Eat/play centers hear cries for family value

Colorado Springs family fun centers are listening intently to customers' wishes - and putting a renewed emphasis on value - to survive the economic downturn.

It'z Family Food & Fun, which opened last February on the city's east side, no longer requires food before the fun. And Mr. Biggs, which operates family fun centers in Colorado Springs and Littleton, has revived its all-you-can-eat pizza buffet at the urging of customers more concerned with their budgets than their waistlines.

Until this month, entry to It'z required the purchase of a buffet meal for each guest; to enjoy the games and rides, customers bought points on an It'z FUN card. Now those hungry for fun but not food can bypass the buffet and buy game points or a play pass.

"You choose your It'z experience," said Brian Cohen, vice president of operations for Dallas-based It'z. "You can eat, you can play or you can eat and play."

It'z also has locations in Houston and Albuquerque. The Springs It'z is the newest and the only one to drop the buffet requirement. The change is the result of a survey of guests and noncustomers conducted in November.

Another change is offering 90 minutes of play for $14.95 per person - an offering for a set length of play for a set amount of money.

"Parents," Cohen said, "wanted to not worry about their kids running back, ‘Can I have another dollar?'"

Customer demand is also responsible for the return of the pizza buffet at Mr. Biggs. Steve Bigari, co-owner and chief executive officer of Mr. Biggs, cited the problem of childhood obesity when eliminating the buffet early last year in favor of healthful, low-fat options.

Some healthful ala carte options remain, such as salads and soups, but guests made it clear they want the value of all-you-can-eat, Bigari said. Li'l Biggs, which opened last spring a few miles north of It'z and is geared toward kids 10 and under, also now offers a pizza buffet.

"People still want local, organic, healthful," Bigari said. "But value is trumping everything in this market."

Though more guests are flocking to Mr. Biggs locations, "that's been at the expense, a little bit, of sales," Bigari said. That's because of the discount deals Biggs has been offering to woo those guests, such as a military -ppreciation pass that offers a buffet pass and all-day play for $14.95 for those with a military ID.

"More people are using us, they're just paying a lot less," Bigari said.

That craving for value also was clear in the It'z surveys, Cohen said.

"I assumed results would show people are not going out as much," he said. "That's not the case, but they are seeking value more than they ever have in the past, stretching the buck the best they can."

Nationwide, moderate-price family entertainment seems to be holding up well, said Randy White, CEO of White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, an international consulting, design and production company based in Kansas City, Mo.

"Consumers will keep coming to affordable entertainment venues that offer good perceived value, that offer a short respite from economic stresses and anxiety and a good social experience for family and friends," White said via e-mail. "In fact, a little fun, a positive emotional experience, an escape with family or friends has an even higher value during times of stress and uncertainty."

Despite the troubled economy, Cohen said It'z still plans to expand. It'z will likely roll out a new location this year and a couple more in 2010 and then 2011, he said.

"We've looked at real estate in Denver," Cohen said. "A cluster potentially makes sense for us."

There's even a silver lining in the economic crisis, he said, as bankrupt national retailers such as Linens 'n Things and Steve & Barry's vacate buildings that could serve as It'z locations.

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CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0272 or bill.radford@gazette.com.