Shownotes
I’m wondering what you think of when you hear that sound? What goes through your mind?
I’ll bet it’s something to do with F1 racing. Cars that look more like fighter jets than automobiles. Global destinations at exquisite racetracks. Things moving at such high speed that they’re more blurs than physical objects.
But what Jon Gardner hopes you’ll start thinking about is dinner and drinks.
That’s because Gardner is the President of F1 Arcade, that latest in a line of highly successful sports-entertainment properties that include Top Golf, PuttShack, and Flight Club. By combining the glitz and glamor of F1, entertainment in the form of cutting edge racing simulators, and high end cocktails and cuisine, Gardner and his team are creating one memorable night out.
Jon took some time out after opening his latest location in Philadelphia to talk about the growth of both the sport and F1 Arcade, working with an established global brand, and what it’s going to take to grow from 5 locations to their ultimate goal of 30. The former basketball center will also fill us in on what it’s like folding his 6’7” frame into an F1 car.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved.
YOUR HOST
Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners.
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Transcripts
John, you spent a few years in corporate sales for an oil company before you started working with social entertainment ventures, the company behind Putt Shack. So let's get started first by talking about, okay, can you explain Putt Shack and then... What led to the circumstances for moving from petroleum sales to sports entertainment?
::led to the circumstances for moving from petroleum sales to sports entertainment? How did that come about?
::Absolutely. So we'll start with Putt Shack. Putt Shack is a high -tech mini golf concept. That was a partnership with Topgolf founders, Steve and Dave Jolliff, actually. So a lot of fun. They have some amazing technology that was the next iteration or next step, I would say. IP patent protected for golf ball technology. CEO and co -founder Adam Breeden connected with Steve and Dave Joloff. And then he brought the hospitality design and made it a experiential entertainment concept, which is what you see for Putt Shack today.
::So basically taking Topgolf and focusing it more on the mini golf aspect of the game. It was taking the technology itself is different.
::was taking the technology itself is different. So it's in terms of how the Topgolf technology and then the Putt Shack technology works. It's much more advanced. The mini golf concept, believe it or not, just in terms of what it has to interact with. I love talking about advanced mini golf.
::with. I love talking about advanced mini golf. That's where we're going to get into it, right? You're obviously speaking to my golf game.
::where we're going
::That's how you know. We're getting excited about this. My golf game is terrible, by the way, David, so I have no excuse for any of this. But putting got better,
::But putting got better, but not great.
::got better, but not great. But putt check basically makes it accessible to where you're walking through the concept, you're playing mini golf, and you don't have to have a score with you. It takes care of everything for you. So it also does a lot more things that it can't do in traditional mini golf in terms of asking questions, interacting with your play. It was an amazing time to create that concept.
::But basically allowing people to experience this golf in a different way than they'd been used to in the past. And so how did the connection to it come about? How did you make that transition? And what skills did you bring to the table from your previous life that really started working for you as you started to look at this new venture?
::Yeah. So when I am working for the oil company that I did, I actually moved. My transition was also not just from a career perspective, but also a physical location. So I actually moved to the UK to take that job with Adam Breeden. So I actually met Adam at his wedding.
::So this is the ultimate. You're bumped into somebody at a wedding and started talking.
::this is the ultimate.
::It was his wedding as well. So that made it even more fun. I'm assuming the bride was not thrilled with the side conversation.
::assuming the bride was not thrilled with the side conversation. Let's just say,
::Let's just say, yeah, he kicked my butt in tennis the day of. We offered a piece of fruit to keep the energy back up. But anyway, the joke was for us, it was love at first sight. And then we connected. Then I reached out after we got back from the wedding and said, I love what you're doing. I'd love to get involved, move over to the UK. And I had said, I don't need to be paid. I just want to come follow you after six months. and so you said basically i'm gonna be your flunky that's how interested in i i mean a technical term but i mean it's like that's how vested and interested you were in the concept
::you said basically i'm gonna be your flunky that's how interested in i i mean a technical term but
::i mean a
::i mean it's like that's how vested and interested you were in the concept
::i mean
::He had multiple concepts at the same time. And I knew I'd want to get involved in business or potentially start my own business one day. So he had done some amazing things, but also it's very cool. It's a bar. At that point, it wasn't a putt shack, but it was a bounce ping pong concept. And he was working with Flight Club at the time as well. So all these things come together and he's built and scaled these businesses. And I wanted to learn from someone that's done it before. So my thought was, I'm going to go learn from you for six months. Then I'll come back to the US and figure out what I want to do. So the problem is, David, I drank the Kool -Aid a little bit too much when I was over there. So six months in, it just kept extending, extending, extending. And so I lived over there for about five years with my now wife, who is originally from the UK, which is also how they let me in the country. So we worked through that. Nicely done. Wow. You committed to the bit,
::there.
