Gwinnett Daily Post

Staff Photo: Jason Braverman Brian Luallen, the general manager at Laser Voyage Cafe, shows the pirate-themed, two-story laser tag arena in Duluth. Along with laser tag, they also have a laser maze, the first of its kind in Georgia.

DULUTH -- Pirates, bounty and laser tag? It doesn't sound like the typical combination, but Duluth's Laser Voyage Cafe is making it work.

The new family entertainment destination that opened on Dec. 29 is located off of Buford Highway and is owned by Bob Kourieh, the president and CEO of the Jade, Group, Inc., a Duluth-based company.

"The goal was to satisfy high taste clientele while satisfying the people who live in the local community -- Suwanee and Duluth -- who are looking for that world-class experience without having to drive very far to get it," General manager Brian Luallen said.

And they took care of every detail from the laser tag arena to the food served in the "cafe." Instead of deep-frying the usual classics, Laser Voyage air fries the food until crispy without the use of oil.

"The cafe offers family classics: hot dogs, pizza, chicken fingers and french fries, but with a healthy spin," Luallen said. "We also have Italian gelato instead of ice cream."

Gelato uses less cream than traditional ice cream, so there is less fat.

He added, "I have discovered that the amaretto, chocolate and coconut mixed together tastes just like an Almond Joy. It's kind of great."

Kourieh is also determined to sell higher quality coffee to his patrons.

"Bob wanted coffee, but not gross coffee. When he comes in here with his family, he wants to have a good cup," Luallen said. "So, we ordered an Italian espresso machine."

A cup of Joe costs less than $2 and cappuccinos and cafe lattes are $3. All are made to order with flavors and spices.

The arcade was designed to the last detail. All new games were installed for the venue with a little something for everyone. Each machine is equipped with cup holders to give players the use of both hands.

"The idea is when junior and dad play next to each other at a game, they won't end up spilling their drinks," Luallen said.

There are old-school games, like Skee-ball, air hockey and Pac Man, then there are modern games like Big Buck Hunter Pro, Jumpin' Jackpot and BarberCut Lite.

The objective to BarberCut is to control a pair of scissors in the back and cut the strings, which hold prizes like a Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Kinetic and 10,000 prize tickets. If you cut one of the boxes down, bring it to the prize table and Laser Voyage will ship the prize from Amazon.com to your house.

"We want to deliver something that's brand new, that hasn't been sitting here for four months," Luallen said. "We try to send the newest version of whatever you've won. We keep the old box, but we'll send the newest, best version to your house."

But the two things that stand out are the laser maze and two-story laser tag arena, which are both -- as you may have guessed -- pirate-themed.

The laser maze is the first of its kind in Georgia. One player at a time tries to maneuver their body to the treasure chest without tripping any of the 20 lasers. Players aim to move the quickly to claim the lowest score.

Inside of the two-story laser tag pirate village, which includes a 55-foot pirate ship and its skeleton captain, 21 players have three ramps for second floor access. They can either play pirate laser tag or every man for himself, team play, capture the flag or Zombie, where one person is infected and tries to infect the rest of the group. Games last 15 minutes.

On Jan. 28, Laser Voyage holds its grand opening. There will be pirate re-enactors, free play for those in pirate costumes and plenty of prize giveaways.

But the real question is: Why pirates? Luallen said, "It's the norm."

"A lot of the other laser tag places are more of a sci-fi theme. (Having) pirates lends itself to put together a high-end presentation," he said. "If you're going with pirates, you could just go with a treasure chest and a bunch of flags in a big, dark room, but wouldn't you want to build a pirate ship?"

So, they did.

The venue is available for bachelor and birthday parties, corporate team building activities, holiday shindigs and private events.

Laser Voyage Cafe is located at 1866 Buford Highway in Duluth. For more information about the venue, visit www.laservoyage.com.