Toby Harris got plenty of warnings.
As president and CEO of State of Play Hospitality, Harris long argued that a social darts bar-and-restaurant concept from London could succeed in the United States. Nearly everyone raised one objection.
They said, "‘Darts is not a thing in the U.S.,'” according to Harris, who was born outside London and moved to the United States three years ago. “‘Us Americans, we’re not really into darts.’ I was like, 'Well, I’ll tell you all a secret: Us Brits are not massively into darts either.“‘
More than eight years later, the results suggest doubters missed the mark. The "tech-enabled social darts" concept, with automated scoring, multiplayer games, and food and drinks in venues evoking upscale British pubs gets visitors to typically linger for three hours and make multiple visits, he said.
State of Play reported that its U.S. same-store sales rose 8.3% in fiscal 2026, while revenue increased 19% to $72 million, with roughly 80% generated by Flight Club. Existing investors are making a $10 million growth-capital investment to help fund the expansion of the darts chain.
Flight Club is preparing its first location in New York City at 31 Union Square West, a landmarked site built in 1902-03 as the Bank of the Metropolis. It will mark the brand's 12th U.S. venue since debuting in Chicago in 2018 and spreading to cities including Boston, Houston and Las Vegas. Harris spent more than eight years evaluating over 50 potential sites across New York.
He said the company is interested in expanding to Austin and San Antonio in Texas, Miami, Toronto, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Missouri, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and hopes eventually to run two to four Flight Clubs in New York. State of Play operates Flight Club in North America under license from London-based Red Engine.
Harris spoke with CoStar News about how Flight Club stands out in an increasingly crowded experiential-retail sector. The interview was edited for length.
Why do you think this concept has taken off?
The gameplay is very engaging. It’s very simple. There’s no barrier to entry. We have more women in Flight Club than we do men. We design our venues to be beautiful and female-friendly spaces, which is very different from people’s perception of darts being a male-dominated, dive bar type concept.
Is that tied to return-to-office trends?
Definitely. During COVID, we had all those months wondering what was going to happen afterward. When people came back, companies were going to need to get them together. That’s what happened. We’ve also seen the week broaden out. Friday has become busier. Previously, no one was coming into any office on a Friday. Now, a lot of the big companies have forced their teams in all week, and so teams might not be coming on a corporate event on a Friday night, but they’ll be meeting up with their friends after work.
State of Play also operates the AceBounce table tennis and Hijingo bingo game concepts. Why did Flight Club become the focus?
The moment Flight Club opened, we said, “Let’s back that horse,” because the financial dynamics of Flight Club were immediately and obviously stronger than Bounce. Part of that is just because of the sales density. You get more people in a smaller area than in Bounce.
You started in investment banking and corporate finance before moving into hospitality including Hilton and a restaurant group for most of the past 20-plus years. What prompted the switch?
In 2001, after 9/11, I worked on a buyout of Pret a Manger. I spent six to nine months working with the management team, and I’ve always had a passion for hospitality. I didn’t want to be an adviser. I wanted to be on the inside.