The heart and soul of the Escape Game genre has, and perhaps always will, be in Small Businesses. These “mom & pop shops” may not always have multi-million dollar budgets, but they more than make up for it – and sometimes even surpass it – with their passion and pride of ownership. By their very nature, many Small Business venues do everything in house – from game design to construction to scenic painting and more. Small Businesses also tend to be the first to support their neighbors and industry piers, in turn spreading word and excitement for our industry, inspiring new players every single day. And while today we can only officially recognize three, we ask you all to take a moment to think about – and thank – your local Small Business Escape Games for their important contributions to this industry we all love.
Escape Authority is honored to announce our 2020 Keys To Greatness – Best Small Business winners:
Escape Plan Columbia
Beyond being the epitome of a mom and pop Small Business, Escape Plan Columbia has endeared themselves to the escape game world like few venues could ever dream of. Case in point, for three years in a row, this small South Carolina venue has absolutely dominated popular vote counts in our annual Readers Key Tournament, coming close to winning the whole thing on more than one occasion! As a brand, Escape Plan Columbia, from top to bottom, has a product that is both diverse and family friendly. But it is their reputation for high guest service standards that truly puts them on the map, and makes them worthy of our highest Small Business honors.
Be sure to read our full reviews of Floor 23 and Espionage.
Doldrick’s Escape Room
In short time, Doldrick’s Escape Room has gone from relative obscurity to travel destination. A quick glance at any Orlando-area recommendations list places them in the number one spot of a competitive market almost universally. Each game at the venue carries a fresh and unique theme, with puzzle steps that are often just as outside the box. Perhaps even better, Doldrick’s Escape Room has a knack for creating a product infused with their trademark sense of humor, creating a welcome change of pace from the often “life or death” urgency that fills the market. Their top notch product is equally paired with their service standards, as Doldrick’s Escape Room is well known to go out of their way to show how much they value their guest, making for an environment that feels more like “returning home” than it does entering the doors of any given business.
Be sure to read our full reviews of Captain Spoopy Bones and the Magnificent Quest for Some Other Pirate’s Treasure, Red Sled Redeption at the Holly Jolly Holiday Hubcap Repair and Super Bomb Squad Commandos Awesome!.
Cross Roads Escape Games
When it comes to Small Business brands, Cross Roads Escape Games may very well be the ultimate example. Established by a mom and pop team, everything from story writing to puzzle design to even scenic and tech are done in-house. But unlike many others who try, Cross Roads Escape Games proves they are able to be a master of these trades. More importantly, this is a brand never content on taking the easy route. To the contrary, each new attraction created by the Cross Roads Escape Game team sets out to quite literally reinvent the wheel, and sometimes goes so far as to create new vehicles those proverbial wheels are attached to. Simply put, if Cross Roads Escape Games announces something new, it’s become a safe bet that it will be like anything you’ve seen to date.
Be sure to read our full reviews of The Hex Room, The Fun House and The Séance.
Congratulations to our winners of the first ever Keys To Greatness – Best Small Business award!
With more than 1,000 games played across the site, being picked as one of the best three in the country is a well-earned honor to truly be proud of!
With so many deserving games worthy of recognition, our goal is to ensure these Keys To Greatness awards are attainable to all – not just those with blockbuster budgets that might be otherwise out of reach. As such, it’s important to note that we have, as much as possible, limited games to winning a single category – but every game will still be qualified to win the coveted Keys to Greatness – Best Game award, as well as the Keys to Greatness – Remote Play awards.
*Although the games I’ve personally designed are consistently very highly rated by both enthusiasts and newer players alike, I cannot in good conscience nominate an attraction I created. As such, those games and the venues that call them home have been intentionally omitted from consideration for any Keys To Greatness award.
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