How to go
What: Scene75 Entertainment Center
Where: 6196 Poe Ave., Vandalia
When: 3-10 p.m. Monday - Thursday; 3 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m. -1 a.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday; Radar’s Bar & Grill will operate with different hours: 3 p.m.-midnight Monday - Thursday; 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.
More information: www.scene75.com or (937) 619-3200
Scene75 entertainment center by the numbers
$5 Million: Approximate cost to build Scene75
6196: Address of Scene75 on Poe Avenue
124,000: Total square footage
3,000: Square foot outdoor patio
88: Arcade games
3: Years it took to develop plans for Scene75
2: Full-service indoor bars
175: Number of seats at Radar’s Bar & Grill — a full-service restaurant located inside Scene75
150: Number of seats on the patio
30: Number of bar stools at The Center Bar
24: Number of beers on tap
33: Number of craft beers available to order
10: Go-Karts that can be on the track at The Racing Place at the same time
40: Maximum number of laser tag players that can play per game
36: Height of the largest inflatable slide at the Big Bad Bounce
2: 4D Theaters with blizzard and wind effects
4: Mini-bowling lanes
10: Spin Zone Bumper Cars
18: Holes of blacklight glow-in-the-dark miniature golf
3: Outdoor sand volleyball courts
2: Outdoor Bocce courts
8: Private party rooms
3: 11-foot projection HDTVs
35: Length in feet of Scene75’s full-color sports ticker
12: 15-foot Chaos Room HD Video Gaming Screens
18: Minimum age after 10 p.m.
19,165: Facebook fans prior to opening
28,742+: Number of Facebook fans now with the number growing - it has been the only marketing used by Scene75 to date
23,286 - Cards sold over the first 24 days — that’s 1,000 cards per day on average
1,100 - Number of people in the facility at the peak of every Saturday night thus far, often with an additional 200 to 300 in line waiting to enter (Scene75 management lets people in as groups exit once the building reaches capacity on busy nights)
Building design
124,000 square-foot facility located in the former Roberds furniture warehouse on Poe Ave.
Approximate breakdown of space:
30,000 square feet — The Racing Place
20,000 square feet — Big Bad Bounce
7,000 square feet — Laser Tag
6,000 square feet — Party Rooms
5,500 square feet — Radar’s Bar & Grill
5,000 square feet — Blacklight Miniature Golf
2,000 square feet — Spin Zone Bumper Cars
4,000 square feet — Chaos Room video gaming theaters
1,000 square feet — Center Bar
1,000 square feet — Snack Zone
200 square feet — Lazer Frenzy
Balance for offices, restrooms, common area and arcade games
On July 2, a $5-million entertainment complex opened in the former Roberds furniture warehouse on Poe Avenue.
The opening of Scene75 marked the end of a long journey and an intense labor of love for Jonah David Sandler, 29, chief entertainment officer of the business and a founder, designer, developer, partner and visionary of the operation.
Sandler did it his way, devoting years to painstaking research and development of the project. He took his time to think inside and outside the box on nearly every detail ranging from marketing to location, and he says he’s already seeing his efforts pay off.
Prior to opening, Scene75 was able to amass more than 19,000 Facebook fans without any marketing or advertising. The number is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds with it quickly approaching 30,000. The social media success has been so great that Scene75 is now serving as a case study for Facebook.
Not surprisingly, that digital success has translated to customers.
More than 23,000 cards were sold over the first 24 days Scene75 was in business — almost 1,000 per day on average. Sandler says each Saturday night since the facility has opened, it has been at maximum capacity with 1,100 people in the building and hundreds waiting to get in as others exit.
Still, he says the success will never erase the journey he took getting there.
“People should know that Scene75 is a product of passion. I have devoted three years of my life to this project and have had several dedicated partners join me along the journey,” Sandler said. “Scene75 is unlike any entertainment facility I have visited — and I have been to more than 100 across the country. It has been a difficult road, but I’m hoping that the community will appreciate this facility now and for years to come.”
During a recent visit, customers seemed to be buzzing and having a good time.
A quick look at the business’ Facebook page reveals that many in the community are taking full advantage of their new neighbor. Here are a sampling of recently posted comments:
“Absolutely had a blast my first time tonight there. Have no complaints at all. Thank you for bringing something good to Dayton.” — Joshua Knight
“Decided to try coming on a weeknight this week, a much better experience than last Saturday! Ate at Radar’s for the first time and the food was great, finally got to do GoKarts with a very short wait and played laser tag again. Also did some arcade games and enjoyed the glow stick cotton candy:) Will definitely be back again during the week!” — Heather Gilbert
“We just went again yesterday — had a wonderful time — such a GREAT VALUE!” — Tracey Gray
Sandler, who is a regular fixture and often greets guests as they come in, says for him this is a long-term commitment to the area, to his customers and to providing quality entertainment at affordable prices.
