House Rules Board Game Lounge expanding Grand Rapids bar, adding kitchen

House Rules Board Game Lounge expanding Grand Rapids bar, adding kitchen
House Rules Board Game Lounge in downtown Grand Rapids plans to expand its footprint to accommodate more customers, as well as adding a kitchen.

GRAND RAPIDS — House Rules Board Game Lounge plans to add a kitchen and expand its space to accommodate busy weekends at the bar, which features a collection of board games for customers as well as weekly trivia nights.

“We’ve been fully booked on Fridays and Saturdays now, so we need additional seating to get us through the weekend,” House Rules owner Brian Beaucher told MiBiz. “We turn away 50 to 60 people those days — that’s the biggest reason we’re doing this.”

The owners previously operated Craft Beer Cellar at the location at 404 Ionia Ave. SW before rebranding to the more game-centric concept in 2021. The bar is located on the ground floor of Klingman Lofts, next to Moosejaw and across the street from the Grand Rapids Downtown Market.  

The addition will add more than 1,100 square feet by repurposing an adjacent, long-vacant storefront, bringing the bar’s footprint to 3,616 square feet once completed. The expansion also will grow the bar’s capacity from 98 to 149 people, which will help accommodate the weekend rush, Beaucher said. 

The goal is to complete the addition in the next two or three months, Beaucher said. Wyoming-based D&D Building Inc. serves as the project contractor while Norton Shores-based Concept Design Studio Inc. serves as the designer.

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission will consider a special land use request for the expansion at its March 23 meeting.

Beaucher does not expect to close the bar beyond a couple of days to accommodate construction, he said. The second phase of the project calls for adding a full kitchen, Beaucher said.

“We are not sure when we will get the kitchen open yet, we’re focusing on the additional seating first,” Beaucher said. 

The bar’s menu offers an extensive range of beer and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as pre-packaged food.