Diners Enjoy An 800° Degrees Atmosphere With Cool Yamaha Audio System

Founded in Los Angeles in 2012, 800º Degrees Woodfired Kitchen is a globally popular pizzeria, inspired by chef and founder Anthony Carron’s innovative take on the art of cooking with a wood fire. With eight outlets across the US, two in the Middle East and three in Japan, the latest - at the Tokyo International Forum - features a high quality Yamaha background music system.

The first 800º Degrees restaurant in Japan opened at Tokyo’s Shinjuku City, followed by one in nearby Minami Aoyama. The latest is in the heart of the city’s Marunouchi business district, with seats for 100 diners and a VIP room for 10 people.

“While maintaining the core Californian brand and taste, we have a dedicated concept for each restaurant, with a specially-designed interior and menu in each location,” says Mr Kazuma Suzuki, General Manager of Market Development Department of LUMINE Co., LTD. the Japanese retail developer which has brought the 800º Degrees brand to Japan.

“The new restaurant is relatively large for this busy office district and we wanted to offer a stylish, cosmopolitan lounge space for businessmen and women in Marunouchi. We also offer a deli box and bakery takeaway service.”

Mr Suzuki recognised how the sound within a space is essential to creating an enjoyable atmosphere and customer experience, so a high quality audio system was an essential factor in the concept for 800º Degrees. LUMINE contracted Mr Kohji Fujita, Space Planner at Hiranya Access Co., Ltd. to design the audio system. He a chose a Yamaha solution, thanks to its combination of flexibility, audio quality and coverage.

“The pizza kiln is at the centre of the restaurant, so I designed the system to create the impression of all the restaurant’s energy coming from the kiln,” he says.

Mr Fujita installed Yamaha VXS5 surface mount speakers and VXS10S subwoofers at the entrance, delivering high quality music to customers as soon as they step into the restaurant, “It is designed to highlight the feeling of a wave of heat coming from the kiln while they choose toppings and wait until their pizza is ready,” says Mr Fujita.

He continues, “We had used the VXS5 in previous projects because of its versatility and high quality sound. With its compact format, wide coverage, high SPL and cost efficiency, it was an important factor in helping us to design the audio space.

“We used VXC5F low profile ceiling speakers for the counter and the VIP room, with VXS1ML compact surface mount speakers installed in the takeaway area. We like the VXS1ML’s compact format, it really complements the restaurant’s design.”

The VIP room also features a projector and screen and can be booked for private or business events. A range of audio and video inputs are provided, with the entire audio system controlled from here, using DCP4V4S and DCP1V4S wall-mounted controllers.

The system is managed by an MTX5-D matrix processor, using its speaker processing and delay to achieve phase coherence, and is powered by XMV8140 and XMV4280 multi-channel amplifiers.

“The system is programmed with presets for events like parties, in-store performances and presentations, with the music selection and levels tailored for different times of the day. It is very simple to use, allowing any restaurant staff to operate it,” says Mr Suzuki.

The audio content was devised by Ms Mio Ueki, Senior Music Designer at Mood Media Japan Inc. “’Premium, Fast and Casual’ is the theme of 800º Degrees and the music has to make customers feel uplifted. The soundtrack was carefully chosen to deliver the ‘wave of heat’ effect and give the restaurant its unique atmosphere,” she says.

Ms Ueki continues, “Mr Suzuki also briefed me on the concept of it being somewhere for mature business people to eat. To balance the formal and the casual, I created a playlist of modern music which incorporates the feel of 1980s funk and soul, dynamic tracks that reinforce the playful atmosphere.”

The response from the Tokyo public and office workers has been very positive. “Customers have said that they enjoy the contrast between casual style of the service and the richness of the food and music,” says Ms Ueki.

“That is exactly what we aimed for, creating an audio experience that seamlessly complements the interior design and lighting. The audible environment enhances the entire space and has played a vital role in successfully delivering the 800º Degrees concept.”