No founder or family controls the company today. The two founders, Dave Corriveau and Buster Corley, sold out decades ago, and the chain has passed through a retailer, two private equity firms and a stock market listing since.
Who owns Dave & Buster's today?
| Shareholder | Shares | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| Hill Path Capital LP | 7,119,255 | 20.47% |
| Eminence Capital, LP | 2,905,454 | 8.35% |
| Patient Capital Management, LLC | 2,201,507 | 6.33% |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 2,084,177 | 5.99% |
| All executive officers and directors (13 people) | 602,533 | 1.73% |
Source: Dave & Buster's 2026 proxy statement, as of April 23, 2026, when 34,739,405 shares were outstanding.
Hill Path is an active investor, not a passive index fund. Its co-founder James Chambers joined the board in December 2020 under a cooperation agreement with the company, and managing partner Scott Ross joined the board on January 30, 2025.
Is Dave & Buster's publicly traded?
Yes. Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. has traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker PLAY since its October 2014 IPO, which sold 5.88 million shares and raised about $94 million. Anyone can buy the stock, and the company files annual reports and proxy statements with the SEC.
Who owns Main Event?
Dave & Buster's does. It bought Main Event Entertainment from Ardent Leisure and RedBird Capital Partners for $835 million, announced in April 2022 and completed in June 2022. Main Event now runs as a second brand inside the same public company.
How big is Dave & Buster's?
| Measure | Figure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.103 billion (down 1.4% from $2.133 billion) | Fiscal 2025, year ended Feb 3, 2026 |
| Net result | Net loss of $48.7 million (vs net income of $58.3 million) | Fiscal 2025 |
| Venues | 243: 179 Dave & Buster's and 64 Main Event | Feb 3, 2026 |
| Share of revenue from games and entertainment | About 62.9% | Fiscal 2025 |
| Headquarters | Coppell, Texas | 2026 |
Source: Dave & Buster's Form 10-K for fiscal 2025. The August 2026 CEO announcement put the count at 250 stores.
Who runs Dave & Buster's?
Darin Harper became CEO on August 3, 2026, after Tarun Lal, a former KFC U.S. president who took the job in July 2025, retired to spend more time with his family in India. Harper had been CFO since June 2024 and earlier was CFO of Main Event. Lal stays on as an adviser through at least the end of fiscal 2027. Kevin Sheehan is the independent chair of the board.
| CEO | Years | Background | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Corriveau and Buster Corley | From 1982 | Co-founders | Built the eat-and-play format from one Dallas venue |
| Steve King | CEO by 2010 | Company executive | Led the chain into the 2010 Oak Hill buyout |
| Brian Jenkins | Until September 2021 | Company executive | Retired; chair Kevin Sheehan stepped in as interim CEO |
| Chris Morris | June 2022 to December 2024 | Former Main Event CEO | Arrived with the Main Event deal; resigned "to pursue other interests" |
| Kevin Sheehan (interim) | December 2024 to July 2025 | Board chair | Held the job during the search |
| Tarun Lal | July 14, 2025 to August 3, 2026 | Former KFC U.S. president | Retired after about a year |
| Darin Harper | August 2026 to now | Former CFO | Current CEO |
Sources: Dave & Buster's filings and announcements; Restaurant Dive; Wikipedia. Start dates for the earliest CEOs are not consistently published.
Every Dave & Buster's owner
- 1982
Dave Corriveau and Buster Corley open the first Dave & Buster's in Dallas on August 31
- 1989
Edison Brothers Stores buys a majority stake to fund expansion
- 1995
Edison Brothers spins the chain off as a public company
- 2006
Wellspring Capital Management takes the company private
- 2010
Oak Hill Capital Partners buys the company from Wellspring with management
- 2014
IPO on the Nasdaq as PLAY
- 2020
Hill Path Capital takes a board seat with James Chambers
- 2022
Dave & Buster's buys Main Event
- 2026
Hill Path holds 20.47%, the largest stake
The 2012 IPO attempt was pulled before trading began, which is why the chain stayed with Oak Hill until 2014.
How I checked this
The ownership table is copied from the company's 2026 proxy statement, and the financial figures come from its fiscal 2025 annual report. The CEO change is from the company's August 4, 2026 filing. Older deal prices come from company announcements where I could find them, and Wikipedia's sourced history otherwise. Stakes change every quarter, so treat the percentages as of April 2026.
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Observations retain their source, period and definition. Uncertainty is preserved; missing values are not zero.
- Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. 2026 proxy statement (DEF 14A, SEC) ↗
sec.gov · 2026-05-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. annual report for fiscal 2025 (Form 10-K, SEC) ↗
sec.gov
- Dave & Buster's announces chief executive officer transition (Form 8-K exhibit, SEC) ↗
sec.gov · 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Dave & Buster's names James Chambers to board of directors (FSR Magazine) ↗
FSR Magazine · 2020-12-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Dave & Buster's appoints Scott Ross to board (FSR Magazine) ↗
FSR Magazine
- Dave & Buster's appoints Tarun Lal CEO (Restaurant Dive) ↗
Restaurant Dive
- Oak Hill Capital Partners to acquire Dave & Buster's from Wellspring Capital for $570 million (Form 8-K exhibit) ↗
capedge.com · 2010-05-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Dave & Buster's (Wikipedia, citing company filings and press coverage) ↗
Wikipedia
Accessed 2026-11-02.