Tucked in an unassuming alleyway just steps from the rowdy King Street West club scene is a new social lounge where Torontonians come to party with a drink in one hand and a paddle in the other.
“No one is miserable when they’re playing ping pong,” says Ryan Fisher. He’s the founder of SPiN Toronto, a brand new 12,000-square-foot, $1.5-million underground venue that has 12 ping pong tables, a full bar and restaurant, hip tunes and a Friday-night crowd that seems thrilled to have something to do besides stand around and drink.
“I think this is the new way our generation is socializing,” says Fisher. “It’s healthy and it’s fun, but you still get to have that bar atmosphere.”
Fisher has always loved the sport. The 32-year-old Toronto hospitality professional grew up with a table in the basement, and says the game became a way to connect with his family. But he didn’t realize its business potential until one day, while surfing the net for spots to play in Toronto, he happened upon the website of SPiN New York. The Flatiron District ping pong lounge is backed by actress Susan Sarandon, and has been hugely popular since it opened its doors in September 2009.
“I couldn’t believe this place existed,” says Fisher. It wasn’t long before he was in the Big Apple, sitting down with Sarandon and her three business partners and inking a deal to open SPiN Toronto. Last week, the venue opened its doors to the public.
“It’s incredible the connection people can have over what some might say is a silly little game,” says Fisher as we stroll around the expansive space. Patrons can rent a table for $20 per hour before 5 p.m. or $28 an hour after that, and members pay half that. SPiN also features a five-table lounge that Fisher anticipates will be popular for private events – they’ve already hosted TIFF parties.
And he insists that the recent transition of ping pong from nerdy to hip is not a trend but simply an underground culture that is finally coming to light. In Berlin, for example, there are some 900 outdoor tables.
“People have always played ping pong in Toronto. They just haven’t had a place like this to play before, and now they do,” says Fisher.
