DealsMusic/Events/Other

Win 2 Tickets-Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life. (Parker Playhouse- Fort Lauderdale)

Posted on December 18th, 2017 · Deals Fort Lauderdale Music/Events/Other · 36 Comments »

This contest started on 11/17/17. This contest has a winner.

* Win 2 Tickets- Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life.

Jeff Eats got 2 tickets to give to one of you guys to see- Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life.- Friday, January 12, 2018 (8pm) at the Parker Playhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida!

The game- the first 35 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

Posted on October 28, 2017
* Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life.

Real simple tale for you guys…

Last year Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats saw the national touring 1960’s-1970’s-1980’s ‘music’ show- Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life. and it blew us away!

Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories: Your Life. just released its new tour schedule- which has a bunch of Florida dates.

Trust Jeff Eats when I tell you guys- YOU GOTTA GO SEE THIS SHOW!

Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life- describes itself…

“Decades Rewind is a National touring concert, dance party and theatrical performance all wrapped up in one blockbuster show! It celebrates the hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s, the most prominent decades in music history. Disco, Funk, Rock and Motown all take center stage in this brand new theatrical concert featuring over 60 songs, 100 costume changes and nostalgic video. From Aretha to Zeppelin, Decades Rewind will have you singing and dancing in the aisles. This IS the story of your life!”

UPCOMING SHOWS:
Nov 17 Decades Rewind @ Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Sarasota, FL
Nov 18 Decades Rewind – Fort Myers @Barbara B Mann Arts Center Fort Myers, FL
Dec 22 Decades Rewind Sleigh Ride @ Manatee PAC Bradenton, FL
Dec 23 Decades Rewind Sleigh Ride @ Manatee PAC Bradenton, FL
Jan 12 Decades Rewind @ Parker Playhouse Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan 13 Decades Rewind – Lakeland @ Youkey Theatre Lakeland, FL
Jan 14 Decades Rewind – Melbourne @ King Center Melbourne, FL
Jan 18 Decades Rewind @ Thrasher-Horne Center Orange Park, FL
Jan 26 Decades Rewind – Tampa @ Straz Center for PA Tampa, FL
Jan 27 Decades Rewind @ South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center Cutler Bay, FL

Like I said a few seconds ago, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats saw Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life. last year and it blew us away!

This show is an absolute must see!

You can purchase tickets for- Decades Rewind: Your Music. Your Memories. Your Life.- at decadesrewind.com and parkerplayhouse.com.

AmericanBreakfast

This Is Why Jeff Eats Eats Cap’N Crunch & Corn Pops Cereal!

Posted on December 18th, 2017 · American Breakfast · No Comments »

* This Is Why Jeff Eats Eats Cap’N Crunch Cereal & Corn Pops Cereal!

A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbor and says,
“Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get started.”
Her neighbor asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?”
The little silver haired lady says,
“According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.”

Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle.
She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread
all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns
to her and says,

“First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble
these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.”

He takes her hand and says,
“Secondly, I want you to relax. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then,”
he said with a deep sigh . . . . . .

“Let’s put all the pieces back in the box.”

V
V
V
V
V
V

from indianspot.com

HELP IN WEIGHT LOSS?

DO CORN FLAKES HELP IN WEIGHT LOSS? Are you planning to lose weight? You have planned everything to lose weight; you eat low-fat and low sugar food, and you exercise regularly as well. You have also planned your diet well. Do you that daily bowl of healthy corn flakes and milk regularly in the morning? Are you making any mistake in planning your diet? It’s time to re-think that do corn flakes really help in weight loss?

A Little About Corn Flakes

Corn flakes were invented by Will Kellogg and John Kellogg accidentally with stale wheat. They made dough with it and pushed through a roller and as a result broken flakes came out. This was then toasted and served to patients at Seventh day Adventist where they used to work. The patients like it and so the two brothers continued making it till it turned out perfectly. Then slowly it became popular in the market and many brands started making it as well. But are they really healthy and will they help in weight loss?

Are Corn Flakes Really Healthy Especially For Children?

