A family entertainment center ( FEC ) in the entertainment industry, also known as an indoor amusement park , family amusement center , family fun center , soft play , or simply fun center , is a small amusement park marketed towards families with small children to teenagers, often entirely indoors. They usually cater to "sub-regional markets of larger metropolitan areas." FECs are generally small compared to full-scale amusement parks, with fewer attractions, a lower per-person per-hour cost to consumers than a traditional amusement park, and not usually major tourist attractions, but sustained by an area customer base. Many are locally owned and operated, although there are a number of chains and franchises in the field. Some, operated by non-profit organizations as children's museums or science museums , tend to be geared toward edutainment experiences rather than simply amusement.
34-990: The Toyota Music Factory (originally known as Irving Music Factory ) is an entertainment complex located in the Las Colinas neighborhood of Irving , Texas . Developed by the ARK Group and the City of Irving, with architecture design by the Gensler firm, for roughly $ US 175 million, the live music venue holds more than 8,000 spectators. The development is slated to include 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 100,000 square feet concert hall and amphitheater with 8,000 capacity, an outdoor event plaza and 100,000 square feet of office space. In 2007, voters in Irving agreed to finance an entertainment center near Texas State Highway 114 . In 2014, The ARK Group announced that
68-407: A "prison hospital" or "medical prison" (mental institution) theme, where guests were handcuffed and led to "cells" to eat. Various "shows" were put on by costumed staff to scare guests. It closed on May 31, 2018. Perhaps the most infamous modern theme restaurant is Cross Cafe , originally named Hitler's Cross, outside Mumbai , India . Opened in 2006, it included a swastika on its sign, which it
102-438: A consistently developed and promoted theme that appeals to the target market segments, "the fun factor in the overall decor". Parental concerns are also important. While children themselves rarely think of it, a major factor in the attractiveness of an FEC to parents is on-site safety and security, as adults may drop off older children at such an establishment to entertain themselves. An increasingly important factor for success
136-628: A converged outgrowth of theme restaurants that increasingly developed their in-house amusement features, small-scale amusement parks needing more offerings than just a few rides and midway games, and diversifying formerly one-attraction venues ( water parks , skate parks , billiard halls , bowling alleys , and so on). All three categories have moved over several decades continually toward stock, popular entertainment solutions supplied by third-party vendors. Chuck E. Cheese , opened in 1977 as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California ,
170-419: A large suburban area outside such a city. Their busiest times are weekend afternoons and Thursday through Saturday evenings. Because most of the attractions are essentially the same from FEC to FEC, two of the most important factors in a particular center distinguishing itself to potential customers are a highly visible location (hard to obtain because other uses for the land are often more competitive ), and
204-700: A location outside Walt Disney World in Florida in 1983. Now their "castles" are found across the United States and Canada. The original Hard Rock Cafe was founded in 1971 in London. In 1979, following the donation of guitars by Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend , the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia. Today, this pioneering theme restaurant chain has some 185 locations in 74 countries. Following Hard Rock Cafe's successful theme of exhibiting music memorabilia, Planet Hollywood extended
238-637: A new entertainment district near the Irving Convention Center was planned for Irving, Texas. The venue was originally scheduled to open as the "Irving Music Factory" on September 1, 2017, with a live performance by comedian Dave Chappelle . However, construction delays caused the September 1 opening to be cancelled. On September 8, The ARK Group announced that venue was being renamed the Toyota Music Factory and would open
272-502: A portfolio of mixed-use developments including Legacy West and The Star in Frisco. An open-air pavilion allowing three different flexible person capacities for events. The intimate theater allows for 2,500 person capacity, the indoor theater allows for a 4,000 person capacity and an 8,000 person capacity for the amphitheater. The Pavilion additionally includes Premium seats and VIP Club and access to 20 different restaurants and bars around
306-487: A relatively short period of time, in part by selling merchandise. Irish pubs and other similar ethnic restaurants that originated in a particular country but are now found around the world are considered theme restaurants by some, as they use theming to re-create an "authentic" experience. Modern restaurants date back to eighteenth century France. By the early nineteenth century, they had been introduced in America. In
340-600: Is a combination of companies whose focus is on mixed-use developments and entertainment zones. Previous projects include the original Music Factory in Charlotte, North Carolina and Level Entertainment Venue in Miami, Florida. Gensler is a global design firm with 44 offices and over 5,000 architects, interior architects, planners and designers. Previous projects include sports/entertainment district L.A. Live and MGM CityCenter. Gensler Dallas, who designed Irving's Music Factory, has
374-451: Is a type of restaurant that uses theming to attract diners by creating a memorable experience. Theme restaurants have a unifying or dominant subject or concept, and utilize architecture , decor, special effects, and other techniques, often to create exotic environments that are not normally associated with dining because they are inaccessible, no longer exist, are fictional or supernatural, or taboo. The theme may be further extended through