::Nicely done. Wow. You committed to the bit, John Gardner. You did not kid around. You were there in style.
::I was there in style, which is great. And then eventually moved back to the US in 2020 during the pandemic. Just got so vested into the idea,
::got so vested into the idea, got so interested in both learning and executing on the pot shack idea that that six months original term that you kind of gave yourself to like figure out what was next became quite a bit more.
::Yeah, and the beauty of actually Putt Shack, we weren't even aware of Putt Shack when I first moved over. We were just launching Ace Bounce, which is the first one in the U .S., first concept we launched in the U .S., which is obviously a lot of fun. And then Flight Club was during that time as well, which during my time there, we did transition Flight Club, the U .K. Flight Club concept to a U .S. Flight Club concept. And then Putt Shack fundamentally came pretty much as I was involved from Dave. Day zero, if you will, day one, initial conversations. I got to see how that all progressed from figuring out the concept, the technology to the team. From idea to execution. The idea creation all the way to the finished product, which was absolutely amazing.
::So then how did F1 Arcade first get on your radar? Were you already a fan of the sport or is this something all new to you?
::My joke is that's my deepest, darkest secret, David, is I wasn't originally an F1 fan when I first joined the concept.
::John, this is a 35, 45 -minute podcast. There are a lot of deep, dark secrets we're going to get into. Hopefully, that's just the tip of the iceberg. We're going to dive deep. There we go. Not a fan to begin with.
::we go. Not a fan to begin
::with.
::At all. We'll see how it all comes out, David. You're an easy guy to talk to. So as we're going through it, I think with F1, where that came in. So actually Adam Breeden, who's the co -founder of Putt Shack, Ace Bounce, Bounce, Flight Club, and then F1 Arcade, he actually called me and said, I've got a new concept. Very excited about it. And I flew over to London to see the concept in person. I got one of the simulators. i didn't want to get out yeah and not being an f1 fan i knew i was hooked i want to be part of the concept and that was really my my turning moment to say i'm i'm in so can you then please so take take yourself back to that first moment when you saw it and for people who aren't as familiar with f1 and the simulators and f1 arcade can you walk through what a person's experience is with f1 arcade how do they interact with it how do they engage with it
::Shack,
::in so
::can you then please so take take yourself back to that first moment when you saw it and for people who aren't as familiar with f1 and the simulators and f1 arcade can you walk through what a person's experience is with f1 arcade how do they interact with it how do they engage with it
::I think that's the beauty of F1 because when you walk into the site, you can see pictures and videos and understand what the excitement is, but you need to experience it in person. So walking into the space the first time in London, for me, because it's everything that comes together, all the attention to detail. It's the music that's playing in the background. It's the smell of the food. It's seeing the cocktails being made, this beautiful 40 -foot -long cocktail bar that's got champagne. It's meant for celebration. And then you hear the rumble of the engines and the F1 as part of it. So it's a fully immersive experience, but realizing I could be there for a drink, I could be there for food, or I could do the simulator racing. It felt like I could create my own journey with it, Matt. And I do think having all those elements come together is really the magic behind what F1 Arcade as a concept brings for the F1 fan and non -F1 fan.
