Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Corbett.
Hi Richard, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We were always interested in escape rooms knowing their popularity and how the entertainment industry was flourishing. Heck, we played them ourselves and enjoyed the thrill, the difficulty in some cases, and just the fun of solving puzzles!
We found out the location was for sale by an out of state owner that was busy with other escape rooms. I purchased the location in 2024 and it was in need of a lot of work and upgrades. I completely renovated the lobby, the hallways, the bathrooms, our office, removed an old escape room, and added 2 generation 4 escape rooms with state of the art Hollywood set designed theming. I applied and received a mixed alcohol permit to add a lounge/bar to offer a full range of escape room themed cocktails and other mixed drinks. We continue to add to the theming and soon will add a 5th puzzle room. It’s always a work in progress.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road initially. We had some headaches with contractors that were slow to finish their work, puzzles that came broken, shipping times since the puzzles were from Hungary, and finally opening our doors with the new puzzles during a slow time in the year. Additionally, some of the puzzles in our rooms were not cooperating with the kiosk system and our manager had to work with the techs that were in Hungary which created a time zone challenge.
Now with the new puzzles running smoothly, and most of the renovations done to include the bar, we anticipate the business to grow.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m from California and served in the US Air Force as a pilot for 26 years, now retired. I’ve owned several businesses to include a flight school that had 13 airplanes and a maintenance facility. I’ve owned several day spa franchises, and have an extensive real estate portfolio that spans in 5 states.
I’m currently a Line Check Airman and Captain for a major airline based in Florida and now enjoy investing in the entertainment space like escape rooms and bars. I spend time also with volunteering with a variety of organizations such as the VFW, ALPA, the Rotary Club, and my church.
My extensive knowledge in business ownership, aligned with my military values, my type A personality, and my MBA education background, has allowed me to build businesses that our customers enjoy and look forward to returning.
What’s next?
Continue to build the business and decide in the near future what’s next. Do I open a second location? Do I open several? Do I focus on bar operations at another location and just work in the area? Depends on the pendulum swing in what the consumer is looking for right now or even in the near future. I am working on another project, but it’s too early to discuss. The economy is getting stronger in my opinion and I believe as long as there is disposable income, people will want to enjoy entertainment venues.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://paniqescaperoom.com/houston/en
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paniqroomhouston?igsh=MTdlcndvMjNnaWF5YQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/151x4XSBZa/?mibextid=wwXIfr
