Lucky Duck Claw House opens

A “clawcade” has taken over 1100 Lake St. in Oak Park. This new concept comes from the mind that brought us Poke Burrito and a previous concept called Sweet Dim Sum in the same space that is now Lucky Duck Claw House.  

Walk in the door and you are greeted with bright colors, flashing lights when prizes are won, and a menu that includes a variety of appetizers, rice bowls, onigiri rice balls, mochi donuts, smoothies, teas and an array of candies.  

Owner Jimmy Chen decided to join the taste of Japanese street foods, similar to the menu at Sweet Dim Sum, with an arcade experience.  

“The idea is built around the feeling of winning,” Chen said. “Instead of being just a restaurant or just an arcade, we focus on creating memories and interaction between friends, couples and families. At the same time that people can enjoy the food, they can also have fun with the claw machines.” 

Once you win the plush toy prizes, you can either keep them or trade them for food. A plushie conversion chart is provided on the menu board.  

Chen, who created and owns Umi Sushi by Weight in downtown Chicago and 10 Poke Burrito locations, is a serial entrepreneur. He saw an opportunity in the marketplace.  

“People in Oak Park, kids and family, they need a fun spot,” he said. “It took us a little while to put everything together selecting machines, gifts and all other things. Because this is something new that we never done before we’re gonna face some glitch.” 

One week after their official ribbon cutting, I took three children from my neighborhood to try their luck. Tokens to play the claw games (like what you expect to play at a state fair midway) are $1 apiece. With three kids in tow, I bought $40 worth of tokens.  

For many of those tries the players successfully got the claw to pick up a plush toy and move it towards the prize-winning chute, but none made it all the way there. Plushies fell over and over. One of our younger gamers was audibly, justifiably frustrated.  

We bought another $20 in tokens and the same thing happened. No one won anything.  

At this point an employee came over with a pocket full of tokens. With some guidance, Devyn W. played one machine seven times as the claw picked up a small plush raccoon holding a rose, but it never made it to the chute. The employee then opened the glass case and positioned the plushie just so. She said that the weight would be more evenly distributed in an upright position. She was right and the next time, bam, the plushie made it to the chute and into Devyn’s waiting hands.  

“I think it’s a very cute place and the workers are super nice here,” Devyn W. said. This was her second trip and the second time a worker had to help her before she won anything. “The stuffed animals are really cute. It’s frustrating when you don’t win. But when you do win, it’s a really good feeling.” 

The employee helped the other two girls win prizes as well. We were thankful for the help. But to understand whether this was typical game play, I reached out to the owner.  

 “I’m glad to hear that all three children ultimately won plushies and that our team member took the time to assist them,” Chen said. “While claw machines are intended to be challenging and some prizes naturally require multiple attempts depending on positioning, we never want guests to feel discouraged or believe they do not have a fair opportunity to win.” 

He also said that with a new venture, they are still ironing out all the bugs and procedures. My feedback prompted him to review the state of play. 

“I immediately reached out to our claw machine manufacturer and technical support team to perform a diagnostic review of the machines,” he said. “We want to ensure that every machine is operating properly and delivering the experience we expect for our guests. As a new business, we are continuously evaluating and improving our operations. Our staff regularly monitor the arcade floor and often provide tips, assistance, or prize adjustments when younger guests are struggling. We believe great customer service is an important part of the experience, and we want every family to leave with positive memories.” 

Of the whole experience, Lola C. said, “It was fun. It was challenging and challenging can be fun.” 

Once the restaurant/clawcade concept is ironed out, Chen has bigger plans.  

“If things goes well, then we’re going to launch multiple locations,” he said. “We are excited to start another journey from Oak Park then Chicagoland.”