::I do
::And it kind of layers on to a period of time right now where people are looking for opportunities to, when they go out, what's the new, unique, different, sort of engaging, interactive experience that I'm going to have? We talked about, obviously, Putt Shack and we talked about Topgolf and the other ones associated with this. How does F1 Arcade replicate and how does it differ in your mind from some of those ones that have been out there for a while? The similarities,
::I would say, as people as you outlined, they want something different. They want to try something. They want an experience they never had before. I think even the generations or the younger generations even more so lean heavily into that. Where F1 Arcade differs from that, I think, is we've tried to take it, continue to push the boundaries on things. So we've elevated the food, we've elevated the drinks a little bit more than that. But also, this is the first time we've had a brand behind us in one of these concepts. Yeah, you're not creating a brand new brand from scratch. That's it. Its own nostalgia, its own... expectations shall we say what you expect from an f1 concept and bring that in with the hospitality aspect of this is really the magic and that's where i think again we're looking and pushing the boundaries even more to figure out how can we get the experience that only one percent of the entire world gets to go to an f1 race during their lifetime we're bringing it to the 99 that have had that experience but again different ways to interact you don't need to be an f1 fan to want to interact with us which is really the beauty of the concept
::creating a brand new brand from scratch.
::figure out how can we get the experience that only one percent of the entire world gets to go to an f1 race during their lifetime we're bringing it to the 99 that have had that experience but again different ways to interact you don't need to be an f1 fan to want to interact with us which is really the beauty of the concept
::Let's talk about F1 for a moment. I think it's a fascinating point, right? We're not creating a brand from scratch here. And F1 is obviously going through a bit of a moment, right? It's been going through a bit of a moment for the last few years. Drive to Survive drew a whole new bunch of fans. There's a movie coming out later this summer featuring Brad Pitt that also just has the name. It's another branding opportunity. Can you walk me through how the arcade both leverages?
::that kind of media that's coming out and also supports that media that's coming out? How vested is F1 in the arcade themselves?
::Our relationship with F1 is important. So we have a very long -term exclusive global license with Formula 1. So they're betting big on us as we are obviously with the concept. Within that, I think they have been exceptional partners to help drive the brand. But a lot of their focus from F1's perspective is driving awareness and the fan base in the US. I think that's the biggest untapped market that they have, which is also where they had reached out to Adam Breeden in 2020 to say, we've seen what you've done. We want to bring an F1 version of this. And how do we do that? And that's when Adam jumped in. Partnership really became real for some negotiations and things like that. The beauty of understanding. As you said, F1, I think they were one of the first types of sporting, such as the NBA, NFL, things like that. We know viewership's going down. We know fans. They're trying to speed games up to make it more. Attentions fans are going down as well. So how do you make it more engaging, more interactive, and get a chance to understand the concepts? F1 was early enough to understand that they need to take some risk, I believe, within that. So drive to survive. They were the first ones to really give you an insider -exclusive look into the teams and to be able to connect them in a different way. If you don't even like F1, you might like one of the drivers or the presidents or something like that. So I think they were the first to really see an opportunity with that and watch that grow, as well as continue to feed it with Vegas, the Vegas race that just came online, and the Miami race in the U .S. So they've invested heavily into the U .S., and I think it's working out extremely well. I think we're just seeing the beginning of it.
::And is there, as you work with F1, is there... a imperative from them to create crossovers from the different properties like is there you promote the following races the show is coming back on with a new season the movie is coming out are those all opportunities for you to expand the reach and awareness associated with the arcade absolutely i think um again drive survive is really for the non -fan or you know fans and non -fans really connect with that i think some amazing netflix status was i think one of every three netflix user actually has watched an episode of drive survive
::i think um again drive survive is really for the non -fan or you know fans and non -fans really connect with that i think some amazing netflix status was i think one of every three netflix user actually has watched an episode of drive survive so which is exceptional yeah um so understanding how they they're aware of the brand the awareness has grown in a big way i think with where we are with this is we're also attracting that non -f1 fan which in a lot of those it's hard to develop that even even so an example of this for f1 arcade
::i think um again drive
::so understanding how they they're aware of the brand the awareness has grown in a big way i think with where we are with this is we're also attracting that non -f1 fan which in a lot of those it's hard to develop that even even so an example of this for f1 arcade Typically F1 is more male -dominated than female -dominated. So 75 % male, 25 % female. We are bringing about 50 -50 into our F1 arcades. So I think that showcases, again, that we focus just as much on the overall experience as we do the racing and the cocktails and the food. So bringing those elements of a non -F1 fan and letting them experience what an F1, the glitz and glamour of that would be like, people really are taking to that anything. A big way,
::let's say. It's interesting, too, the way you just framed it from the standpoint of if Drive to Survive becomes people's first engagement with F1, then the arcade presents an opportunity for people to experience F1 without having to go to the race, but probably more in depth than just watching the show. It's basically you're building or part of building a funnel for F1 fandom to a certain degree.
