Dave & Buster’s restaurant franchise co-founder James “Buster” Corley has passed away. He was 72. WFAA reported that Corley was discovered deceased on Monday at his Dallas home. According to police, he apparently shot himself in the head before dying.
According to Corley’s daughter Kate, “Buster Corley had a stroke four months ago that severely damaged the communication and personality section of his brain.” The family requests discretion at this time.
In 1982, Corley and David Corriveau opened Dave & Buster’s in Dallas. In Little Rock, Arkansas, the two men were running independent companies next to one another: Buster managed a restaurant and Dave ran an arcade.
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The two men had an idea: What if they joined forces? They had seen quite a few clients moving back and forth between the businesses. In a coin toss, Corriveau chose to place his name first.
Since Corley and Corriveau first introduced their concept in Dallas, it has grown to 151 locations around the United States and two in Canada.
From 1982 until 1989, the pair co-led the company until they sold it to retail juggernaut Edison Brothers. However, they continued to serve on the board in order to oversee their creation. One of the biggest “eatertainment” businesses in the US is still Dave & Buster’s.
Age 63, Corriveau passed away in 2015.
The organization told TMZ that Buster’s “passion for hospitality, demand for quality, and the deep concern he had for his team members were unrivaled.” “While we will miss his sage advice and his easy chuckle, the legacy he and Dave built survives,” the statement continued, “our hearts go out to his family during this trying time.”
