Three Vancouver-based partners are making their foray into Victoria\u2019s bar and eatery scene by transforming the former Yates Street Taphouse into Glitch Arcade Bar.<\/p>\n
Brothers, Tom and Trevor Poirier, and contractor Dan Haines are the owners behind the new Victoria-based Glitch, located in the historic Dominion Hotel building at 759 Yates Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n They previously opened to Glitch establishments in Vancouver, closing the Kitsilano location in 2024, which had them searching for the next best spot.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not just opening another bar,\u201d says part-owner Dan, who, with his partners previously operated the Glitch location in Kitsilano before it closed in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to create a space where people can put down their phones, and actually connect with each other in person.\u201d<\/p>\n Between the two brothers, they\u2019ve opened half a dozen bars and restaurants. However, this is the first venture outside the Lower Mainland. Dan joined the partnership with the Kitsilano location and now the Victoria location.<\/p>\n The Kitsilano location closed in October 2024 due to rising rent rates coinciding with the end of their lease terms.<\/a><\/p>\n As of Feb. 1, 2026 the part owners announced they\u2019d received liquor license approval and had settled on a 10-year lease agreement. Following the news, the partners began renovating the bar, with plans to open by mid to late spring.<\/p>\n Why they chose the former Yates Street Taphouse<\/p>\n When hunting for a new space, there were focused on size and location. <\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we needed a big size,\u201d says Trevor. \u201cThis is almost 7,000 square feet,\u201d referring to the Victoria space.\u00a0 \u201cSome of the games are huge, so you need real estate to put them out there right?\u201d says Trevor.<\/p>\n The Yates Street space also had downtown to proximity that the Kitsilano location lacked. This motivated them to have a place where people don\u2019t want to leave, and that\u2019s close to downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what we like about this is it\u2019s downtown\u2026We\u2019re gonna have the nightclub deal on the weekend so we can keep them here having a good time, but there\u2019s also a reason you\u2019ll stay all night because you can watch the game, and play the games,\u201d says Trevor.<\/p>\n Learning from what was lacking in previously-owned bars<\/p>\n The \u20182.0\u2019 Victoria addition is a nod to things learned from the previous bars.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re calling it version 2.0 because we realize where we were lacking,\u201d says Trevor. \u201cWe were missing the sports,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n Entering the bar, the front right side area will include an arcade section. Then further down on the right, booth seating, along with 20 bar seats and five to seven televisions will offer a sports bar vibe.<\/p>\n Then, the back right hand portion will be converted into a private room, equipped for roughly 20 people.<\/p>\n Dubbed \u2018the Miami Room\u2019, the private bookable room will have space for 20 people, and equipped with bluetooth stereo, and consoles for games like Smash Brothers or Mario Kart, says Trevor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing like pink flamingo wall paper, a lot of palm trees, that sort of thing,\u201d says Trevor. A sliding door will close off the space allowing people to book it for birthdays, bachelor\/bachelorette parties or small corporate events.<\/p>\n The Kitsilano location also lacked a dedicated dance space.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a DJ on weekends and a small dance part, but we didn\u2019t really have a dedicated space being used,\u201d says Trevor.<\/p>\n So the left hand side will check off the dance space, including a DJ booth and a private VIP bottle service section. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have talked to a lot of our friends in the early 30s and they\u2019re like \u2018we want a cool place\u2019 we\u2019ll pay for a better looking, nicer place,’\u201d Trevor said.<\/p>\n Revitalizing the downstairs as a speakeasy<\/p>\n According to Trevor, the entire capacity will be 225 upstairs and 50 downstairs.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right, there\u2019s a downstairs, but over the years it\u2019s become a storage space for previous owners.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last two operators kept saying \u2018we\u2019ll get to this\u2019 but then it was just banker boxes full of files, broken equipment,\u201d says Trevor.<\/p>\n The first section of downstairs is where the larger-sized arcade games will be stationed, including full-size basketball, skeetball, shooting games, and a sitdown Jurassic Park game.<\/p>\n Then around a the corner, a narrow corridor lined with existing plush, red velvet booths, offers a jazz bar or speakeasy vibe.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna keep the bones in kind of an homage, but we\u2019ll do the speakeasy door, but we\u2019ll do more cocktail-forward. There\u2019s a big cocktail scene here in Victoria as we\u2019re learning,\u201d says Trevor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look at it as it\u2019s the one more for us as the older crowd,\u201d says Trevor. \u201cThis will be the place to come down, decompress, like the hospitality industry that has had a stressful night.\u201d<\/p>\n As renovations continue, the partners plan to open the space by late spring, with general manager Julien Chevallier relocating to the Island to run the establishment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to bring back that feeling of gathering at your local spot \u2013 where you run into friends, make new ones, challenge someone to a game, and end up in conversations you never planned on having. It\u2019s about being present with the people around you, sharing laughs and friendly competition, and creating memories together in the same room,\u201d says Julien.<\/p>\n For the latest information, visit Glitch Victoria<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t