::Exactly right. I think one of the F1, speaking of the funnel, they've done an exceptional job of is they're expanding beyond racing. F1, your introduction is typically racing.
::right.
::But you've got these big personalities and these drivers. There's 20 a year that you're looking at. But Lewis Hamilton, for example, you know, he's fashion is his thing or part of his passions. People are also because he's becoming a name in the fashion world as well. So people might be introduced to Lewis Hamilton in the fashion sense and then say, what is F1 about? He's also got a charity. that is exceptional right so again he's giving back to people again you might connect with the charity portion of what he's doing getting involved in that and what does f1 and to round it all out you know he has a non -alcoholic tequila brand that he has so in different ways a non -alcoholic tequila brand he does he absolutely does which is exceptional by the way i'm sure it's delicious i'm trying to think of the intent behind it lewis hamilton i'm not throwing shade i'm just trying to think of what i'm going to do with non -alcoholic tequila anyway move on the flavor profiles and making it feel as if you know the taste and what you're getting from that we have a very extensive non -alcoholic um lists options are pretty substantial no no
::ways a non -alcoholic tequila brand he does he absolutely does which is exceptional by the way i'm sure it's delicious i'm trying to think of the intent behind it lewis
::hamilton i'm not throwing shade i'm just trying to think of what i'm going to do with non -alcoholic tequila anyway move on the
::hamilton i'm not throwing
::flavor profiles and making it feel as if you know the taste and what you're getting from that we have a very extensive non -alcoholic um lists options are
::are pretty substantial no no are and i think people also you know sometimes they want a little healthier options they don't want to have alcohol on a tuesday wednesday so it's an alternative to have and still have a great time with your friends clearly i am revealing my attitudes toward alcoholism the arcade is open in five locations right now we've got two in the uk and three in the us and you said you spent five years in the uk
::are and i think people also you know sometimes they want a little healthier options they don't want to have alcohol on a tuesday wednesday so it's an alternative to have and still have
::a great time with your friends clearly i am revealing my attitudes toward alcoholism the
::arcade is open in five locations right now we've got two in the uk and three in the us and you said you spent five years in the uk working on some of the other properties like Putt Shack, spent a lot of time there, came back to the US. And I'm interested in your perception of how fans in the UK consume the sport and the arcade versus how fans in the US consume the sport and the arcade. Do you have to have different approaches for the arcades located in the different countries?
::It's a great question. With the UK, people grew up with F1. They know of it. They're aware of it. bigger fan base than what it is. So I think this is all relatively new to the U .S. market. So I would say people understand it a lot more. In the U .K., we first launched that in 2022. So less of a process or education, shall we say, in terms of what this is. Where I think for the first U .S. site, again,
::They're aware of it.
::Where I think
::I say that it's not been around a lot in the U .S. with its forefront in people's minds in the U .S. That being said, it's been incredible to see, again, Drive to Survive and all the other elements coming together. People really did understand it. And again, we continued to work through that. You know, F1 Arcade, the name Arcade, leaning into that. You know, we're reimagining and redefining what Arcade actually means. You and I going to arcades was, you know, a hot dog on a roller wheel, you know, maybe a soft drink and, you know, some terrible games that hadn't been cleaned in years. But it was a lot of fun. I literally just got spontaneous indigestion listening to you.
::it was a lot of fun. I literally just got spontaneous indigestion listening to you. Listening to you describe it.
::to you. Listening
::Exactly. But again, the nostalgia of that. We all had fun doing it. Right. Then, and I think, you know, we're completely redefining of like what that looks like. What the expectation is.
::that. We all
::What the
::Premium, high -end, you know, food. You know, we do have seafood towers in the menu, maybe caviar at some locations. Yeah, creating that luxury sweet experience. F1RK burger and the guilty pleasures that you also want to have at the same time. So just combining the quality and trying to, again, showcase to people what this is. But from a U .S. perspective, I think we also do watch parties, which UK, very, very popular. We wondered how the U .S. would take to that.
::that luxury sweet experience.
