# BISHOP CIDERCADE AUSTIN

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-11-24  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2022/11/24/bishop-cidercade-austin

---

## Analysis

Bishop Cidercade Austin is a 13,000 sq ft cider bar and arcade venue in Austin, Texas that opened in late 2019, featuring 17 pinball machines (mostly Stern titles from 2007-2022) alongside classic arcade games, food service, and craft ciders. The venue operates on an all-you-can-play membership model ($10 daily/$15 monthly) and offers premium amenities including outdoor seating with skyline views. The article notes operational challenges including casual player wear-and-tear on machines and occasional downtime, while praising the overall game selection and family-friendly atmosphere outside peak hours.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Bishop Cidercade Austin is the largest Cidercade by square footage (13,000 sq ft) opened by Bishop Cider Co. — _Article states: 'It has the largest number of square feet (13,000) of any Cidercade that Joel Malone's Bishop Cider Co. of Dallas, TX, has opened so far.'_
- [HIGH] The location opened in late 2019 in a former Joe's Crab Shack restaurant space — _Article: 'opened in late-2019' and 'The location on East Riverside Drive was formerly a Joe's Crab Shack restaurant which closed in mid-2018.'_
- [HIGH] Multiple pinball machines were out of service or experiencing issues during the reviewer's visit — _Article states: 'A couple of pinball games were out of service when we arrived – and were tagged as such – while a few others suffered stuck pinballs and other unknown problems which made them unplayable.'_
- [HIGH] Most newer Stern games at Bishop Cidercade Austin are equipped with Insider Connected hardware — _Article: 'Most of the newer Stern games were equipped with Insider Connected hardware.'_
- [HIGH] Casual players at the venue treat pinball machines roughly, causing maintenance concerns — _Article notes: 'it was shocking and disheartening how the general public beat and banged on the pinballs as if they were indestructible.'_

### Notable Quotes

> "it was shocking and disheartening how the general public beat and banged on the pinballs as if they were indestructible."
> — **Pinball News reviewer**, mid-article
> _Highlights operational challenge of casual player wear-and-tear on machines in public venues_

> "I'd advise visiting during the early day hours or when school is in session, unless you want to take your own brood to run amok among the games like the Austin parents do."
> — **Pinball News reviewer**, closing section
> _Practical visitor guidance noting peak-hour crowding and behavioral issues with younger players_

> "$10 all-day or $15 recurring monthly membership. Includes admission and free play on all games"
> — **Pinball News reviewer (executive summary)**, end of article
> _Key pricing information for potential visitors_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Bishop Cidercade Austin | organization | 13,000 sq ft cider bar and arcade venue located at 600 E Riverside Dr, Austin TX, opened late 2019, features 17 pinball machines and classic arcade games |
| Bishop Cider Co. | company | Dallas, TX-based cider company owned by Joel Malone that operates Cidercade locations in Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and Austin; expanding to Arlington |
| Joel Malone | person | Owner/founder of Bishop Cider Co., operator of Cidercade locations across Texas |
| Stern Pinball | company | Primary pinball manufacturer represented at Bishop Cidercade Austin with 14+ machines from 2007-2022, many equipped with Insider Connected hardware |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; one Guns N' Roses machine present at venue |
| Chicago Gaming Company | company | Pinball manufacturer; Monster Bash Remake Special present at venue |
| Insider Connected | product | Stern Pinball's digital ecosystem; installed on most newer Stern games at Bishop Cidercade Austin for leaderboards and player tracking |
| Aerosmith Pro | game | Stern pinball game (2017) on location |
| Avengers: Infinity Quest LE | game | Stern pinball game (2020) on location |
| Batman: The Dark Knight | game | Stern pinball game (2008) on location |
| Deadpool Premium | game | Stern pinball game (2018) on location |
| Godzilla LE | game | Stern pinball game (2021) on location |
| Guns N' Roses | game | Jersey Jack pinball game (2020) on location |
| Rush LE | game | Stern pinball game (2022) on location |
| The Mandalorian LE | game | Stern pinball game (2021) on location |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Location review and venue operations, Pinball machine selection and game lineup
- **Secondary:** Operator maintenance and machine upkeep challenges, Casual player behavior and wear-and-tear in public venues, Pricing models and membership structures, All-you-can-play arcade venue business model

