The company, based in Dallas, reported a loss on Tuesday of $4.4 million, better than the $6.2 million loss in the same period last year.

Dave & Buster's total revenue increased more than 3 percent to $120.3 million from $116.6 million in the prior year as it benefited from more stores this year. The company said revenue from its stores open at least a year fell 0.9 percent. This is considered a key measure of financial performance as it strips away the impact of recently opened or closed stores.

The company's sites are geared toward adults, with food, alcohol, video games and billiards. Dave & Buster's said revenue from food and beverage sales dipped slightly during the quarter, but customers spent more on games as amusement revenue increased nearly 7 percent at all sites.

Dave & Buster's is privately held but filed paperwork in July saying that it intends to go public. It had been a public company until 2006 when it was bought by Wellspring Capital Partners and HBK Main Street Investors. Those new owners installed the current managers, then sold the company to another investment firm, Oak Hill Capital Partners.

As a private company, Dave & Buster's has cut costs and said it wants to open more locations. It now has 57 in the U.S. and Canada but says it believes it could grow as big as 150. In regulatory filings, it says it expects to raise $150 million by going public, which it would use to pay down debt. It hasn't said when it expects to go public.

The company has lost money in four of the past five years even though revenue has risen over the period.