A cereal is the best choice for your breakfast since it is less in sugar and fat and is rich in nutrients. But if you choose any wrong choice for breakfast then you can gain weight instead. Do you eat cornflakes with milk which contains vitamins and minerals, nutrients and low fat? Then you are thinking all wrong. In fact it consists of corn, malt, fructose corn syrup and sugar. This corn syrup contains high glycemic index carbohydrate.

Is It Really For Weight Loss?

So it is clear that the sugar content in cornflakes is really high and in addition to this many people add extra sugar or honey to their bowls with milk. If you eat this regularly then you are definitely going to increase your weight instead of losing. Generally weight loss techniques say that you should take fewer calories and the same goes with corn flakes. They recommend you to tale 30 grams of it with 125 ml of skimmed milk but not whole milk.

Corn flakes contain very little protein. Even though cornflakes make you feel full but in few hours you will feel hungry. A study stated that it is an unhealthy breakfast for kids and for those who want to lose weight. Another study undertaken in America stated that the amount of iron in cornflakes is actually less than the mentioned amount. It can cause obesity in children. Children who eat cornflakes usually feel more hungry as a result of which they snack before lunch.

To stay healthy and lose weight it is important to check on the calories and their source. You should get them from healthy, protein rich nutritious vegetables and fruits. So please keep cornflakes away from kids and make them eat health food which isn’t available in packets.

For The Weight Gainers:

Cornflakes are recommended for elders who want to increase food instead of losing weight. The sugar content makes you increase your weight and after few hours will make you feel hungry. As a result you eat something to add few more calories which are required for weight gain. What is the recipe in this case? Take cornflakes in a bowl and add whole milk to it instead of skimmed low fat milk. You can also add fruits to it like bananas, apples, etc. which help in weight gain. Bananas are specifically known for weight gain. However it is still recommended to take calories in from good sources like vegetables, whole grain cereals and fruits instead of getting from those available in packets in the market. Eat it only if you are under weight and it is really important to gain weight.

Dish Of The WeekMediterranean/Greek

DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 12/17/17- Chris’ Taverna- Lake Worth)

Posted on December 17th, 2017 · Dish Of The Week Lake Worth Mediterranean/Greek · 4 Comments »

***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 12/17/17- Chris’ Taverna).

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items…

CALAMARI
$7.95

Chris’ Taverna
6338 Lantana Road
Lake Worth
(561) 964-4233
christaverna.com
Latest Review: 6/29/14

This is the third time that Chris’ Taverna has caught Dish Of The Week honors! The first time was back on 9/21/14…

No bs-here, delicious food- enormous dirt cheap portions- terrific service!

Posted on September 21st, 2014
***** DISH OF THE WEEK (Sunday- 9/21/14).

One of Jeff Eats’ favorite menu items…

GYRO WRAP (Greek salad or French fries)
$9.95

Chris’ Taverna
6338 Lantana Road
Lake Worth
(561) 964-4233
christaverna.com
Latest Review: 5/21/10

Trust Jeff Eats when I tell you that Chris’ gyro wrap is off the chart-it is absolutely delicious. Just so you know, the original Chris’ review (5/21/10) has a different address listed-when Jeff Eats first “tried” Chris’ it was a small hole in the wall, the new location is in the same shopping center and seats a ton of people inside and on an outdoor patio. Without any hesitation, Jeff Eats will tell you, Chris’ Taverna is one of the best Greek restaurants in South Florida.

DealsFast FoodItalianMusic/Events/OtherPizza

Win A $25 MOD Pizza Gift Card (Parkland)

This contest started on 12/14/17. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $25 MOD Pizza Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $25 MOD Pizza Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 25 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $25 Gift Card is good at any MOD Pizza locstion (for locations, menu, info- modpizza.com).

Posted on December 9th, 2017
***** MOD Pizza, 7171 North State Road 7, Parkland, Florida 33067, (754) 812-1192.

Got a real good reasonably priced- build your own pizza & salad joint for you guys, MOD Pizza which opened in Parkland something like 6-weeks ago.

Unless you’ve-just arrived from Planet-Mars, you know the concept- order at the counter/ food delivered to table, gas fired oven/ pick your dough, sauce, cheese, toppings.

