James “Buster” Corley, one of the co-founders of the successful “eatertainment” company Dave & Buster’s, has died at 72.
Corley died Monday, Jan. 2, at his home near White Rock Lake.
The Dallas Police Department said that officers who responded to the scene found a man with an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” Police said they then took him to a hospital, where he died. The family later confirmed to WFAA that the man was Corley. “Buster Corley had a stroke four months ago that caused severe damage to the communication and personality part of his brain,” Corley’s daughter Kate Corley said in a statement to WFAA. “The family asks for privacy during this time.”
A representative with Dave & Buster’s said Corley was an “innovative and creative force” in a statement provided to WFAA.
“His pioneering spirit and steadfast belief that ‘everybody is somebody’ set the foundation for bringing food and games to millions of Dave & Buster’s guests over the past 40 years,” said a company spokesperson. “Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled. Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time and while we will miss his wise counsel and his easy laugh, the legacy he and Dave built endures.”
Corley and business partner David Corriveau opened the first Dave & Buster’s in Dallas in 1982.
Corley had opened a restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the late 1970s, while Corriveau had opened a place for entertainment and games just a few doors down. According to Dave & Buster’s website, the two noticed people often rotated between their establishments, so they decided to join in a new venture that combined a restaurant with entertainment.
They found an empty, 40,000-square-foot warehouse in Dallas located along the two-mile area along I-35E around Walnut Hill known as “Restaurant Row” to try their idea out. They named it Dave & Buster’s — and not Buster & Dave’s — because Corriveau won a coin toss to have his name come first.
Since its founding, Dave & Buster’s has opened more than 140 locations across the country. In 2022, Restaurant Business reported on the company’s $835 million deal to acquire food-and-game chain Main Event, which is also based in Dallas. While Dave & Buster’s is geared toward young adults, Main Event is more geared toward families and young children.
A representative of the company said the chain would miss “his wise counsel and his easy laugh, the legacy he and Dave built endures.”
“Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled,” the representative told TMZ. “Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time.”
The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. His body was found at his home near White Rock Lake in Dallas, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Cops say they responded to a Dallas, TX home Monday, James’ birthday, to find a man suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital where he died.
The rep for D&B adds … “Buster’s passion for hospitality, his demand for excellence, and the deep care he had for his team members were unparalleled. Our hearts go out to his family at this difficult time and while we will miss his wise counsel and his easy laugh, the legacy he and Dave built endures.”
James opened the first Dave & Buster’s in Dallas way back in 1982, along with his business partner David Corriveau … with Dave winning a coin toss to have his name first.
Dave & Buster’s went on to open more than 140 locations across the country … combining food with video arcade games.
Cops say they are investigating.
James was 72.
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