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uWink facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: UWKI |
| Industry |
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| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Nolan Bushnell |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Headquarters |
,
United States
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Number of locations
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3 (2008) |
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Area served
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California |
uWink, Inc. was a company that offered a special kind of dining experience. It was based in Los Angeles, California. The company was started in 2000 by Nolan Bushnell. He was also one of the people who created Atari and Chuck E. Cheese.
At first, uWink tried to make interactive games for restaurants and phones. After a few years, in 2006, they changed their main idea. They decided to open their own restaurants called uWink Bistros. These bistros were meant to be "entertainment dining experiences." They used their own computer network and games to make eating out more fun.
When uWink's stock first became available on July 31, 2007, it was worth $4.75 per share. By December 2012, the stock was trading for less than one cent. This means it had lost almost all its value.
Interior of uWink Bistro in Mountain View, California.
Contents
uWink Bistro Locations
uWink opened a few special restaurants called uWink Bistros. These places combined food with interactive games. Here's where they were located:
- Woodland Hills, California: This was the first uWink Bistro. It opened on October 16, 2006, in the Westfield Promenade shopping center. It closed in January 2010. People had different opinions about it, but many liked it.
- Hollywood, California: Another bistro opened on June 27, 2008, at the Hollywood and Highland Center. This location closed on September 12, 2010.
- Mountain View, California: The third bistro opened on September 15, 2008. It was in a spot that used to be a different restaurant. This location closed fairly quickly, on April 21, 2009.
Company Changes and Closures
uWink had plans to grow, but they also faced challenges.
Plans for New Locations
On June 11, 2007, uWink announced that it would start allowing other businesses to open uWink restaurants. This is called franchising. The first franchise locations were planned for the Miami, Florida area. The agreement hoped for up to three new uWink restaurants there over the next four years.
Later, on June 25, 2007, uWink also announced a partnership with a company called Jefferson Partners. They planned to open uWink locations in Canada. The first Canadian bistro was expected to open by early spring 2008.
Challenges and Closures
In February 2009, uWink decided to remove its stock from the NASDAQ stock exchange. This meant its shares were no longer traded there.
In April 2009, uWink closed its Mountain View, California, restaurant. The company said that the high rent for the building and problems in the American economy made it hard to keep the restaurant open. At that time, two other uWink restaurants in southern California were still open.
In January 2010, the first uWink restaurant in Woodland Hills, California, also closed its doors.
Finally, on September 12, 2010, uWink announced that all its remaining restaurants would close. The company decided to focus on selling its computer services to other food businesses instead. They called this new service Tapcode.
Legacy
Even though uWink restaurants are no longer open, some of their technology still exists. For example, a uWink Eyecom device is kept in the collection of The Centre for Computing History in Cambridge, UK. It is thought to be a model that was never officially launched.