MOD (Made On Demand) Pizza is a national pizza chain with something like 215 units scattered throughout the United States. The Parkland joint is the chain’s first Florida location (indoor- table, booth, counter seating and outdoor table seating).

Yesterday, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats did lunch at MOD- and I gotta tell you- that the pizzas we “built” were absolutely delicious!

Like I said 2 seconds ago, you’ve seen the “concept” before- with that in mind, MOD Pizza was right on the money decor-wise, food-wise, service-wise and price-wise!

You guys can read all about the 60’s Rock N Roll music that MOD plays, its “healthy” menu offerings, complete menu/prices. locations and assorted other information at modpizza.com.

MOD Pizza is open Monday-Saturday 10:30am-10pm, Sunday 10am-10pm.

DealsMusic/Events/Other

One Night In Memphis: Presley, Perkins, Lewis & Cash (Miramar Cultural Center- Miramar)

Posted on December 15th, 2017 · Deals Music/Events/Other · No Comments »

* One Night In Memphis: Presley, Perkins, Lewis & Cash.

Just announced!

Jeff Eats just picked-up 2 discount-tickets on goldstar.com!

The Skinny:

One Night In Memphis: Presley, Perkins, Lewis & Cash

Thursday, January, 4th, 2018 (8pm)

Miramar Cultural Center
2400 Civic Eenter place
Miramar, Florida 33025

Tickets: miramarculturalcenter.org goldstar.com (discount tickets)

From goldstar.com
Join us for this unforgettable evening with this high-energy concert that takes you back to that legendary night in Memphis in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash all got together and jammed! One Night In Memphis features former members of the cast of the Broadway smash Million Dollar Quartet. One Night In Memphis tours nationally and is garnering rave reviews and sold-out shows everywhere. Now you can experience a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on during One Night In Memphis at Miramar Cultural Center.

AmericanBreakfastDessertsFast Food

Donnie’s Donuts (Ormond Beach)

Posted on December 15th, 2017 · American Breakfast Desserts Fast Food · 1 Comment »

***** Donnie’s Donuts, 200 East Granada Boulevard, Ormond Beach, Florida 32176, (386) 944-9750.

Got a real good donut joint for both you guys and Jeff Eats to check-out, Donnie’s Donuts in Ormond Beach.

Real simple tale, last Sunday (12/10/18) Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats had a bunch (10) of friends over to our Boca Raton home for breakfast- and two of those friends, Skip and Melanie from Ormond Beach brought a nice sized assortment of Donnie’s Donuts’- cake donuts with them!

All I can tell you guys is- that although Jeff Eats has never been to Donnie’s Donuts- Donnie’s Donuts unequivocally makes off the chart amazingly delicious cake donuts!

The next time Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats are in Ormond Beach- we will definitely make it our business to check-out Donnie’s Donuts!

For more info on Donnie’s Donuts- Donniesdonuts.com.

Donnie’s Donuts is open Monday-Thursday 7am-7pm, Friday 7am-10pm, Saturday 8am-10pm, Sunday 8am-2pm.

AmericanFast FoodSubs/Salads

Hot Dog Heaven (Fort Lauderdale)

Posted on December 14th, 2017 · American Fast Food Fort Lauderdale Subs/Salads · 13 Comments »

***** Hot Dog Heaven, 101 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304, (954) 523-7100.

Got a terrific hot-dog joint for you guys to checkout, Hot Dog Heaven in Fort Lauderdale.

Somethings in life make no sense, for example- Jeff Eats loves hot dogs, Jeff Eats has lived in Boca Raton for 26 years, Hot Dog Heaven is in Fort Lauderdale and is 26.7 miles from Jeff Eats’ Boca Raton home, Hot Dog Heaven has been in business for over 40 years, Hot Dog Heaven makes off the chart delicious hot dogs- and until yesterday, Jeff Eats had never eaten at Hot Dog Heaven! Like I just said, somethings in life make no sense!

Anyway,

Yesterday, Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats, Daughter Jeff Eats and Son Jeff Eats ate lunch at Hot Dog Heaven and I gotta tell you guys that the joint blew us away! I can’t believe that I missed out on 26 years of eating at Hot Dog Heaven!

