Dave & Buster's ($PLAY) has had a bad year - but it could bounce back. Its stock lost 13% since March and 27% since this time last year, but looking into the numbers more and we find that they had a great start to 2019, and are looking to be strong going forward. Alternative data, combined with the plans to open more locations across the country, lead us to think D&B might be bringing arcades back to their former glory.

If you search for Dave & Buster's news, you'll see nothing but local stories about new locations opening up in Canton, Augusta, Witchita, Concord, and Green Bay. We've also noticed more employees being added and more job listings to go along with the increase in number of total stores.

The other great trend we see is mentions across social media going up. Twitter followers, Talking About metrics on Facebook, Were Here counts, and Likes are all going, up, up, up.

It might not be the late '80s or early '90s, but there has been a small boom in bar arcades and Dave & Buster's. Nostalgia and adults who need alcohol to pair with a good time are on the rise, and so are the fortunes of DnB. Dave & Buster's will report its earnings Tuesday. Experts say the forecast for the quarter is $0.86. You can either wait to see what it will be, or come to your own conclusions.

About the Data: 

Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

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