Children’s Entertainment Center, Children’s Edutainment Center & Play Café Design & Production Services

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The White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group is a full-service feasibility, design, production and consulting company for location-based family and children's leisure, entertainment and eatertainment venues.

Our children’s entertainment center, children’s edutainment center and play café consulting, design and production services are not limited to the physical facility. Rather, our comprehensive approach covers every aspect of developing, building, setting-up, opening and operating the business.

White Hutchinson has a core team of design and other professionals (our Design Alliance) that includes the disciplines of architecture, interior and mechanical design; market research; brand, name and logo development; acoustics and audio-visual design; horticulture and landscape design; menu and kitchen design; entertainment and play attraction design and procurement; game room operation; graphics, wayfinding and sign design; child development; management start-up and specialized training. Additionally, we collaborate with the best quality suppliers throughout the world on the design of entertainment and play equipment and activities.

We have found from experience that the only way we can deliver a quality and successful business to our clients is through a comprehensive and tightly managed production process that coordinates all aspects of the business, just not the architectural improvements. Children’s facilities are very specialized and there are hundreds of facility, equipment, operations, branding, management and marketing details that need to be simultaneously addressed during development for success.

White Hutchinson prides itself on its independence.  Unlike many consultants and designers who derive secondary income from commissions on equipment or from contractors they specify for clients, our ethical standards prohibit us from accepting any such income, which could bias our advice to clients. As a result, we have no loyalties or obligations to any suppliers or contractors. We have no ownership, nor will we accept any commissions, rebates or other compensation from suppliers or contractors. We believe it is our job to represent the best interest of our clients and help them make the best business decisions, which sometimes is to not to proceed with a project.

Our comprehensive design and production services cover every aspect of designing developing, opening and operating a children’s entertainment center, children’s edutainment center or play café, including:

  • Site evaluation/selection
  • Market research and feasibility
  • Focus groups/qualitative guest research
  • Cultural research
  • Financial projections
  • Cost estimates
  • Mix and program development
  • Operating capacity/design day calculations
  • Space/adjacency planning
  • Concept planning
  • Brand development
  • Project name development
  • Logo and graphic identity design
  • Schematic design
  • Architectural and interior design
  • Mechanical design
  • Landscape design
  • Children's safety design including ASTM and CPSC compliance
  • Design for adult and children's accessibility
  • Design for family and mom friendliness
  • Wayfinding/sign design
  • Themed architectural design
  • Themed interior design
  • Acoustic design
  • Audio-visual design
  • Lighting design
  • Custom millwork design
  • Assistance with selecting security systems
  • Themed landscape design
  • Food service:
    • Menu development
    • Recipe development
    • Product sourcing
    • Kitchen, counter area and bar design
    • Develop menu board concepts and designs
    • Quality control and sanitation practices and manuals
    • Policy and procedure manuals
    • Hiring assistance
    • Training manuals
    • Food service personnel training
    • Kitchen set-up
    • POS and technology systems selection and set-up
    • Start-up operations
  • Furniture and fixture design/specifications and procurement coordination
  • Custom design/specification and procurement coordination for all entertainment attractions, equipment and supplies
  • Assistance with selection, procurement or contracting, and set-up of games
  • Redemption store design, merchandising and prize selection and procurement
  • Custom theming and finishes design/specification and procurement coordination
  • Design/specification and procurement of all finish materials
  • Admissions/POS system specifications and consulting
  • Capacity calculations for all play and entertainment attractions and activities
  • Coordinate reviews and approvals with all governmental entitlement agencies
  • Coordinate final construction documents, specifications, shop drawings, and bids
  • Review and approve all color dye lot, color finishes and material submissions
  • Coordinate installation of all furnishings, fixtures, entertainment and play equipment, signage and other finishes
  • Develop and monitor development schedule
  • Mascot/costume character design and procurement
  • Advise on design of brochure & collateral
  • Advise on birthday party and group programs
  • Develop safety and sanitation policies and procedures
  • Develop school field trip curriculum and guides
  • Develop educational enrichment workshop curriculum and guides
  • Assist with job descriptions
  • Assist with employee screening/selection
  • Advise on on-going in-house training programs
  • Advise on development of personnel policies and procedures.
  • Advise on development of sponsorship concepts and implement in design
  • Advise on development of sponsorship program
  • Advise on required training for first aid and CPR
  • Advise on emergency and safety policies and procedures
  • Develop working with children and families customer service manual for staff
  • Customer service training for working with children and families
  • Training on hygiene, health and sanitation policies for all play areas
  • Birthday party training
  • Mascot/costume character use training
  • Training on school field trips
  • Training for enrichment workshops
  • Training for all other areas of operations as required
  • Management/culture design assistance including organization chart and staffing requirements
  • Assistance with all other areas of management and start-up of operations as required
  • Prepare punch lists
  • Post occupancy evaluations
  • Develop post occupancy adjustments
  • Post occupancy re-training
  • Consulting and assistance on all other areas of development, opening and operations