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#1732772186921408-558: Is high-quality food and drink to attract parental spending as well as whole-family dining. Various major media and entertainment brands, including Disney , Lego , NASCAR , Sega , Sony , United Artists/Regal and Viacom , have been attached to family entertainment centers, often much less "traditional" than local and chain FECs, with custom-built, unique attractions, usually heavily branded, and most often located in major metropolitan areas. The first such urban entertainment center (UEC)
442-493: Is scheduled to reopen on August 23, 2024. An Open-aired plaza that is surrounded by restaurants and bars and additional performance area for music. This area is available to rent to customers. An indoor hatchet throwing venue with 11 throwing pits. Additionally amenities are beer pong, cornhole, jukebox, and lounge areas with TV's. Toyota Music Factory is the first venue in the United States to include hatchet throwing indoors. Entertainment complex FECs are essentially
476-707: The U.S. is the National Association of Family Entertainment Centers (NAFEC) , which is a division of the International Laser Tag Association (ILTA). Some U.S.-based companies also have venues in Canada (noted above), but this is rare due to the legal/political difficulties involved in cross-border corporations. North American FECs vary wildly in themes, size and features. Some of the larger businesses in this category have included: Theme restaurant A theme restaurant
510-512: The United States such as Applebee's and Bennigan's , despite having distinct and consistent styles, are not usually considered theme restaurants, since they attract patrons primarily with the food they serve. While food is usually less important than experience, some theme restaurants use food to reinforce their themes. For example, restaurants themed to 1950s America frequently have jukeboxes from that era, but some also limit their menus to hamburgers and french fries, as would have been common at
544-545: The concept to movies in the 1990s, while adding celebrity endorsements and appearances at the restaurants. Steven Schussler came up with the idea for Rainforest Cafe , and actually turned his house into a model jungle to attract investors, before opening the first location in the Mall of America in 1994. Dozens of locations around the world quickly followed, and many new theme restaurant chains opened in hopes of copying Rainforest Cafe's success. The first 1950's themed restaurant
578-604: The costs involved, and instead install off-the-shelf systems provided and maintained by industry equipment vendors. Any given FEC may lean more towards outdoor activities, arcade gaming, or passive entertainment and dining. Each may cater to different age ranges, all the time, or during certain hours, e.g., children and entire families in the daytime, and teens to young adults in the evening, with specific promotional programs to attract different market segments at different times. FECs tend to serve "sub-regional markets", such as small cities, quadrants or boroughs of larger cities, and
612-647: The desire by the average American to travel the Pacific. Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt opened Don the Beachcomber , generally recognized as the first tiki bar , in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Along with a neighbor, he collected old fishing nets, driftwood, and other ephemera from local beaches, and added bamboo and masks to theme his restaurant and evoke the South Pacific and Polynesian culture . Around
646-608: The first Chuck E. Cheese's , opened in San Jose, California in 1977. The restaurant featured animatronic animals that Bushnell claims were inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. The North American theme restaurant chain Medieval Times was actually started on the small island of Mallorca, Spain in the 1970s. Jose Montaner put on his dinner show for years before attracting enough investors to open
680-618: The following day with a ZZ Top concert as its inaugural event. The venue formally opened on September 9. In January 2024, Irving's city council approved a $ 6.3 million renovation and redevelopment of the venue. Since its opening, artists who have performed at Toyota Music Factory include Nine Inch Nails , Rosalía , Olivia Rodrigo , Tame Impala , Bob Dylan , Suicideboys , ZZ Top , Sting , Harry Styles , Charlie Puth , Robert Plant , J Balvin , Slayer , "Weird Al" Yankovic , and others. Local and regional artists such as Kacey Musgraves and The Chicks have also played homecoming shows at
714-509: The food they served. This theming was largely a response to the growing usage of the automobile, as the buildings themselves became advertisements aimed at passing motorists. Beginning in the 1920s, a number of novelty architecture buildings were constructed in and around Hollywood, including the famous Brown Derby restaurants and Bulldog Cafe. Restaurants such as Clifton's Cafeteria also started playing with grand decorations based on non-traditional "kitschy" themes, and movies helped fuel
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#1732772186921748-593: The late 1800s, restaurants began using theming to differentiate themselves from increasing competition. In the 1890s, at least three different elaborately themed nightclubs were operating in Paris, using themes of death , hell , and heaven . Similar restaurants soon opened in New York City. In the early twentieth century, so-called “programmatic” or “mimetic” style structures became popular for restaurants, including buildings shaped like vehicles, animals, and even
782-697: The many parks built across the United States and around the world following Disneyland's success. As theming became more popular, the word was applied to other types of attractions, including "theme restaurant" and "themed hotels." David Tallichet took inspiration from Disneyland when he opened his first theme restaurant The Reef in Long Beach, California. His company went on to open dozens of restaurants, with themes ranging from New England fishing villages and French farmhouses to aviation and World War II . Another fan of Disneyland, Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell , integrated food, entertainment, and an arcade into
