So when something new actually launches that doesn't require a $25 cover, a two-drink minimum, and a bouncer who judges your shoes, we pay attention.

Arcade Karaoke is kicking off a new Thursday night party in SF, combining the two things millennials and Gen Z can apparently never resist: retro arcade games and the irresistible urge to belt out "Don't Stop Believin'" after two drinks. Oh, and about those drinks — $3 shots are on the menu, which in San Francisco practically qualifies as a charitable donation.

Look, we're not in the business of promoting bar nights. But we are in the business of cheering on anything that pumps life back into San Francisco's battered small-business and entertainment ecosystem. Every new weekly event is a bet that people still want to go out in this city, that the foot traffic will come, and that a neighborhood can still buzz on a Thursday.

The economics here matter too. Small venues running creative, affordable programming are doing more for urban revitalization than most city-funded "activation" grants that cost taxpayers millions and produce... a mural and a press release. A scrappy event with $3 shots and a karaoke mic is free enterprise doing what it does best — giving people what they actually want at a price they'll actually pay.

Will it last? That depends on turnout and whether SF's permit bureaucracy doesn't find some way to ruin the fun. But for now, if you've been complaining that there's nothing to do in this city anymore, Thursday nights just got one fewer excuse.

Grab a mic. Grab a shot. Support a local spot.