By Ela Sathern By Ela Sathern | September 21, 2023 | Food & Drink, People, Lifestyle, Parties, Eat, Play, Date Place, Drink, Adventures,
Take a spin at the new ‘80s-themed adult roller rink in the Dallas Design District
PHOTO BY KRISTEN GLASS
Adrian Verdin, CEO of restaurant branding group On Brand Hospitality (onbrandhospitality.com), has put his fingerprint on the Dallas food and beverage sector for over 25 years. Here, he shares what inspires him and On Brand Hospitality’s newest concept, Ride On (rideonskate.com), a social drink rink opening this Fall.
What do you love most about running On Brand Hospitality? From searching for inspiration to developing an authentic brand while telling a story throughout the venue, I love the process of creating new concepts and bringing them to life with my wife [COO Torry Cray]. Seeing our community and friends enjoy and embrace the concepts makes everything we do so much better.
How does On Brand Hospitality help businesses succeed? On Brand does a lot of collaborating with branding/marketing firms, design/architectural teams, PR, local artists and other vendors to continue to build up our community and other businesses in Dallas and beyond. Promoting and growing small businesses and locals is very important to us.
Tell us about the new roller skating rink Ride On idea and how it came to fruition. I grew up in a small town in Alaska. My parents would drop me and my siblings off for hours at our local roller rink. I have so many great memories, from the music, food, games, and slow skating with the girls from other nearby towns. When I moved to the Dallas area, I got involved with other extracurricular activities and didn’t seek out roller rinks here. As a father, I started taking my boys to skating rinks, and I noticed something different. The two major differences were they got stuck in the 70s/80s, and I noticed parents joining in on the skating. I said to myself, “A modern-day version of a roller rink with nostalgic feels, better sound systems, restaurant quality food with real cocktails, that’s what we need!” Next thing you know, Ride On started to come to life.
What can guests at Ride On expect to experience? Imagine walking through an interactive digital art installation leading you to a space with vintage and modern arcade games, with a great cocktail and culinary program. Once you’ve entered the venue and passed the bar, the rink reveals itself with club-like audiovisuals wrapped by group lounge seating. The skaters will range from newbies to experienced enthusiasts. The drinks menu will be craft cocktails with an 80s spin. Think frozen Boozy Orange Julius followed by pizza from our chef-driven kitchen.
What’s next for On Brand Hospitality? Working on revealing future cities you’ll see a Ride On. We also have a couple more concepts that we are just as passionate about that are unique to the local market.
Photography by: Intro image by Getty Images/iStock