Real simple concept at work here, order/pickup at counter, inside counter seating/outdoor patio table seating, off the chart delicious hot dogs/burgers/subs/fries, open Monday-Saturday 10am-4:30pm/closed Sunday.







Hot Dog Heaven is a grand-slam homerun joint! If you’re into hot dogs, french fries, char-broiled burgers/subs- then you gotta give Hot Dog Heaven a shot!

Check menu/prices/info at originalhotdogheaven.com

Music/Events/Other

Puddles Pity Party (Parker Playhouse- Fort Lauderdale)

Posted on December 13th, 2017 · Fort Lauderdale Music/Events/Other · 5 Comments »

* Puddles Pity Party.

Remember this guy from this year’s America’s Got Talent tv-show?

Just announced…

Tickets- Go On Sale Friday, December 15th, 2017 at 10am.

Puddles Pity Party
Sunday, February 18, 2018 (7:30pm)
Parker Playhouse, 707 Northeast 8th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304
Box Office: 954.462.0222
Tickets: parkerplayhouse.com

Event Info:
A veritable “Pagliacci by way of Pee-Wee Herman and David Lynch” (The AJC), Puddles Pity Party has 286k fans on Facebook and over 76 million views on YouTube for indelible interpretations of classics by ABBA, Bowie, Cheap Trick and Queen and his unforgettable mash-up of “Pinball Wizard/Folsom Prison Blues.” The “Sad Clown with the Golden Voice” is here with his heartfelt anthems and a suitcase full of Kleenex! This Pity Party is not all sadness and longing. The show is peppered with a brilliant sense of the absurd, mixing lots of humor with the awkward, tender moments. “It seems like a parody. But when Puddles opens his mouth to sing, it’s beautiful. Operatic.” – The Boston Globe

AmericanDealsFast FoodItalianMusic/Events/OtherPizza

Win A $10 Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza Gift Card

This contest started on 12/11/17. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $10 Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $10 Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 20 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $10 Gift Card is good at any Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza restaurant (for locations, menu, info- blazepizza.com).

AmericanMusic/Events/Other

Inside the Rise of Eatertainment Dining

Posted on December 13th, 2017 · American Music/Events/Other · No Comments »

Topgolf

* Inside the Rise of Eatertainment Dining.

Just wanted to share with you guys- an article I read this morning in QSR Magazine…

In a nutshell, it talks about the growing restaurant segment- the combining of food and entertainment under one-roof!

Now unless you’ve lived on Planet- Mars for the past 40 years, you know what joints like Chuck E. Cheese’s and Dave & Busters are all about…well, the QSR article discusses the next-generation of what QSR calls the Eatertainment Dining industry!

By the way, the article briefly mentions an operation named Topgolf (topgolf.com)-which for our Florida purposes currently has locations in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville- with Miami Gardens and Doral locations in development. Jeff Eats got plans to checkout Topgolf sometime in 2018! Take a look at topgolf.com- this “concept” looks to be off the chart amazing!

Topgolf

from qsrmagazine.com
QSR Magazine
December, 2017
By Mary Avant

Inside the Rise of Eatertainment Dining

As the eatertainment trend continues to take hold, brands are placing a greater emphasis on food and beverage to capture customer interest.

Topgolf customers aren’t just there for the virtual golf; they’re also there for the premium foodservice.

A lot can be, and has been, said about modern-day consumers: They crave experiences rather than goods; their tastes are increasingly sophisticated; they’re seeking quality, value, and, above all, convenience. In short, they want it all.

And when it comes to food and entertainment, it looks like they’re getting exactly what they’ve asked for thanks to the rise of the “eatertainment” industry.

The concepts in this space go beyond just mini golf or movie theaters with concession-stand snacks. Instead, they’re a mashup of high-quality food, beverage, and entertainment—a one-stop shop where experience-seeking consumers can go for premium meals, fun activities, and the chance to connect socially with friends and family.

“It’s part of a bigger trend where people want to go out and have an evening and an experience at one place—dinner, drinks, and games all under one roof,” says Paul Kermizian, CEO of Brooklyn, New York–based Barcade, one of the original arcade bars.

