Salas O’Brien is passionate about giving back to the community. We give back on our own time and together as employee-owners, and we’re excited when we see our clients giving back as well.

We recently partnered with Poydras Properties LLC and Dave & Buster’s to fit out a restaurant and gaming center in the heart of downtown New Orleans—and this retail location gives the community a lot more than just entertainment.

Dave & Buster’s began when two adjacent, complementary retail locations in Dallas, Texas, merged to form an entertainment megacenter. Since its founding in 1982, Dave & Buster’s has become a nationally recognized brand and expanded to include over 90 locations across the United States. But their explosive growth hasn’t distracted them from giving back to the community—the company is a proud supporter of the Make-A-Wish® foundation, and they’ve raised over $6 million for the charity since 2012.

When Dave & Buster’s and Poydras Properties LLC collaborated to bring the entertainment chain to New Orleans, they needed a reliable firm to provide engineering design services. Salas O’Brien’s local New Orleans office as well as its strong reputation throughout the southeast made the choice an easy one.

Salas O’Brien’s designs included a cold dark shell customized to Dave & Buster’s specifications; an emergency generator to support the life safety systems, elevators, and fire pump; and a utility transformer vault. The finished six-story structure totals just under 260,000 square feet including ground floor retail space, four stories of naturally ventilated parking deck, and the restaurant gaming center on the top story. It’s now open for business and running smoothly thanks to Salas O’Brien’s efficient and effective design work.