Proposed Midway Station restaurant and lounge aims to transport sci-fi and fantasy fans to another planet

“Have you ever gone out to a bar with your friends, only to sit down to the sounds of a football game blaring around you? Ever just wish someone would just put on an episode of DS9, Stargate or Game of Thrones? Maybe just once?” These are the opening questions posed by Richmonder Daniel Jackson, a self-proclaimed sci-fi and fantasy geek who’s currently hosting a crowdfunding campaign to build his dream restaurant downtown.

Daniel and his wife Brianne have a goal of raising $100,000 to open Midway Station, a restaurant and lounge themed with sci-fi, fantasy, and cosplay elements. The restaurant, if constructed, would be themed as an intergalactic space station transporting guests to other galaxies during their visit.

“We’ve always wished there was a place to go, a year round science fiction convention so to speak, with geeky activities always afoot,” Daniel Jackson said in the Kickstarter campaign. “A place to meet others like us or a common place to meet up with internet friends. Really, how cool would it be to test my obscure, encyclopedic knowledge of the ‘Evil Deal’ trilogy? Or, let my wife show off her ability to recite ‘Return of the Jedi’ at length, Artoo’s beeps and all? (It’s actually pretty amazing).”

The Midway Station concept would be built out in phases. So far, the Kickstarter (which was launched on October 20th) has only raised $315, but Daniel says he has investors in place, ready to shoulder the weight should the fundraiser not meet its lofty goal by the end date of November 19th.

Daniel says guests will be able to enjoy a variety of “immersive” sci-fi and fantasy experiences including props from popular TV shows and movies, comic books and graphic novels available to borrow or purchase, open mic and standup comedy nights, trivia, video gaming, costume contests, and celebrity appearances. There will also be a store on site selling fantasy-related wares, comic books, and more.

There’s a lot involved in this space and it sounds as though the concept would take some time to build out, but Daniel says the goal is to be ready in January of 2018.

When reached by email, Daniel declined to list the exact address of the proposed business, wanting to first see how the Kickstarter plays out before negotiating a lease, but the website shows a general location of 6th and Main Streets downtown.

Learn more on the Kickstarter page here and check out the official website right here. You can also view the current renderings of plans for the space below.