Milwaukee was a different story entirely. The space was a tiered, circular restaurant; very 1980s, think Miami Vice had a field day.  That had only ever been used on the 81 game days a year. The tiers were about ten feet high, our simulators need seventeen feet of clearance, and you really want at least two next to each other so people can actually play together. So we had to extend every tier outward, work around the radius of the building, and still end up with something worth playing in.

We got seven simulators in there across two levels. Each level has its own full service bar, there’s a shared kitchen with the ballpark, and we kept all the existing restrooms and brought their finishes up to date. For ADA access across the levels we used lula lifts, which are compact platform elevators that let a person get on and off at different levels without a major structural overhaul. We maintained the main entry, kept the baseball theme, and brought in a golf feel through the way we used turf throughout. VP recliner seating in the premium areas, high-top service tables on the lower level for game days.

The original restaurant ran 81 days a year. This space runs all year round. The simulators pay for themselves on game days alone, and off-game days went from nothing to something. That’s a fourfold increase in utilization without touching the core of the building. You work backwards from the end use, and then you figure out how to get there.