table (which are meant to seat adults comfortably) but instead was told to sit in a sectioned off area which had been closed. Unfortunately the manage came by and told us that we shouldn't be sitting here as it was closed. He told him that the bar tender told us to and he apologized for the confusion. He explained that it was a very tough day as 75% of his staff just went back to college, which was understandable and after the confusion he went out of his way to ensure that we had a great experience. He signed our family up to a laser tag game as we have never been there before and gave us a couple of game cards. My children had an absolute blast with the games, laser tag and even the sky rope walk thing. I was very impressed how the manager turned a potential bad experience and confusion into a wonderful night for my family. Also, I have to admit... once finding out the place was slammed and they had 25% of the workforce, their food had great portions, was brought out on time and was cooked perfectly. A credit to the chefs and manger on managing the kitchen. We look forward to going here as this place is way cooler and more reasonably priced then Dave and Busters on Wednesday half priced night. I read other reviews, the games are a bit more expensive then normal, but not unlike Dave and Busters or Gameworks and at least they are upfront of the pricing and you know how much each game costs, instead of the Dave and Busters concept of buying credits and not understanding how long you really have to play. I will definitely go back again!!! read more

We hosted a birthday party at this location and our two hosts were just excellent. The main host would make great proactive suggestions. He was really on top of everything going smoothly. Any small thing we asked for, the hosts were up and ready to take care of it instantly. I highly recommend hosting your party at this location. The customer service is phenomenal. read more

This place is terrible for my first and only time here, as I was playing pool I had several kids come up to my table from a birthday party and mess with the pool balls. They're kids so I don't mind but a worker went up to my table in the middle of me playing and started cleaning up my table and I haven't even been playing for 30 mins?? You have to wait over an hour to play bowling , sky ropes laser tag or anything which is ridiculous I've been to a lot of places where it's a 10 min or wait less but it's absolutely ridiculous here. For the price I paid this isn't worth it read more

Normally I have good reviews for these type of places, but when I learned that they no longer carry tater tots as a replacement option for fries, I'm saddened deeply. Also, instead of human contact with a server, they have replaced it with one of those Ziosk machines, normally all cool and modern, except for people with allergies who need special instructions to give a waiter/waitress. Sigh. read more

The food service was very very exquisite but that doesn't change my opinions on this arcade. I went to Main Event and used the 20 dollar deal that lets you do the high ropes course, bowling (but you have to still pay for bowling shoes), pool table, and laser tag. I was expecting to have a good time, but the workers that ran the high ropes and laser tag were very impolite. First of all they showed up late to the the high ropes course and changed the time that we were supposed to do it. Then when we got the harnesses on and the lady yelled at my friend for putting it on a little bit wrong. After that we got on the zip line and the lady called my friends stupid to my face, I don't believe that that was very professional of her. The only other thing I'm going to mention is the laser tag accident we had. We happened to show up 3 minutes late to the laser tag and one of the ladies got super mad and took the ticket from us, threw it out, and then said that we need to sign up again. In conclusion I don't suggest coming to this Main Event mostly because the workers aren't very good at their job and because it's just a waste of money. To save time and money just go to a Dave and Busters or a Game-works. If you read this far thank you for your time and I hope you take what I wrote into consideration before you go to Main Event. read more

This atmosphere really made me dry! I had an unpleasant experience here. The staff was very cold and made us wait 10 min while there was nobody in line. The waiter told us that the kitchen was closed even though it was advertised on the website and menu. They closed early which is unfair to the customers who paid $25 for bowling. Overall, i wouldn't recommend coming here unless you want to burn money! They had the audacity to tell us that they are closed without warning us read more

I went there tonight for the first time with my husband or son, my friend and her son we played later tag, and video games, we had dinner which was very reasonably priced . the quality of the food was great I had their Mac n cheese so did my friend it was the best I have had in a restaurant. my husband said the fish was perfectly cooked and not greasy like some places, our boys had the chicken tenders which I think I will have my next visit they so good. now me tell you about Bailey our server she was quick, attentive, and very friendly she was great. I spoke with the manager and informed him how great I found this place, he was really nice and just wanted to make sure everyone was enjoying them self. we will definitely be back soon . read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

We had our twin boys 9th Bday party here this past Saturday, 9/16/17. Everything was great! Food was great we served cheese pizzas for the kids and for the adults we had The Players Platter , which were guests favorite, the spinach dip was fantastic! The Works Pizzas and Cheese Pizzas were also great. We selected Laser Tag and arcade package, the kids had a blast! However the only thing I would mention is that there was a mishap at the Laser Tag, we were scheduled to go and all the kids were waiting in line prior to the scheduled time but for some reason, they didn't let us in because there was a confusion in the scheduling. I opted to speak with the manager but our awesome host Mitch was very proactive by talking to the counter to make sure our party goes right in the Laser Tag . Overall we waited about an extra 10m, and Mitch was very accommodating by giving each of the kids extra fun card credits when they play the arcade. I would have probably given our experience here a 2 or 3 stars if it weren't for Mitch handling the situation very professionally and overall Mitch was an awesome host! He definitely tried and made our party run as smooth as possible and made it a wonderful experience ! Overall, our twin boys and guests had a fun time! read more

Well I almost gave them 5 stars for entertainment, the bar and laser tag but when we bowled, that was a whole other story. It's a family affair no doubt but there's a reason for bowling etiquette- safety being top on the list. The next lane had a family of 6 with 5 kids who were on the lane the entire time- even in front of my lane. Yes, parents need to be responsible but when I bring this up to the staff all they did was take a ball from one 5 year old off the lane. It's a very dangerous place with over 10 lb balls flying in the air. Staff did nothing, parents were ignorant and I just pray no one gets hurt with this very unsafe and uncontrolled bowling alley. I'm sure they had fun though but hope no one goes to the hospital. Btw, my 4 kids were there celebrating a birthday and practiced proper etiquette and safety. Don't come bowling if you care an inkling about your score also...I'm competitive and I do! read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - They have yummy mixed drinks and tasty Merlot - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

See all

So new the employees don't even know what's up. A friend called to see if they took reservations and were told no lane reservations on the weekend. No biggie we drive an hour and figured we would see what the wait was. Got there at 6:30~ first employee told us they wouldn't take names for the list until 7 so we decided to wait and play so games. Games were expensive and the kids running the ticket/prize area were so disorganized and again had no idea what they were doing... was a nightmare wait! Go back to the desk at 6:55 and the second employee tells us it's was currently a 3 hour wait ~ WTF... how is there a 3 hour wait when they weren't taking reservations AND not putting names on the wait list til 7 and it was five minutes until?! I will never go back and hope that people know there are better cheaper more local places that know what they are doing. Never again!!! read more