The Board Room
The Board Room is a Chennai-based board game café and online retailer operating three locations, offering access to 1,070+ games with Game Guru facilitation, in-house food and beverages, event hosting, and a Zoho-powered e-commerce shop for individual consumers, small groups, and SMB/corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersMylapore, India
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Board Room does
The Board Room is a Chennai-based board game café and retail business that operates three physical locations — Mylapore (flagship, opened 2019), Anna Nagar (2022), and Velachery (2025, inside Phoenix Market City via a PVR INOX partnership) — plus a Zoho-powered e-commerce storefront. The company's core service is paid access to a catalog of 1,070+ board games, facilitated by in-house "Game Gurus" who teach and run sessions, paired with an in-house kitchen providing food and beverages. Revenue is generated from hourly and all-day table reservations (Rs. 120-Rs. 150/person weekday/weekend), monthly (Rs. 1,500) and annual (Rs. 15,000) memberships, food and beverage sales, private event hosting for parties (up to 30 pax) and corporate meetings (40-seater room), and online retail of 50+ games from publishers such as Asmodee, Days of Wonder, and Czech Games Edition at price points from Rs. 350 to Rs. 9,500. Ancillary services include a coworking/community workspace, gamified corporate training, team-building sessions, and corporate gifting.
The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight: the marketing site is built on Framer, the online shop runs on Zoho's e-commerce platform, and table reservations are taken via phone and WhatsApp — there is no proprietary platform, no app, and no AI/ML layer. Distribution is a direct-to-consumer mix of three physical venues within a single city and a single-country e-commerce channel. The customer base is predominantly individual consumers and small friend/family groups, supplemented by SMB and corporate event bookings, with named testimonials from individual customers rather than enterprise accounts. The Board Room is privately held, reports no external funding rounds or institutional investors, and operates with a headcount in the 11-50 range.
The Board Room firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Board Room
- Legal name
- The Board Room
- Website
- https://theboardroomindia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Board Room is a Chennai-based board game café and online retailer operating three locations, offering access to 1,070+ games with Game Guru facilitation, in-house food and beverages, event hosting, and a Zoho-powered e-commerce shop for individual consumers, small groups, and SMB/corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Board Room industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Board Game Café
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Amusement Arcades (713120), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gaming Café/Bar Hybrid Venues (Food & Beverage + Competitive Play) (MPAFALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA), Internet Cafes & Gaming Cafes (THAFADAI)
Keywords
Where The Board Room is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mylapore
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Board Room business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Gaming Table Reservations: Hourly or all-day table reservations for board game play at café locations, with Game Gurus available to teach and facilitate games
- Membership Programs: Monthly membership offering unlimited gaming hours and food/beverage discounts; Annual membership option at Rs. 15,000
- Food and Beverage Sales: In-house kitchen providing hearty, wholesome food options for café customers
- Board Game Retail: E-commerce store selling board games including brands like Asmodee, Days of Wonder, Czech Games Edition, with prices ranging from Rs. 350 to Rs. 9,500
- Event Hosting: Private event bookings for parties (30 pax), corporate meetings (40 seater area), workshops, and team building sessions
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Membership - Unlimited gaming hours with food discount |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Weekday Gaming - Hourly and all-day rates |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Weekend Gaming - Higher rates for weekends and public holidays |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Parties & Celebration Package |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Board Room product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Board Room operates physical board game cafés across three Chennai locations where customers reserve gaming tables (hourly or all-day), get guidance from dedicated 'Game Gurus', and order food and beverages from an in-house kitchen. The business also runs an online shop (shop.theboardroomindia.com) selling 50+ board games, offers monthly and annual memberships with unlimited play, and hosts private parties, corporate events, team-building sessions, workshops, and co-working use of its spaces.
Product overview
The Board Room is a board game café and retail business operating three locations in Chennai, India (Mylapore, Velachery, Anna Nagar). The company offers a dual business model combining physical gaming experiences with e-commerce retail. The physical experience includes table reservations for tabletop gaming with 'Game Gurus' to guide players, café services with food and beverages, private meeting spaces for corporate events, and team-building programs. The retail arm (shop.theboardroomindia.com) sells over 50 board game products spanning strategy, family, party, and educational categories. Services are available through walk-in visits, membership programs (monthly at Rs. 1,500/person or annual at Rs. 15,000), and event bookings for parties, workshops, and corporate training. The flagship Mylapore location opened in 2019 and houses India's largest boardgame café with over 950+ games, while the newest Velachery location (2025) is a collaboration with PVR INOX combining board gaming with cinema.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Play & Dine Café service combining tabletop board game play guided by Game Gurus with food and beverage options from an in-house kitchen, aimed at friends, families, and casual visitors across the three Chennai locations.
