Chris Hampton opened Vaudeville Cafe in late 1999. He and his wife, Jennifer, were looking for a place they could take the family and be entertained.Chris and Jennifer Hampton were driving around town about 13 years ago when they realized their options for evening entertainment for the family meant dinner and a movie.
Chris Hampton grew up in a family that liked to entertain itself, and he studied theater at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. He and Jennifer began talking about opening a family-friendly theater venue.
When Vaudeville Cafe opened in late 1999, it featured singing waiters on Friday and Saturday nights and a murder mystery with a wedding theme on Sundays.
The Sunday show drew huge crowds. So after making it through a tough first 18 months, the Hamptons decided to dedicate more time and energy to murder mysteries. They added shows like “Mystery of Flight 138,” “Mystery at the TV Talk Show” and “Mystery at the Nightmare Office Party.”
It was a good decision, as the dinner-theater has drawn steady crowds ever since.