816-609: The naming and choices of food, though food is usually secondary to entertaining guests. Most restaurants have an inherent “theme” based on the origin or type of cuisine served. Many restaurants have a distinct style of decor, and create a specific ambiance for the comfort of their clientele. Some have a unique location or are housed in a unique building. But not all restaurants are considered theme restaurants. Diners choose restaurants first and foremost based on type of food. Conversely, theme restaurants attract customers primarily by promising unique experiences. Popular chain restaurants in
850-438: The popularity of nostalgia by using theming to immerse guests in their favorite programs and movies. Many theme restaurants create environments that are considered exotic because they are largely inaccessible to much of the public (such as rainforests and remote tropical islands), or no longer exist (because they are set in a past time period). However, some use subjects that are supernatural or taboo, and thus controversial. From
884-586: The same time, another archetypal bar, Trader Vic's , was created by Victor Bergeron in Oakland, California. Tiki culture became very popular in 1950s America, and Polynesian themed restaurants had spread to London by the early 1960s, and further into Europe and Asia by the 1970s. Though not the first theme park , the opening of Disneyland in 1955 popularized the idea of an amusement park combining multiple named areas (“lands”) with different themes. The term "theme park" came into use circa 1960, likely to describe
918-472: The time. The food at theme restaurants is often common in order to have broad appeal, but may be given colorful names to further the theme. For example, the Planet Hollywood in London offers specialty cocktails named after movies. In some cases, customers may visit a theme restaurant only to shop or be entertained, without intending to eat. Theme restaurants have the potential for high profits in
952-574: The venue. The cinema offers 7 auditoriums, foods and drinks services to each auditorium, and 4K digital projection. Attached to the cinema is an lounge area featuring cocktails and crafted beer. Additionally there is also an open-air patio. In June 2024, the Alamo Drafthouse location closed, along with every other Dallas-area location. With an acquisition saving the regional locations, the Alamo Drafthouse at Toyota Music Factory
986-674: The venue. The Toyota Music Factory also hosted The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July 2024 as part of 2024 Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities. The complex consists of 210,000 square feet (20,000 m) of food and retail space which includes a movie theater and bowling alley. Alongside these facilities lies a 4,000-seat indoor music theatre, "The Pavilion at the Toyota Music Factory" with walls that can retract to create an open-air pavilion capable of seating an additional 4,000 people on its 65,000 square feet (6,000 m) lawn. The ARK Group, owned by Noah Lazes and Richard Lazes,
1020-717: The very beginning, restaurants in Paris, New York and San Francisco attracted bohemian artists and writers with themes including assassination, imprisonment, death, and hell. More recently, the Modern Toilet Restaurant chain in Asia, and the similar but short-lived Magic Restroom Café in California offered diners the opportunity not only to sit on toilets while dining, but to also be served dishes in miniature toilet bowls. The Alcatraz E.R. restaurant in Japan used
1054-713: Was Cafe 50's created by Craig Martin. In 1983 he opened Cafe 50's in Venice Beach, then Sherman Oaks, Hermosa Beach and lastly West LA, which is still open. California But by the late 1990s, dozens of theme restaurants closed, including entire chains, as the market became saturated and the novelty wore off. Today, though smaller than at its peak, the industry has rebounded, in part as Millennials turn to themed restaurants for dining entertainment. The popularity of social media platforms like Instagram has pushed restaurants to theme their physical spaces to inspire photographers. Temporary pop-up restaurants and bars are capitalizing on
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1088-646: Was one of the earliest widely known examples of these in the United States. Most FECs have at least five common major or "anchor" attractions, to provide diverse patrons (often in large parties) at least one to two hours of entertainment, to encourage repeat visits, and to reduce time spent waiting for any given attraction. Some of the more usual attractions include (depending upon size, climate, etc.): The most common anchor activities are miniature golf, kart racing, arcade and redemption games, and food & beverages, according to industry specialists StoneCreek Partners. FECs rarely use custom-built attractions, because of
1122-701: Was the Sony Metreon in San Francisco, California (1999–2006). Some nonprofit, educational installations, such as the Exploratorium in San Francisco, also have aspects of FECs in format and atmosphere, but with activities geared toward learning and experiencing rather than simple entertainment. Some for-profit enterprises also use this model, or mix edutainment with simpler amusement attractions. The main national industry group in
1156-662: Was the Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, California , which opened in 1993, linking several Universal properties. Including various retail outlets, restaurants, and attractions, the CityWalk created a great deal of "sustained buzz" in the retail real estate industry, which began "embracing the notion that Universal Studios, Sony, Disney, and other entertainment companies could create new anchors and entertainment programs for shopping centers". Another significant UEC
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