Black Donkey Cafe does big business thanks to Pokemon Go

It’s been exactly one week since Pokemon Go was unleashed in Canada.

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying the game is having an impact.

“It’s absolutely preposterous,” says Chris Blackier, owner of the Black Donkey Cafe. “I never even conceived of something that could have been so large in such a short amount of time and so loved and respected. And from every age group – there’s 4 year olds, there’s 40 year olds – it doesn’t really matter.”

Blackier has embraced the game. His cafe sits at the intersection of 3rd Ave and George St – home to four PokeStops. Blackier offers free drinks to players that drop a lure during their stay and advertises USB charging outlets and free WiFi on posters outside the cafe.

He says he’s done triple his usual business this week.

“There’s been 1000 new people through the cafe that have never even been here before. They’ve never seen it, they’ve been by and they’ve thought, ‘Oh, what is it?’ and now they’ve come in and they’re blown away.”

Blackier believes other businesses located near PokeStops and other Pokemon Go features are also benefitting. While the initial craze is likely to recede, Blackier thinks the game holds a lot of potential for local businesses.

“To see where this goes next…it’s honestly perplexing to conceive of the potential this has. It’s huge, especially once you get more into the availability of purchasing a PokeStop for an extended period of time to be able to draw business to your location.”

Things have been so busy at the Black Donkey lately, Blackier says it’s been hard to keep enough food at the cafe to satisfy all the new customers. He says the extra business has allowed him to accelerate and finalize some expansion plans.

“This game has been a catalyst to me, allowing me the availability, the opportunity and the finances to now push further into my couple of other things that will help revitalize the core of downtown Prince George.”

Blackier says he’s readying to open a second venture, beside The Generator. It will serve a mix of authentic Mexican food and the popular late night option, donair. He says the new spot will do lunch and dinner service, with a delivery option.

And he’s not stopping there. Blackier says he’s working out the details to launch a sort of pop-up bubble tea lounge.

“It’ll be very chill, 19 plus – you can come in and charge your phone, get some bubble tea and relax.”

He’s hoping to capitalize on the Pokemon Go craze there too. Blackier says he’s exploring the possibility of installing a mini-train that customers will be able to buy time on. They’ll be able to place their phones on the train and log some extra mileage to help hatch their Pokemon eggs.