Let's Heal the Break Together

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” Ernest Hemingway so eloquently shared these words with us in A Farewell to Arms. Little did I know that I would identify with his message professionally not once in the past year but twice. 

The first, May 2019 when 17 tornadoes ripped through Dayton, Ohio – taking with it Scene75 Dayton, our first of now five locations. The storm tore through our building, ultimately mangling columns, striking down walls, tearing off the roof, and flooding the premises. Even to this day, we do not know where several air conditioning units disappeared to as they were neither on our roof nor were remnants in our parking lot; I can only surmise that we traded them for the Ruby Tuesday sign from across the highway that we found in our parking lot. 

When I visited Scene75 Dayton the morning after the storm, I recall feeling like this has to be almost as bad as it can get for a business owner – wading through the multiple feet of water as teary-eyed team members looked on in disbelief that their second home no longer stood strong. But little did I know that this first attempt at breaking us was merely batting practice for the next. While that property, nearly a year and a half after the damage, has yet to reopen (opening slated for November 2020 – bigger and better, mind you), we are currently facing our second attempt at breaking us – this time an attempt at breaking an entire industry. 

Covid-19 has made the very essence of what we, and frankly many others, do most challenging. It has been heartbreaking to watch other owners within this industry close permanently, including several that I visited leading to my entry into this industry and others that for years have inspired me to continue to make our brand better; many are my friends, my mentors, my peers who also have been fortunate to love what they do each day. While I envision growth beyond historic levels for most may not return until 2021, I feel extremely fortunate to be open for business at three of our five locations and to see many guests, groups and families continue to enjoy what our brand provides – a FUN escape from the day to day within a clean and caring environment. 

In earnest, I have been positively surprised by the resiliency of our brand, our team, and our guests, many of whom continue to visit us like the four month shutdown was merely a pause in the action. And for that, I am most grateful. Nevertheless, challenges very much remain for us and for others. Perhaps one of the biggest ones staring our recovering industry in the face is what will the holiday season look like in 2020? Will companies still celebrate their team’s achievements? Will families still plan the reunions that bring them so much joy? Time will certainly tell and for all businesses that so heavily embrace, and in many ways rely on, the holidays, my hope is that we are able to find ways to begin to heal, if not able to fully repair, the break Hemingway references.

At Scene75, we developed a number of options that we hope will allow our guests and companies to continue to support us in the way THEY feel most comfortable. Some are more traditional, some are more unique. But all are amazing ways to provide a return to fun this holiday season with Scene75. I hope you will allow us to participate in your holiday planning this year much like you have allowed us to do in the past. 

1) Gift cards – allow your friends, family, team, group, and/or employees to enjoy fun on their terms and on their own timeline; these cards do not expire so if they remain hesitant to get out now, the fun awaits for when they are ready!

2) Holiday events – with private party rooms and banquet spaces at every venue, we can set up a socially distanced room for you on your date of choice to enjoy time with guests.

3) Team building events – with so many working remotely the past 5 months, Scene75 team building programs are a great way to bring people together on a date of your choosing.

4) Facility buyouts – why settle for only a private party room or banquet space when you can have the ENTIRE venue dedicated to your company on a date of your choosing?

5) Packages – allow your friends, family, team, group, and/or employees to enjoy fun on their terms and on their own timeline; these packages do not expire nor require a specified date, so if your guests remain hesitant to get out now, the fun awaits for when they are indeed ready.

6) Gold card incentives – reward your team or have someone think of you all year long with a unique gift granting up to $2,700 in free play for only $29; every time they visit Scene75 they will have a special gift waiting from you!

7) Custom - let us help you provide what it is that YOU want to achieve; we are here to serve!

Not knowing what tomorrow brings for any of us, I truly hope that we never allow fun in its many forms to escape us. It remains a critical component to one’s happiness.

I hope Scene75 can serve you this holiday season. Let’s heal the break together.

My best to all friends, families, guests, colleagues, competitors, and entertainment industry operators near and far.

Your Scene75 founder and friend,

Jonah