1. FIRST things FIRST, what inspired you to open Breakout Chester? 

The way Breakout Chester came to being is a strange story that begins with music! We DJ'd over in Ibiza for Ed, the owner of Manchester, Liverpool and formerly Cardiff, and he told us about his escape rooms. On returning home we went to Manchester to visit the rooms and were instantly hooked. We'd often spoke about our different business ventures with Ed, and he asked if we'd be interested in opening a Breakout in Chester. Having had so much fun playing them we couldn't say no and the rest is history.

2. What are your future plans for Breakout Chester?

Next on the agenda is the opening of our 9th room Forgotten Tomb. This one has been a work in progress for a while now and is almost ready to launch. The disruption and closure of the centre due to covid-19 has had an effect on the planned launch date, but it's almost finished and we can't wait for you to play! Once this room launches, we will have hit the maximum capacity for this building so in terms of what lies ahead, we'll have to wait and see!  

3. Do you think escape rooms have a shelf life?

Part of me would like to think that they don't but I guess nearly everything has a shelf life. I think the most important thing for us is to make sure we keep innovating and coming up with new interesting ideas. I think what makes escape rooms such a popular activity is that it brings people together, and creates a unique, exciting experience that is completely different to every day life. So I think as long as we keep innovating, I can't see any reason why escape rooms won't be around for a very long time. 

4. What is your favourite room and why?

: Dave: Even though it's not open to the public yet, our new room Forgotten Tomb is already my favourite. We've spent so much time and effort designing the room and designing and developing the puzzles, I think that once we're open this will be our best room. Mike: Dark Magic. This is by far one of my favourite rooms we have a Chester, not only because we designed. it in house, but the way the puzzles work is as close to magic as you can get. I won't say anymore in case it spoils it for others but it's a really fun room that we all love.

5. A random question, what's your favourite website:

www. cat-bounce.com/

6. How important do you think social media has been for Breakout?

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and been of vital importance to the development of Breakout. Those platforms have allowed us to connect and communicate with our audience over the past 3 years and we’ve worked hard to build up our presence on these sites, whether that be from sharing informative posts about Breakout, creating teaser videos for the rooms or sharing all of your team photos on our Facebook page.

7. What effect do you think Covid - 19 will have on your business? 

.com/ Firstly our thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by the virus. This is a really tough time for everyone and I don't think there will be a single person who isn't affected in some way by the virus. That being said, we'll all bounce back and will be stronger and more resilient than before the virus hit. In terms of Breakout, it's had a huge impact with us having to close the centre. I think now, we just need to look forward and plan for when we re-open. With everyone having been stuck at home for weeks, I think we'll see an influx of people wanting to get out and do things so I think we'll be back up and running fairly quickly once we reopen. Before the lockdown and our government closure, we had already put some social distancing measures in place to ensure the safety of the public as well as our staff and we will look to keep many of these practices in place even after we reopen.

8. Finally, you were educated through the Welsh language. Can you say something in welsh please?

Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon - A nation without a language is a nation without a heart.