Multimedia Entertainment Systems Are Becoming a Point of Competitive Pride

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Bigger is better — at least when it comes to the world of entertainment systems in foodservice. As technology evolves, patrons are seeking an immersive entertainment experience, so bars and restaurants are obliging and putting big bucks into eye-popping television and sound systems.

The competitive spirit is palpable as venue owners work to outdo each other with all the displays and on-screen content they can muster for media-hungry patrons. As Lorne Bjorgan, president of Design Electronics, a Niagara Falls, Ont.-based audio-visual and IT design and installation company, puts it: “If you want to be the number-1 bar in town, and charge $8 a beer, you better give people a reason to be there.”

The audio-visual component is a huge part of the restaurant experience at Real Sports Bar & Grill sites in Toronto and Ottawa, says Rajani J. Kamath, director, Corporate Communica-tions for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. In fact, entertainment systems represent one of four of the company’s critical strategic pillars (the others being culinary experience, design and service). “That’s why a large portion of the budget goes into making sure we deliver the best quality [entertainment] experience for fans.” That entertainment includes North America’s largest restaurant large-screen display and a wealth of high-definition televisions in every viewing location imaginable.

But, before Real Sports grabbed the big-screen spotlight in Toronto, there was Wegz Stadium Bar in Vaughan, Ont. Opened in 2004, the entertainment system for this Woodbine Entertain-ment Group project was by far the largest in the Greater Toronto Area, says Chris Mills, GM. “The intent was to attract new people to the sport of horse racing by kitting out a 23,000-square-foot stadium bar with a 360° view of races and other sporting events. Today the site boasts 13 large flat-screen projectors and 120 flat-panel televisions, along with an integrated touch-screen control panel for authorized staff to manage the restaurant’s technology. “It doesn’t matter where you sit, you get a big-screen view,” Mills says.

The Wegz GM particularly likes the Crestron control panel used to manage audio and visual feeds. Mills describes the touch-screen-based system as “idiot-proof.” He explains: “A lot of things are pre-programmed so you can make selections without putting too much thought into it. You can show 12 to 13 games at any given time on multiple screens depending on what the guest wants.” The original bill was $500,000, Mills reports. “But I’ve heard of people spending well over double that for their systems.”

Design Electronics’ Bjorgan confirms it’s not unusual to see high-end audio-video installations ranging in price from $500,000 to $1 million. With a good setup, the options can extend well beyond what’s running on the big screen to create a more interactive experience, he notes.

At the flagship Boston Pizza project in downtown Toronto, for example, audio-visual controls are integrated with lighting to create mood changes relating to the time of day or event, explains Bjorgan, who did work on the project. “When [the] Toronto [Maple Leafs] score a goal, you can push a button to sound a horn and change the lights to blue. If it’s Montreal, it goes red.”

Keeping in step with technological advances is a constant battle. “When we opened, no one else in Toronto was doing anything remotely similar to a large-format sports bar,” says Wegz’s Mills. “But you have to stay progressive, because others have looked at what we’ve done and taken things to a different level.”

Given the pace of technology, Wegz reviews its entertainment equipment on an annual basis to determine maintenance needs and expansion plans. “We bring in key suppliers to answer questions about where we are and what we want to do. Everything has to be done with the future in mind.” For example, last year, Wegz underwent a $100,000 upgrade that involved swapping older displays for high-definition Panasonic screens.

It’s not just arena-style bars getting into the high-definition act. With more than 800 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, Buffalo Wild Wings’ (BWW) audio-visual inventory list is immense. The company has come a long way on the technology front since it opened its first shop with a single cathode-ray-tube (CRT) screen in 1982. Today, each site has 40+ Sharp high-definition televisions and big-screen projectors. “Five years ago we made a big push to high-definition,” says Joe Dungca, the chain’s audio-video specialist in Minneapolis. He estimates typical audio-visual budgets are approximately $150,000 to $175,000 per location, which averages 5,700 sq. ft. Its restaurants also feature kiosks with up to four pay-per-use touch-screen gaming consoles that can be brought to the table. “These have been pretty popular. They enhance the guest experience and [generate revenue].”

When the company moved to Canada two years ago, it discovered that, while a lot could be standardized, there were some regional aspects to consider in planning. “Canada presented some interesting challenges in terms of content we were able to provide and what sports the fans preferred,” he says. In the U.S., almost all cable and satellite services are provided by DirecTV, he explains. “In Canada you don’t have that option. We might need to use Rogers as a cable provider and Bell for satellite, for example.”

As things evolve, BWW is switching to larger televisions in lieu of projectors. “We’re working with Sharp to provide the displays. While projectors are cheaper to install when you want large screens, they tend to be high maintenance pieces of equipment,” Dungca says. “Bulbs traditionally last about 2,000 hours. Given the grease and smoke you find in a restaurant environment, and the fact they run 14 to 16 hours a day, that’s a lot of usage.” That said, the cost gap is narrowing as large-screen televisions become more affordable. “There was a time when using projection was a good way to get that larger screen size. But when you look at the costs to run them over five years, it makes sense to go with larger-format televisions,” he says.

While it pays to be practical, Desgin Electronics’ Bjorgan notes that equipment is one area to avoid cutting corners. “You probably have to spend 50 per cent or more for commercial-grade equipment. But consumer products are just not built to run more than a few hours a day so they become junk within a year. After three years, a high-quality display will still look good.”

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