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Reviewer is generally favorable toward the venue's game selection, pricing, and amenities, but expresses frustration with casual player behavior/machine wear, operational downtime, and crowding during peak hours. Tone is balanced and practical rather than enthusiastic.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** All-you-can-play membership venues ($10 daily/$15 monthly) positioning pinball as commodity entertainment alongside classic arcade, reducing per-game revenue but enabling high visitor throughput (confidence: medium) — Article describes Bishop Cidercade Austin business model with fixed membership pricing for unlimited game play
- **[venue_signal]** Casual players in high-traffic family venue treat machines roughly, creating accelerated wear concerns for operators managing expensive equipment in public settings (confidence: high) — Article: 'it was shocking and disheartening how the general public beat and banged on the pinballs as if they were indestructible.'
- **[operational_signal]** Multiple pinball machines out of service or experiencing gameplay-breaking issues (stuck balls, unknown problems) during visit, suggesting maintenance backlog or operational challenges for casual-play venues (confidence: high) — Article states: 'A couple of pinball games were out of service when we arrived – and were tagged as such – while a few others suffered stuck pinballs and other unknown problems which made them unplayable.'
- **[technology_signal]** Widespread Insider Connected adoption on Stern machines in commercial all-play venues, indicating platform is standard in location deployments (confidence: high) — Article: 'Most of the newer Stern games were equipped with Insider Connected hardware.'