Though growing rapidly, the eatertainment segment isn’t necessarily new. Its true beginnings came with arcade and gaming concepts like Chuck E. Cheese’s and Dave & Buster’s in the late ’70s. Over the last handful of years, however, new concepts have popped up and taken eatertainment to the next level in hopes of meeting millennials’ demands for a more elevated experience.

“Millennials really seek out and consume experiences,” says Robert Thompson, CEO of Punch Bowl Social, a “social emporium” featuring everything from arcade games and ping-pong to bocce ball and bowling. “When the largest buying segment speaks, most of the consumer-facing retail world listens.”

But millennials aren’t the only ones interested in the eatertainment segment. According to a survey conducted by food industry market research firm Datassential, nearly 60 percent of all consumers said they were interested in visiting an eatertainment concept, while 30 percent of consumers said they had already visited one. More specifically, around 40 percent of those surveyed said they were interested in visiting an arcade bar, bowling restaurant, or social emporium, while 26 percent were interested in visiting a golf entertainment venue.

Mike Kostyo, senior publications manager at Datassential, says the industry’s growth has also been driven by the social media era—“Everybody wants to go out and have an experience that they can share with their friends,” he says—as well as increasing competition within the restaurant industry. “If you’re a restaurant operator, you have to go above and beyond these days in order to get people out of their houses and create an experience that makes it a destination,” he adds.

This level of competition is just one of the reasons why today’s eatertainment establishments are making sure they’re worlds away from the concepts of old, particularly when it comes to food and beverage. “The things they’re doing food-wise, it’s not just pizza; it’s not just burgers,” Kostyo says. “In some of the places, they’re partnering with great chefs, and they’re actually doing some really awesome things.”

Last year, for example, Punch Bowl Social recruited “Top Chef” judge Hugh Acheson to lead its culinary operations. Thompson says Acheson’s menu is a modern, Southern-inspired take on comfort food, with items like Wagyu beef hot dogs, a bologna sandwich with green olive tapenade, and chicken and waffles made with chipotle cream cheese and pecan maple syrup. Punch Bowl Social’s customers expect the brand to challenge them with the culinary offerings, he adds; almost 90 percent of the company’s revenue comes from food and beverage.

Punch Bowl isn’t the only eatertainment venue working to erase guests’ experience with the concession-style dining of old. Though they dish “upscale bar cuisine” like burgers, flatbreads, nachos, and other Tex-Mex–inspired dishes, the Topgolf culinary team strives to exceed guests’ expectations about what kind of food the concept serves, says Seve Delgado, national director of culinary operations for the golf-themed eatertainment venue.

“They’re wowed by the fact that it wasn’t what they expected,” she says. “They look at us as an entertainment facility, but as they come more often, they learn that we’re so much more.”

A few of its standout items include the Brisket Grilled Cheese and the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), the latter of which is made with caramelized French toast and chicken breast marinated in jalapeño pickle brine. It’s then dredged in a Cap’n Crunch

breading and topped with jalapeño gravy, an over-easy egg, and bacon crumbles. “It’s a wow factor, but it’s one of those familiar favorites with a twist,” Delgado says.

Though Topgolf and its guests still see the brand primarily as an entertainment facility with food as an added bonus, the opposite is true for Denver-based Ace Eat Serve, a ping-pong hall serving Asian street food. “First and foremost, it’s a restaurant,” says owner Josh Wolkon. “The pong is a secondary part of the concept, and the event space it allows for is secondary.”

To reinforce its emphasis on the culinary side of the business, Ace Eat Serve recently hired a classically trained chef from Vietnam who’s responsible for overseeing the concept’s small-plates menu of items like bao buns, dumplings, ramen, and Asian-style chicken wings. Wolkon estimates that 60 percent of customers come to Ace Eat Serve for its food and beverages, with only 10 percent of its weekly revenue stemming from ping-pong.

