*** Facility Review - Dave & Busters, Birmingham, England
by John Latta
Recently Dave & Busters opened their fist overseas facility in England.
This facility is a direct plant of the same concept that has become
popular in the US. It is operated in England by Bass Leisure
Entertainment Limited. They expect to open 7 facilities in England by
2000.
This first site is located in the upscale city of Solihull about 1.5
hours from London. Just across the parking lot is a UA Cinema 14 screen
multiplex but other than the theater the installation is in the middle of
a residential area.
There are only a few differences between this and a typical Dave &
Busters in the US. One difference comes from England's liquor laws. In
spite of the fact that Dave & Busters is open until 12:30am from Monday
to Saturday the bar closes at 11pm. Like other Dave & Busters
installations it is closed to children at 10pm. Included in the complex
is: a viewpoint bar, a casino simulation, shuffleboard, billiards, a
special events theater called the showroom, a dinning area, a golf
simulator and the midway with coin-op games. We were there on a Saturday
evening and the age groups varied from children to individuals under 50.
The facility was fairly busy and we gauged that most were coming for the
first time. Security was evident and the dress code was being strictly
enforced.
According to the Managing Director, Neilson McDermott, one of the most
popular attractions is the golf simulator. He also stated that this first
facility was located in Solihull because of the wealth in the area and
its high traffic. As he described it;" these neighborhoods have two cars
in them" (two-car households).
One of the hallmarks of Dave & Busters is the training and a team from
the US took 2 - 4 weeks to train the employees on the Dave & Busters way
of operations. A key objective of Dave & Busters was to plant a US
facility in England and by every indication this has been accomplished.
We did a small sample and found a view expressed that Dave & Busters is
considered "different." It is also seen as an upscale market arcade and a
good night out.
Points to Ponder - It is getting more expensive all the time
We came away from Dave & Busters impressed with the execution of the
facility and its consistency with US operations - both hallmarks of Dave
& Busters. At the same time we wonder can this upscale concept be
supported at 7 locations in the relatively small country of England? In
the surrounding area there are 2.5 million people near Birmingham. In the
US the population levels which fit existing Dave & Busters facilities
appear to be higher: Atlanta (3.3m), Chicago (7.7m for 2 facilities),
Washington, DC (4.75m) and Dallas (2.89 for 2 facilities). It will be
interesting to watch if the attendance rate declines in the next 1+ years
as the Birmingham area becomes well acquainted with the facility. If this
should happen the draw from 50+ miles will have to help sustain the
facility. In the past England has not had a strong cultural tradition of
going out to eat but this is also changing.
Dave & Busters has another unique distinction - being the most expensive
for its coin-op play. The WAVE Report has been tracking play costs in a
number of facilities and at $47/hour for simulated golf Dave and Busters
sets the record. In virtually all other games we logged they are the most
expensive. Here is a sample: Namco Propcycle - $2; Virtuality - $6.90;
Sega Rally - $2.25; and Sega Daytona - $2.65. Dave & Buster combines a
class image with an excellent facility but we wonder if these prices to
play can continue to go up. If the public perception is that this is an
upscale market arcade we forecast that the public will tire of the venue
as they realize the high cost of having fun out-of-home.
Dave & Buster's
Otium Park
Highlands Road
Solihull, West Midlands
United Kingdom
Wave Issue 9714 6/19/97 Article 6-01