In falling in love with the tabletop game, Moughton and his wife, Ruth Camburn, were just a bit ahead of a very big curve. The nearly 50-year-old game saw a big resurgence of interest after COVID-19 shut down large-scale events. Just about everybody seemed to be playing Dungeons & Dragons, and the couple saw a business opportunity.
"We talked to other people who play Dungeons & Dragons, and one of the great struggles is a place to play specifically," Moughton says. "People may be living at their parents home or have a small apartment. You need room for miniatures and maps. There's an exciting aspect to see it all laid out."
While businesses such as Fantasy Shop or Miniature Market allow players to set up at tables on site, the food options are limited, to say the least. "If there is access to food, it's vending machine food — chips or a soda," he says.
They thought they could do better. And early next year, they hope to open just that gaming mecca, a "nerd bar" they've named Dirty 20. They've taken over a space that previously held a Hotshots franchise, at 14051 Manchester Road in Ballwin, and are doing some remodeling. (It's mostly cosmetic, Moughton notes, though he allows that "the cooler was straight out of a horror movie.)
Their plan is to offer customizable mac-and-cheeses — "you pick the cheeses, the proteins, the vegetables," Moughton says. There will also be standard bar fare and salads, along with a full bar.
COURTESY JASON MOUGHTON
Jason Moughton and his wife, Ruth Camburn, are all in on their new Ballwin bar.
That said, he's hopeful they can provide one thing that feels lacking at Pieces, the board game cafe in Soulard he otherwise considers one of his favorite places: "There's not really a space to spread out if you want to play bigger board games. We're going to offer that."
Moughton has spent years preparing for this moment, including 12 years at QuickTrip and his current stint as a bartender at Bristol Seafood Grill in Creve Coeur. Even so, he's being practical about the bar's opening; he'll keep his bartending job initially, while Camburn focuses full-time on the restaurant. "The plans is to keep that job until we can afford to pay me a salary," he says.
He hopes to be open by March, and who knows from there. "We've been working on this hard core for about two years now," he says. "It's definitely exciting to see the light at the end of the tunnel."
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