Are You Providing A Superior Dining Experience?

Providing a better dining experience than you have been, is not that hard. Yet, many family entertainment businesses don’t realize this, and so they fall short.?

Your food and beverage program can lead to many more sales than you think. Food and beverage sales, when created and promoted correctly, can surpass the revenue from your entertainment offerings. Why not take advantage of this money-making opportunity?

Hosting Events: Encouraging Groups & Parties?

One of the best ways to make money is to host events. Not only are you making money off of renting the space but also providing the food. This winning combination has the potential to make your business revenue skyrocket! If you're not tapping into this extra perk, you’re missing out.

Make sure that you have options that cater to any type of group sale or event!? Design custom packages that will be exciting and well worth the money to your guest!

Parties: Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, engagements, bridal/baby showers, bachelor / bachelorette, gender reveal, homecoming/prom??

Group Sales: Family reunions, class/field trips, graduations, celebrations of local high school sports game wins or championships??

Business Meetings: team building, corporate events,? seminars, training events

Make The Event MORE Special!

There are a lot of unique steps you could take to make these events even more special!?

Don't just offer what is on your standard everyday menu. Get creative and offer something extraordinary. A steak or prime rib dinner, shrimp or chicken specialties, an extravagant salad bar, or even an elegant buffet. But, offer your guests choices. Find out what you are prepared to serve for an event, and provide them with something “special” for their occasion. (This could be pictures that you take of the event, printed in the administrative office, then placed in personalized frames that have your business name or logo on - presented of course, toward the end of the celebration in front of everyone. Or perhaps, a special champagne toast to the couple that just got engaged or the couple that has been married for 50 years.)

Don't be afraid to go the extra mile! It's never a good idea to allow outside food and drink into your family entertainment business. That is money out of your pocket! So, if someone books a birthday party at your park or FEC, contact a local bakery to make a custom cake for them. Include the price of the cake and a presentation fee in your event package for making a grand entrance and surprising the partygoers.?

By doing a little more to enhance the special event, you can earn much higher check averages and more profits! The last thing you want to do is to be like every other restaurant and business in your area. You have to make your company stand out. This will not only increase sales immediately at the time of purchasing the event package, but it will generate a positive attachment to your brand as well.

Have you read an article I’ve published here on LinkedIn and want to talk about the topic a little more? If you’d like to book a call with me regarding the Family Entertainment Industry or Private Equity, please feel free. I enjoy connecting & collaborating with others in the same professional space.

Tim Murphy is CEO of APX Operating Company, dba Boomers Parks, under the ownership of Cerberus private equity ($60B assets). Boomers Parks owns six family entertainment centers and two water parks with locations in California, Florida, and New Jersey.

As CEO of Boomers Parks since 2020, Tim took these eight parks from bankruptcy to profitability in just a year – in the middle of a global pandemic. When Boomers acquired these parks, they were operating at a $10 million loss. Tim transformed the customer experience and added new revenue streams to generate a 180% increase in revenue in 2021 and on a similar trajectory in 2022.

Tim launched his 35+ year career at Walt Disney World and has since served more than 150 entertainment, restaurant, and food & beverage brands across more than 10,000 locations in C-suite and senior positions.

Additionally, Tim is a Board Director with Coney Park & Happy City - Family Entertainment & Amusement Parks, part of The Carlyle Group ($276B assets), a private equity firm that operates 150+ family entertainment centers and amusement parks in Latin America.?

Tim has worked with top-tier entertainment and restaurant brands including Disney, Rebounderz Trampoline Parks, Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, etc.), Red Lobster, Jimmy John’s, Applebee’s, Sonny’s Bar-B-Q, Denny’s, El Pollo Loco, Hardee’s, Golden Corral, and Firehouse Subs.

Tim has overseen more than 35 purchase transactions involving over 1,200 restaurants, stores, and park locations.? With extensive experience in buying and selling businesses, handling negotiations with buyers and sellers, and creating strategic partnerships to build strong brands, Tim has facilitated deals ranging from $11 million to $350 million+.

Tim is a member of International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA), California Attractions and Parks Association (CAPA), Florida Attractions Association (FAA), American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA), National Restaurant Association (NRA), California Restaurant Association (CRA), World Waterpark Association (WWA) and International Franchising Association (IFA). He is a licensed commercial real estate broker in the State of Florida. Tim earned a BS/BA in Accounting from the University of Central Florida and an MBA in Finance from Orlando College.