Sports Technology Drives Customers into Restaurants

Interactive and participatory eSports just might be the bridge to revive the restaurant sectors disappointing, dismal, declining year over year customer counts according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 

Not only do all ages participate in eSports but millennials can’t seem to get enough, when they are not playing, they are watching. The new video game phenomenon of esports has made another inroad into the restaurant business with the installation of terminals for simultaneous live play inside the GameWorks fun-and-food chain.

Why you might want to contact someone about eSports its growing at 17% a year. New eSport Lounges enable 20 to 40 guests to play the same video game simultaneously, either casually or in tournaments offering prizes to the winners.  GameWorks said it plans to hold tournaments at least once a month. Players can have food and beverages brought to their seats from The Works Kitchen, the restaurant component of GameWorks branches.

eSports is evolving and is already constituted a $138 billion business by the end of 2018, according to research and consulting firm IDG Consulting. Restaurants potential of landing players and onlookers has prompted other restaurant operators to embrace the emerging “sport” as a way of drawing young consumers’ attention.

Chains the ilk of Buffalo Wild Wings, for instance, recently opened a new prototype that features a section called the MVP Room, which is wired to host esports contests and broadcast the competitions onto TVs throughout the restaurant. Included in the room is a six-tap self-service beer dispensing system.

Even, Jersey Mike’s Subs sponsored the North American League of Legends Championship Series esports tournament this past summer. “We’re looking at the customer of tomorrow,” CMO Rich Hope told Restaurant Business when the 1,600-unit chain announced its backing of the esports league. “We’re looking at customers who are 13 instead of 27. They’re hard to reach with traditional media. This is an opportunity to reach them in an environment they’re in.”

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information