A new business that will give you the virtual, 360-degree experience of riding the world’s fastest roller coaster or taking a stroll through Paris has been proposed for downtown Naperville.
VR 360 Playground, a virtual reality entertainment center for teens and adults, is being planned for 22 E. Chicago St., former location of the Bull & Bear Tobacco Shop.
“It’s a new concept in family entertainment,” owner Marcus Beam told the Naperville Liquor Commission Thursday.
Beam is interested in obtaining a liquor license to serve alcohol as part of the venture, but still has several steps to complete — including a conditional use permit or variance to open the business in a spot zoned for retail use, which would require a Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission review and public hearing.
If approved, VR 360 would offer customers video experiences ranging in length from 90 seconds to 10 minutes, with most running two to five minutes, Beam said. The first would cost $15, and then $10 for each one after that.
The center would “follow in the footsteps of Dave & Buster’s. VR is the next big thing,” Beam said. “We want to be the first to bring it to market in a standardized format. Virtual Reality allows you to experience adventures in a 360 perspective.”
Patrons feel immersed in a scene because they use use virtual reality goggles, which provide a 360-degree view simply by moving their head in any direction, Beam said.
“You can be the captain of the Enterprise, be your favorite superhero, travel the world, experience meditation” at exotic places like the top of a mountain, he said.
Beam is seeking a Class M license, which would either have a two-drink limit if the business is defined as a “lifestyle amenity” or no limit if it is an “experience” business.” Because there is a cap on class M licenses, it would have to be approved by the Naperville city Council.
Commissioners expressed concern that the center would be serving alcohol without food. Beam said that while there would not be a kitchen, he will be selling “pre-packaged gourmet food,” such as truffles and beef jerky, as well “high-end” water and energy drinks.
Commissioner Mitch Stauffer said he liked Beam’s passion but wondered how he would handle patrons who were drinking alcohol and not participating. “What do you do if someone is not renting games? Are you committed to a full-time, trained bartender?”
“You could have people drinking all day with no kitchen after a three-minute adventure,” Commissioner Joe Vozar said.
Beam said he believes the size of the business, just 2,000 square feet with multiple open “experiential rooms” visible at all times, would discourage people from staying if they’re not participating in a video. The bar would be small, with just three stools, he said.
“I don’t envision it as a hang-out spot,” he said. “There’s not even enough room for a group of 10.”
The only alcoholic items he would sell would be canned and bottled beer and pre-packaged wine, and those would only be served at the bar, he said. There will no waitstaff.
Commissioner Chuck Maher suggested restrictions be placed on the license, but city prosecutor Kavita Athanikar said any limitations would also have to apply to other establishments in the same category.
“If the commission thinks this is a lifestyle amenity,” then the two-drink minimum will be in place, Athanikar said. Spas and salons are considered lifestyle amenities, she said.
Beam said he was “not opposed to a two-drink minimum,” but was reluctant to move forward without any liquor license. “I would, but I would prefer not to,” he said.
The company is focused on opening centers in the “three most desirable locations in Chicagoland: Wrigleyville, Naperville and Rosemont,” Beam said. He said he is already moving forward with the Wrigleyville location and hopes to open by July.
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Katie Wood, executive director of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, said she planned to share Beam’s proposal with the group’s board. Mayor Steve Chirico, chairman of the liquor commission, suggested Beam meet with the Alliance.
There’s “more work to do before we make a decision,” Chirico said.
Diane Moca is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.