---

## Transcript

Date: November 2022 Location: 600 E Riverside Dr., Austin, TX 78704, USA Aerosmith Pro (Stern, 2017) Avengers: Infinity Quest LE (Stern, 2020) Batman: The Dark Knight (Stern, 2008) Deadpool Premium (Stern, 2018) Godzilla LE (Stern, 2021) Guns N’ Roses (Jersey Jack, 2020) Jurassic Park Pro (Stern, 2019) Kiss (Stern, 2015) Led Zeppelin Pro (Stern, 2020) The Mandalorian LE (Stern, 2021) Monster Bash Remake Special (Chicago Gaming, 2018) Rush LE (Stern, 2022) Spider-Man (Stern, 2007) Star Trek Premium Vault (Stern, 2018) Stranger Things Pro (Stern, 2019) Striker Xtreme (Stern, 2000) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro (Stern, 2020) A large number of classic stand-up arcade games including: Skee Ball Super Chexx Dome Hockey Shooters Driving Games Air Hockey NBA Jam 4 Player Pac-Man Guitar Hero Killer Queen Death Ball Rhythm Nation Bishop Cidercade Austin opened in late-2019 and is the newest in the growing Cidercade family. It has the largest number of square feet (13,000) of any Cidercade that Joel Malone’s Bishop Cider Co. of Dallas, TX, has opened so far. The location on East Riverside Drive was formerly a Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant which closed in mid-2018. We visited Bishop Cidercade Austin during the time of the year when local public schools were in recess for winter break. Because of this, the place was packed. Nothing wrong with this other than the persons under 18 conducted themselves as if they were raised by Yeti in the forest. Having the option of unlimited supplies of sugary caffeinated beverages available probably contributed to this. ![Parents and children waiting in line to enter Cidercade Austin](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-1-scaled.jpeg) Parents Austin The hard ciders on tap include the popular Tiger’s Blood, Nectar, Pineapple Paradise and French 75. There are also new favorites like Pecan Pie, Blackberry Seltzer, and Eleven (from Stranger Things) that I am told has notes of waffles and maple syrup(?). Undecided? They have flights of five five-ounce pours available. Current food and beverage menus are available on the Cidercade Austin website. ![After consuming a certain amount of beverages, this is necessary](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-2-scaled.jpeg) After necessary ![The bar at Cidercade Austin - order food and beverages here - cashless payment only](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-11-scaled.jpeg) The bar at Cidercade Austin: order food and beverages here – cashless payment only Food and beverages must be ordered at the bar area for now, although it appears as if self-service kiosks are planned for the near future. You are given a numbered pager that will alert you when your meals are ready to pick up from the kitchen’s self-serve window. ![Kitchen pick-up window with pizza rolls](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-12-scaled.jpeg) Kitchen pick-up window with pizza rolls After placing our food and beverage orders, we discovered that tables in the dining area and on the enclosed patio were hard to come by, even though we visited well after the lunch hour. The only option we had was to wait for a table to become available and snag it as quickly as we could. ![Play some Skee Ball while waiting for a table](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-8-scaled.jpeg) Play some Skee Ball while waiting for a table Some in our party ordered 10” personal pizzas and some ordered chicken wings. Everyone seemed satisfied with their meals even though they were slightly on the pricey side. About what I would expect to pay at a comparable ‘theme’ entertainment venue. ![Air Hockey table](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-9-scaled.jpeg) Air Hockey table ![Stand-up arcade games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-10-scaled.jpeg) Stand-up arcade games ![Guitar Hero](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-6-scaled.jpeg) Guitar Hero ![Four player Pac-Man](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-5-scaled.jpeg) Four player Pac-Man Bishop Cidercade Austin has a good line-up of games of all types (see list above) but it was shocking and disheartening how the general public beat and banged on the pinballs as if they were indestructible. ![A view of the pinball room](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-3-scaled.jpeg) A view of the pinball room ![The other wall in the pinball room](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-4-scaled.jpeg) The other wall in the pinball room A couple of pinball games were out of service when we arrived – and were tagged as such – while a few others suffered stuck pinballs and other unknown problems which made them unplayable. ![Just a few games wore this sad message](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-13-scaled.jpeg) Just a few games wore this sad message The majority of the games were in good and highly-playable condition. Most of the newer Stern games were equipped with Insider Connected hardware. I would say that if you are at all concerned about germs, etc. in the age of Covid, remember to bring your own hand sanitizer and masks. I think that this is especially important given the number of people squeezed inside on the day we visited. ![More classic arcade games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-7-scaled.jpeg) More classic arcade games After a little more than two hours of eating, drinking and gaming rivalling anything previously hosted by the Krewe of Bacchus during Mardi Gras, we’d had enough of the din and exited to the relatively tranquil shore of nearby Town Lake, which I am told during the summer months has its very own ‘Party Island’. ![The view of Town Lake and the Austin skyline](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-15-scaled.jpeg) The view of Town Lake and the Austin skyline But take care, swimming in Town Lake is illegal due to strong currents from the Colorado river. Interestingly, rentals and use of kayaks, canoes and stand up paddle boards are perfectly legal, but signs inform you not to fall into the lake or else find yourself faced with fines up to $500. ![At Cidercade Austin's outdoor seating area, you can enjoy breath-taking views of the Austin skyline - it is also a respite from the gaming frenzy inside](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-16.jpeg) At Cidercade Austin’s – inside Other Bishop Cidercades are located in Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth. A new Cidercade is coming soon to Arlington, TX. Check details such as hours and machines on the Pinball Map before you visit. Each location also has bottled and canned Bishop Cider products available for purchase and take-away. ![Take away beverage service if you wish](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cidercade-Austin-17.jpeg) Take away beverage service if you wish The bottom line is that the Bishop Cidercade Austin is a great place to visit for affordable all you can play pinball and other games, relatively good bar food and Cider adult beverages. I’d advise visiting during the early day hours or when school is in session, unless you want to take your own brood to run amok among the games like the Austin parents do. Here’s the executive summary of what you need to know about Cidercade Austin: $10 all-day or $15 recurring monthly membership. Includes admission and free play on all games Cashless payments only Limited food menu: artisan thin-crust pizza, pizza rolls, wings, salads, desserts Limited craft hard drink menu: dry cider, semi-sweet cider, sweet cider, and hard seltzer Maine Root sodas, flavored waters and energy drinks with unlimited refills for $4 Private parties and facility rentals available for up to 200 guests Beautiful views of Town Lake and the Austin skyline from their outdoor deck area Complementary parking 21+ only after 8pm, all ages prior to that Open until 1am on the weekends * Dining area table reservations can be booked online (suggested)

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 98cca94b-350c-4d48-9c89-674f57fb0aca*