From Streetfighter to Donkey Kong, The Fort Sanders Yacht Club has a little something for everyone. Nestled right behind Cumberland Avenue at 17th Street, the "barcade" provides a unique type arcade-integrated bar. In addition to enjoying a video game, there are a wide variety of bottled selections and four rotating drafts to pick from.

"The first couple months we were open we didn't know what we were doing. We only had like 30 beers," Dave Shirley, co-owner and bartender said. "Now a year later we still don't know what we're doing, but we have a lot more beers."

The Yacht Club opened on leap day, February 29, 2008. The co-owners - Jon Haas, David Shirley, Bryn Haas and Matt Cavanaugh - pooled their resources to buy the location in August of 2007. They worked throughout the fall and winter to design and remodel the space, and though it's not much more than a long hallway, every bit of space is used well.

"We had to rip the dry wall off just to make enough room between the video games for a wheel chair," Shirley said. We got the design down to a millimeter."

When walking in the bar, down the stairwell is a "living room area". This space contains a couch, television and multiple gaming consoles. There are plenty of games to choose from, and patrons are able to bring their own as well. Past this area is a walkway to the bar. There are video games to the left and booths, also with video games in the tabletops, to the right.

"There is Missile Command in the table," Pellissippi student and Yacht Club regular Cynthia Roberson said. "I remember coming here for the first time and seeing that, I got so excited. This place is absolutely the best."

Past the bar is a the hallway to the back porch, which Yacht Club bartender Kelly Volpe claims is one of the best porches around.

"Our porch is awesome. It's secluded, you can drink your beer out there and smoke," Volpe said. "It's probably one of the best porches around."

Like any bar, there are beer specials throughout the week to draw traffic. Tuesday are "$2.00 dollar Tuesdays", which includes nearly every beer available at the bar and "wine cooler Wednesday" discounts all wine coolers to two dollars. Volpe said Tuesday is busy because of the beer special, but Friday is the busiest due to it being the weekend, and, of course, a bar. She enjoys the bartending and people who frequent the bar throughout the week.

"The people really make this bar because it's the Fort Sanders bar," Volpe said. "Everybody who comes in is super cool and really chill. I love all the regulars for the most part and it's just a really good atmosphere."

Though the bar stays fairly busy at night, the daytime leaves much dead time for the bartenders. Lucky for them, they have video games to occupy their time. The availability of these games and opportunity to practice them has led a group of the owners and bartenders to venture to New Hampshire in late May for the 11th Annual International Classic Videogame Tournament. Partially due to opening the bar and also to the video game documentary, "The King of Kong", idea of the road trip to the tournament was formed.

"We're gonna take a ‘64 Station Wagon up there, roll in and get drunk and rowdy," Shirley said. "They won't know what to do."

All the owners, except Bryn, and employees Adrien Fryxell and Milo Miles are planning on going. They each have their specific games they're good at, some of them having gotten score that rank within the top players in the world.

"I mean, it will be interesting," Shirley said. "We may get our names in some kind of record book but it won't be number one or anything."
Volpe will be left the man the Yacht Club while the boys are gone, playing at the tournament. She and Shirley joked about it, saying she wasn't invited to go because she didn't play video games.

"When it was slower, I used to play a lot more games. I played Donkey Kong a lot. Unlike you though, I work while I'm here." Volpe said with a laugh.

Over the summer months, there are a few more construction projects in store for the Yacht Club. The crew intends to get a cover up over the back porch, perhaps get a sign to put up outside the bar, and acquire some new games.

"They should get a Wii," Roberson said. "I love the old games they have, but a Wii would really just be the icing on the cake."