While concepts like Punch Bowl Social, Topgolf, and Ace Eat Serve take pride in their in-house culinary programs, a number of eatertainment establishments look to outside vendors—such as food trucks—to fulfill that part of the equation. After launching their shuffleboard concept four years ago in Brooklyn, Royal Palms Shuffleboard owners Ashley Albert and Jonathan Schnapp needed a way to subsidize the costs of operating their club. However, because they had zero hospitality experience—and no desire to create their own culinary program—the duo built a fireproof room as part of its 17,000-square-foot space, where a rotating lineup of food trucks can drive inside the building and serve guests handheld food like lobster rolls and tacos.

“The key with the food trucks is that we have to find ones that are delicious, of course, but are also reliable and fast,” Albert says. “Because on a Saturday night, you’ve got a couple of thousand people coming through, and you need to get their grilled cheese in and out really fast.”

The concept also has a “surprisingly legit” bar program, she adds, where it uses house-made syrups and fruit purées to whip up a menu of vacation-inspired drinks named after shuffleboard legends.

Beverages are also a big draw at Barcade’s seven locations, where the brand publishes a new tap list every day and often hosts brewery-sponsored events. “We get a lot of regulars that are looking for rare beers that we pour,” Kermizian says. “So we have two circles of regulars: beer-focused ones and game-focused ones. Our best customers are the ones who cross into both of those worlds.”

While the concept’s vintage video and arcade games are top priority for Barcade, Kermizian says he does want food to be part of guests’ experience. After building three locations without a culinary component, the brand began installing full kitchens in its fourth location and beyond, serving items like burgers, wings, and a fried chicken-and-waffle sandwich.

Similar to Barcade’s decision to add food after the brand’s launch, some fast-casual concepts are adding entertainment elements to their already-established eateries. West Coast brand Mendocino Farms, for example, has installed everything from chalkboard walls and foosball tables to mini cornhole courts in the majority of its restaurants.

On average, the brand allots 300 square feet in each of its roughly 3,000-square-foot restaurants to entertainment elements, says cofounder Mario Del Pero. “You’re talking 10 percent of the total restaurant,” he says. “The dining room is probably only on average 2,000 square feet, so we’re giving a good swatch of space for these fun play areas.”

But these size constraints are exactly why Wolkon says adding entertainment spaces to pre-established concepts can be a challenge. “I think people do appreciate having some other form of entertainment included, but to go adding pool tables or bowling alleys or ping-pong tables, it’s real estate driven,” he says. “The ability to take up what would normally be a cash-flowing dining table or replacing six dining tables with a ping-pong table means you better have space somewhere to do that.”

Del Pero doesn’t buy that argument, though. “Plenty of people continue to use that old restaurant paradigm of, ‘Wow, you could be using that space for tables. Is that really a good allocation of space?’ And the argument back is that families really have embraced it,” he says.

While many eatertainment concepts don’t see fast casuals adding entertainment as major competition, they do encounter competition from casual restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and—perhaps the fiercest competitor of all—Netflix.

“It’s so easy to not leave your house, fire up ‘Game of Thrones’ on your time schedule, call one of your new delivery services to deliver from anywhere in town, and never have to get up and go out,” Wolkon says.

There’s also no concern about saturation in the eatertainment space, primarily because the size of the operations alone are a massive barrier to entry. “Our dining is 60,000 square feet, three or four levels—depending on where you are—so that’s a pretty big challenge,” Delgado says. “We’ve got these rock-star food runners who get the food out of the kitchen for us and hike it up the stairs and drop it off at the table as quickly as possible. We call them our track team.”

But even for smaller concepts like Ace Eat Serve, operating a dining and entertainment space simultaneously presents a number of difficulties. Because it not only offers food and ping pong but also banquet service for corporate events and private parties, Wolkon says, Ace Eat Serve’s kitchen is often under an intense amount of pressure.

“Our most challenging nights are the nights where we do a corporate event in the ping-pong room of 200 people, and then we still have a full dining room and a full patio,” he says. “You’re trying to handle the potential of 400 or 500 people all at the same time and still hold onto the quality of that food.” And since these high-energy establishments typically feature guests flitting about between the dining room and entertainment areas, tracking down customers is a challenge in and of itself, Wolkon says.

Still, operators only expect eatertainment to thrive. “The idea of adding more elements to what it means to go out at night,” Royal Palms’s Albert says, “that’s only going to become a more desirable feature of the hospitality industry.”