Board game lovers make their move with new Sip and Conquer café in Maidenhead

The owners of a board game café in Maidenhead are preparing to ‘pass go’ and open their new venture at the end of January.

The Sip and Conquer café is hoping to offer a place where board game lovers in the town can socialise and play their favourite games.

School friends Ellie Jeffries and Rosie Mulford devised the idea for their new hangout spot after feeling Maidenhead lacks a venue where people of all ages can play games in an inclusive atmosphere.

The business partners have secured a home for their café at 120 Maidenhead High Street and work is now ongoing to get ready for an opening on January 30.

Co-founder Ellie, from Taplow, said: “I think it’s a really cool time to be sharing our love of board games because I think people are done with being behind computers.

“This is just a concept that encourages people to actually spend time with people.”

Board game enthusiasts will be able to pre-book a spot at the café by paying a table fee.

Time slots of either 90 minutes or 180 minutes will be available but people can also book for more than three hours if they wish.

An online booking system will be available and guests are encouraged to use this to secure their spot. Walk-ins will also be accepted if tables are available.

The table fees will help the café maintain its extensive board game library.

Owners Ellie and Rosie launched a Crowdfunder ahead of the opening which raised more than £3,000.

These generous donations have been put towards an efficient online booking system.

Membership packages will be available including a ‘Board Member’ tier which offers six hours of free gaming per month as well as discounts on food and drink.

A limited number of 10 memberships will also be available in the ‘High Council’ tier which offers unlimited gaming and discounts on food, drink, merchandise and board game purchases.

The café is hoping to expand its offering in the future so guests can rent a board game to play at home.

Coffee, cakes and pastries will be served throughout the day while cheeseboards and wines from local suppliers are also planned for evening gamers.

Co-founder Rosie told the Advertiser: “We’ve been friends for 20 years. We both back each other to do most things so to be doing it together is really cool.”

Guests will be able to book a space online in the coming weeks by visiting sipand
conquer.co.uk

Updates will be available on Instagram via @sipandconquer