When the owners of Edmonton, Alberta’s first Forrest Gump-themed Bubba Gump Shrimp Co reached out to Zenwire, a local integration firm, they were not fully convinced how transformative an automation system could be for the restaurant’s entertainment.
So first, Zenwire president and founder Peter Lau had to first convince them that automation, and specifically, Elan, could streamline their entertainment like never before with the ability to instantly control, manage, and automate the tasks that usually bog down staffers.
“When seeking an AV system for the new venue, the client was sceptical of automation and its capabilities, so we faced the initial challenge of showing them what was possible,” he explained. “All it took was a simple demo with an Elan touch panel. Once they could truly see how easy restaurant management could be, they were confident about investing in Elan.”
Working with GH Construction & Candatta during the building process, Lau designed a system around an Elan gSC2 system controller. “The gSC2 hardware is free of moving parts, and the operating system is protected with internal redundancies, that when added together, deliver incredibly reliable performance,” Lau said.
The Elan system significantly opens up time for Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. staffers by eliminating any “fussing” traditionally spent on managing audio and video components throughout the venue. Along with making life easier for Bubba Gump staff, Elan improves the experience for customers, another key selling point Lau used to convince the client to move forward with an automation system.
“During the initial demo, it was also important to point out how the experience for customers was made more enjoyable,” Lau said. “Requests to change the channel or queue up a song can be responded to instantly, which contributes to the overall customer service offered at the restaurant.”
Two Elan touch panels, located in the front of the restaurant and near the kitchen for easy front-to-back communication, allow Bubba Gump staff one-touch access to the restaurant’s entire AV system. An Elan EL-4KPM-V66-A1812 Premium HDMI Audio/Video Matrix switcher distributes audio and video throughout the main restaurant and bar area to nine LG televisions. “The restaurant is constantly showing the Forrest Gump movie on a loop so, with one-touch ease, the staff is able to make sure this signature video is always running on a certain number of the screens on a constant basis,” Lau added.
Now that the client is well aware of exactly what Elan delivers, Lau is hopeful this install will be the first of many involving the franchise. “Staff have complimented us on the Elan system saying that it is one of the systems in the restaurant they can count on to work reliably time after time,” Lau concluded.
