Opened on 2nd March 2013 within the historic Great Northern Warehouse building in the heart of Manchester, the latest addition to All Stars Lanes portfolio certainly projects the £2.5m invested in its Stateside themed bowling and dining venue. All Stars Lanes in Manchester features 10 bowling lanes, two cocktail bars and an 80-cover restaurant within its 1,811-square metre site. It joins the four All Stars Lanes properties in London as its first venue outside the capital.

With the need to add more radios and their existing analogue two-way radio communications equipment showing its range limitations, Elvis Mirto, their Assistant General Manager went on the hunt for a replacement system that would provide instant, reliable, sitewide voice communication between the five key functional teams including - Management, Reception, Hosts Bowling Technicians, Kitchen Restaurant and Bar.

“We asked around the other hospitality and retail business within the complex and found that the majority were using Kenwood equipment without any issues”, reports Elvis. The other key consideration was to ensure full coverage of the site as quite often, all areas would be in use. Elvis explains: “Our venue is large and offers a unique and sophisticated bowling and dining experience in stunning surroundings, and our customers expect much more than the bowling alleys of the past with their worn-out shoes, tired equipment, dingy atmosphere and mediocre fast-food. Manchester is a vibrant, youthful city with over 500 leisure and dining options, so to be successful, every part of our offer has to be first class – and we can only achieve that if every member of staff is in close communication wherever they are, to ensure we deliver a truly excellent customer experience”.

Elvis Mirto wanted simple but reliable and effective radio communications solution that could be deployed quickly and without fuss and, as important, be easy to use by all members of staff. This is precisely where PMR446 comes into its own. For smaller professional users operating within relatively close proximity, the simplicity of PMR446 license-free communications has proven to be a very attractive proposition. With no operating license to apply for (or tricky forms to complete), no airtime contracts, network outages or call charges, PMR 446 offers a true plug and play voice communications solution. Having already decided on Kenwood equipment and the PMR446 service, the next consideration was whether to stay with analogue or upgrade to digital PMR 446.

The introduction of Kenwood TK-3401D ProTalk digital dPMR446 has proven to be a real game-changer.

Elvis elaborates on his selection of technology: “Although we didn’t have a huge requirement in terms of numbers of radios, our operations would fall apart if our radio communication was unreliable or unable to reach every part of our large site. The benefits of clear radio communication coverage to the full extent of the available range, improved noise reduction, increased security and clarity of Kenwood’s TK-3401D digital ProTalk Digital dPMR 446 radios hit the spot for us; while the capability to operate in both digital and analogue modes, allowing us to continue to use our existing analogue radios if we ever need is a real bonus. Once the radios were delivered, our team of Bowling Technicians quickly set them up ready for use”.

Elvis concludes: “The new Kenwood ProTalk digital radio system has really made a difference in helping us manage all parts of our operation, bringing the speed and efficiency to serve our guests better through reliable communication. I’d have no hesitation in recommending them to other businesses!”.