“Scene75 is designed to be a facility that guests will frequent weekly or monthly as opposed to perhaps the once or twice a year that they may visit a more traditional amusement park. Guests can expect to have a world class facility right here in Dayton,” Sandler said.
ATTRACTIONS
We spoke with Jonah David Sandler, 29, chief entertainment officer for Scene75 about the attractions his complex offers visitors. Here are his highlights:
Arcade: Priced as marked. Featuring more than 60 games with plans for another 20-30 to add this year, there's a game for just about anyone.
Laser Tag: $8.50/mission. Select one of 40 high-tech vests and phasors and challenge the competition in one of the largest laser tag arenas in the tri-state.
Go-Karts: $8/ride. The Racing Place is the largest indoor electric go-kart track in Ohio. Featuring more than 30,000 square feet of racing action, the go-kart track was designed to appeal to the novice racer and to the seasoned racing enthusiast.
Bouncing: $6/hour, $10/2 hours. Featuring more than 20,000 square feet of inflatable bouncing action, Big Bad Bounce is the largest bouncing venue in the state of Ohio. Big Bad Bounce features an expansive public bounce arena as well as two private bouncing arenas that each feature private inflatables and a private party room.
Chaos Room Video Gaming Theater: $5/30 minutes; $8/hour; $14/2 hours. The Chaos Room combines the best components of movie theaters, arcades, video game consoles and the Internet to allow up to 30 people in a single room to play video games on 15-foot HD screens. With 12 huge theater screens and a vast selection of the latest video games including Call of Duty, Halo, Madden, Mario Kart and Just Dance, Chaos Room will make an hour go by very quickly.
4D Theaters: $5/ride. The X-Rider 4D motion theater features a 15-foot theater screen, motion based seats and, depending on the film played, a 4D environment complete with real wind, bubbles and snow flakes. Films include: Skate Race, Cosmic Coaster, Tomb of Pharoah, Jungle Gym, King Python and Snow Valley.
Blacklight Mini-Golf: $5/9 holes; $8/18 holes. With two, 9-hole courses, each featuring a different theme, you will be captivated by not only the game, but by the fluorescent hand-painted visuals. Grab a putter and dive into a underwater world or start your golfing engine and race over to Route 66.
Mini-Bowling: $3/game. These four mini-bowling lanes — two-thirds the length of a traditional lane and the first in Dayton — are enclosed in a comfortable, modern lounge, complete with a huge projection television, plush seating and coffee tables. Note: This feature will probably not be open to the public until mid-to late August.
Lazer Frenzy: $2/game. As popularized in spy movies, inside the Lazer Frenzy you will navigate through a web of laser beams to achieve the high score and complete your mission. But you must be quick … and careful … as time passes and as beams are broken, your score decreases.
Outdoor Sand Volleyball Leagues (8 weeks): $70/2 players; $140/4 players; $210/6 players. Whether it's spring, summer, or fall, form a team and compete in either a social or competitive volleyball leagues. With three regulation sized courts and enough sand (and drinks) to make you feel like you're vacationing at the beach, the warm weather months of Dayton will never be the same.
Outdoor Bocce League: $99/4 players. Bocce is the world's oldest sport and next to soccer, the most popular game in the world. Unwind and relax on Scene75's huge outdoor patio (3,000 square feet) with a slow-paced game of Bocce. It's a whole new spin on American bowling. Never played bocce? No worries — they'll show you what to do.
Fantasy Sports Leagues: $79/team. If you love playing in fantasy sports leagues, you won't want to miss this. If the social aspect of live drafts, a true commissioner and trading aren't enough to entice you to the action, how does a 35-foot real-time sports ticker and a draft that takes place on 15-foot HD screens sound?
THE CARD
The Scene75 Card works as follows: Guests enter the facility and load their desired dollar value onto the card using cash or credit. This can be done at any point of sale station, including three automated kiosks near the entrance, three point of sale stations at the welcome counter and several others throughout the facility. The card can then be used anywhere at Scene75, including the attractions, arcade, restaurant and bars.
FOOD AND DRINK
Radar's Bar & Grill: While making plans and establishing their vision for Scene75, owners visited more than 100 entertainment centers across the country to get ideas. One common detail that struck them was that food seemed to take a back seat to the games. The owners enlisted Jim "Radar" Martin, who had worked at Tanks Bar and Grill in Dayton for 25 years, to help establish a fresh, tasty, sizable menu that includes salads, pizzas and burgers, highlighted by 24 beers on tap.
The Center Bar: The name says it all. Situated smack dab in the center of the arcade, The Center Bar is a hub of activity in the middle of a hub of activity. With 24 beers on tap, eight HD televisions, and a menu featuring highlights from Radar's Bar & Grill, it has enough to lure you in and keep you there.
The Snack Zone: Wanna feel like a kid again? The snack zone has the treats that make you think back to the good old days. Soft-serve frozen yogurt, warm chocolate chip cookies, glow-in-the-dark cotton candy, soft pretzels and sodas are all staples of this edible area of Scene75.
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