Largest Entertainment Center in US Set to Open Near Dayton This Spring!
A $5 million indoor entertainment center under construction north of Dayton and expected to open this spring is being described as the largest in the nation.
Scene75 Entertainment Center, one exit south of the Interstate 70/75 interchange, will feature 124,000 square feet of indoor attractions, coupled with seasonal outdoor offerings.
The attractions include a full service-restaurant; two indoor bars with 70-inch HD TVs and live sports tickers; an outdoor patio with food and beverage service; an indoor electric go-kart track; a multi-level laser tag arena; an indoor bouncing inflatable arena; a redemption and video arcade; an interactive gaming theater with giant screens; two 4D theaters; four mini-bowling lanes; a 10-car bumper car system; three outdoor sand volleyball courts (with plans to expand to nine courts); two outdoor bocce courts; live fantasy sports leagues; a concession stand; eight private party rooms; and a banquet hall.
Jim “Radar” Martin, who has been the general manager at Tank’s Bar & Grill in Dayton for 25 years, will serve as the venue’s food and beverage manager and will operate the restaurant, Radar’s Bar & Grill. It will serve pretzels, nachos, burgers, pizzas and other American grill fare.
Set to open in late spring, possibly mid- to late April, Scene75 will be at 6196 Poe Ave., in a former furniture warehouse across the highway from the restaurants and motels on Miller Lane, according to Jonah Sandler. The Cincinnati native and Sycamore High School graduate, now a Dayton resident, co-owns the venue with a group of investors.
“We felt that there is a significant void in the market for something of this nature,” he said. “We felt that this was a very good opportunity with significant potential that hasn’t been accomplished within this area or even in the industry.”
Sandler, who opened Putters Par-adise at Englewood Fun Center, a miniature golf course that he designed, and the Chaos Room in Centerville, an interactive gaming theater that will have its second outpost at Scene75, said he traveled the country touring existing entertainment facilities and believes Scene75 will be the largest in the country. Industry data seem to support that claim. David Mandt, spokesperson for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), an international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities, said Scene75 would quality as what the industry calls a “family entertainment center” (FEC), which refers to any center with a variety or collection of attractions. Mandt said there are approximately 1,500 FECs in the U.S.; based on the IAAPA’s State of the Industry Survey for Family Entertainment Centers, facility sizes range from 5,000 square feet to 20 acres (factoring in both indoor and outdoor facilities), but the average size for an indoor FEC is 23,911 square feet, Mandt said.
“This is certainly a very, very large center by industry standards,” he said of Scene75’s proposed 124,000 square feet of indoor attractions.
Ben Jones, IAAPA’s FEC specialist, agreed, noting that many centers are larger than 124,000 square feet when both indoor and outdoor attractions are included; however, he said he doesn’t know of any centers with indoor offerings in that size range. By comparison, Dave & Buster’s centers tend to be in the 50,000-60,000-square-foot range, he said.
Sandler said Scene75 will cater to all ages, but it was designed with adults in mind. Patrons won’t pay an admission fee but instead will load a card with currency, which will be deducted as they use the attractions.
“We have tried to appeal to the adult audience with the belief that if we can get the adults, the kids will come,” he said. “With the amount of attractions we’re offering, we’ll be able to appeal to all audiences … whether someone is looking for a date night idea, a birthday party for kids or a corporate event.”
“We anticipate being able to attract people from 75 miles away,” he added. “With 11 or so motels across the street and 30 or so restaurants, there’s a lot of traffic in the area.”
For updates, visit the venue’s Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/Scene75.
On the marketing side, Roger Camp, owner of Z-Bowl Family Entertainment Center in Mebane, North Carolina, found the cards to be a huge plus when the facility opened in May. Camp went out to area college campuses armed with $5 pre-charged cards, which could be used for bowling, pool, food, or the arcade.