- Table Top Gaming Hourly or all-day gaming table reservations at The Boardroom café locations, with game experts available on-site to teach and assist with games.
- Workshops & Events Flexible venue rental for workshops, product launches, and learning sessions in a participation-focused environment.
- Create & Collaborate (Co-Working Space)
- Monthly Membership Subscription offering unlimited tabletop gaming hours on weekdays and weekends with a 10% discount on food and beverages; available monthly at Rs. 1,500 per person and annually at Rs. 15,000.
- Parties & Celebration
- Private Meeting Space
- Training Programs
- Corporate Gifting
- Getaway Gaming
- Board Games (Retail)
Quantifiable outcome
- 8500+ TBR Plays recorded for popular games like Splendor
Companies that use The Board Room
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Board Room technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Board Room partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PVR INOXminorThe Board Room collaborated with PVR INOX at Velachery location to create a unique experience centre inside Phoenix Market City. The partnership combines board gaming with cinema, allowing customers to enjoy board games and watch movies at the PVR complex. This is a venue-based partnership where PVR provides retail space within their cinema complex.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Board Room competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Funskool India: Established Indian games and toys manufacturer/retailer with broad hobby and board game distribution. Relevant as a larger incumbent in the same hobby/games retail category in India.
- Games2Win: India-based mobile and casual games publisher with adjacent exposure to India's games market. Comparable as a hobby/games category incumbent even though its medium is digital rather than physical.
- Purple Turtles: Indian specialty retailer and distributor of board games and hobby products. Comparable on the retail/e-commerce side of The Board Room's business, though without the café and Game Guru layer.
Others
- Meeple Mountain: Board game media and community platform covering reviews, events and the hobby community. Adjacent because it influences discovery and retail demand for the same games The Board Room curates and sells.
Direct peers
- Thirsty Meeples: UK-based board game café offering food, drink, a large curated game library and staff-led game explanations. Closely mirrors the Game Guru–led experience model The Board Room runs.
- Snakes and Lattes: Pioneering North-American board game café chain with food, a large game library and events. Highly comparable hybrid F&B-plus-games model, useful for unit-economics and international expansion benchmarks.
- The Mind Café: Singapore-based board game and experiential café with multi-location presence. Comparable in combining tabletop gaming, F&B, events and group experiences for an Asian urban audience.
- Board & Brew: US-based board game café and craft beer venue combining tabletop gaming with food and beverage. Comparable F&B-plus-games hybrid model with strong corporate event and group-occasion focus.
- Dice Café: Indian board game café chain offering tabletop gaming, food and beverages, and game-master-led experiences. Directly comparable in concept, customer segment and India-centric niche play to The Board Room.
Regional players
- Zaitoon: South Indian casual-dining and café chain competing for the same Chennai middle-class discretionary dining spend. Comparable as a regional F&B competitor for footfall and weekday café traffic, though without the board game specialization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Board Room social profiles
Digital presenceThe Board Room financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Board Room leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Board Room funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Board Room M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Board Room
What does The Board Room do?
The Board Room operates physical board game cafés across three Chennai locations where customers reserve gaming tables (hourly or all-day), get guidance from dedicated 'Game Gurus', and order food and beverages from an in-house kitchen. The business also runs an online shop (shop.theboardroomindia.com) selling 50+ board games, offers monthly and annual memberships with unlimited play, and hosts private parties, corporate events, team-building sessions, workshops, and co-working use of its spaces.
Is The Board Room a public or private company?
The Board Room is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was The Board Room founded?
The Board Room was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Board Room based?
The Board Room is headquartered in Mylapore, India, in the Asia region.
How does The Board Room make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Gaming Table Reservations are the primary driver. The others are membership Programs, food and Beverage Sales, board Game Retail and event Hosting.
Who are The Board Room's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Funskool India, Games2Win and Purple Turtles. Meeple Mountain is listed as an others. Direct peers are Thirsty Meeples, Snakes and Lattes, The Mind Café, Board & Brew and Dice Café. Zaitoon is listed as a regional player.
Does The Board Room have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Board Room.
What industry is The Board Room in?
The Board Room's product category is Board Game Café. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFALAD, Gaming Café/Bar Hybrid Venues (Food & Beverage + Competitive Play), with a secondary code of CRALALAA, Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.