::They are sold out. most of the time we showed whatever we can from a time perspective but it's been really exciting to see again it's not just f1 fans coming so there's an actual party that we throw we have a dj we have a host we have an actual throwing a party during those those f1 races but it's i think that was my biggest surprise coming to the u .s was showing how much people were interested and actually watching the races at the same time so third locations in philadelphia that just opened where i think it opened in may may 2025
::it's been
::it's been really exciting to see again it's not just f1 fans coming so there's an actual party that we throw we have a dj we have a host we have an actual throwing a party during those those f1 races but it's i think that was my biggest surprise coming to the u .s was showing how much people were interested and actually watching the races at the same time so
::third locations in philadelphia that just opened where i think it opened in may may 2025 what did you learn from the other because the other locations are boston and washington dc so what did you learn from those first two openings that you're applying to philadelphia any tweaks that you feel like are improving the cadence of the business we could spend uh
::could spend uh
::a day on that day,
::but I'm pretty sure with all the changes and things like that that we have. This is an unlimited format,
::sure with all the changes and things like that that we have. This is an unlimited format, John. We can go and go and go.
::with all the changes and things like that that we have. This is an unlimited format, John. We can go and go and go. I will focus the attention on some bigger things. I think as people interacting with the space, continuing from a marketing perspective and finding how people can understand what we're doing and driving that. We did announce in the simulator as well that people really interacted with from that perspective. People also,
::did announce in the simulator as
::the fans, I would say, again, probably a little bit surprising. There's different options that you have to race, but I think people are starting to understand that this is not for ones and twos. You can come as a one and two at a date night, and that's definitely something for you. But this was actually meant for groups, and we're defining this around groups. And I think that was the theory around Boston and D .C., and we leaned into that a little bit more, but I think even more so in terms of Philly and the future sizes. We're looking at space layouts and things like that. It's really group accommodating as well to drive that together.
::we're defining this
::accommodating as well to drive that together. So I would say, you know, space layouts and things like that, of course, always little tweaks here and there, but continue to push the edge. Private rooms and events business, we went a lot bigger in Philly. From that, again, people want this experience to bring your birthday parties. You want to have your corporate event there. You want to have all those things come together. So I think that's, again, we've really seen a great uptick within that that I think we're going to really focus on in the future.
::It's interesting to note also that Boston, D .C. And Philadelphia lack one thing in common, and that's an F1 race on the schedule. So I'm interested in that idea to open in those three northeastern cities outside of the locations like the Miamis, like the Las Vegas, that would seem to have a more built -in understanding slash fan base or interaction engagement with the product itself.
::It goes to the fact, and we talked a little bit earlier about, This is for F1 fans and non -F1 fans. And we've had some success in those other markets as well with some of the other concepts that we've had. So we knew what we were getting ourselves into in some ways. Boston Seaport is a sports town as well. You've got some amazing sports history behind that. I'm a Bostonian here, so you don't have to explain. So you know all about that.
::a Bostonian
::So I think connecting with that crowd, I think that seemed like an obvious fit for us was in there knowing what we knew about the market. You know, DC, again, very international market for us. A lot of people in and out of that. I think, again, F1 is an international brand in sport. So we felt good about that. And then Philly, you know, Philly is, again, who we just opened there. It's, again, sports are at the core of what they do. And I think people really enjoy that and embrace that. The city of brotherly love is an important thing to say. And I think we really embrace. that and also they appreciate food and beverage at the same time so they're sports they're sports places places but they also appreciate the quality of the experience that we're bringing that it's it's so far turned out to be correct so that venn diagram then definitely has that sports history experience and a dedication to it but also seeking a good time and understanding the crossover of of entertainment in the in the culinary experience as well
::so far turned out to be correct so that venn diagram then definitely has that sports history experience and a dedication to it but also seeking a good time and understanding the crossover of of entertainment in the in the culinary experience as well
::that's it we got we spent a lot of time on real estate selection and it's not it's you know location is so critical but also the deal obviously making making it pencil but also that even the landlords and who we're partnering with because it's a long -term partnership that we have with these people so all those factors definitely play a role into it in the actual markets themselves which we also looking at miami and new york and as as you know we're opening in vegas uh coming this year so very excited about that yeah But it does take time to develop these pipelines and this. So we've got some amazing locations coming in the future as well.
::Repeat business is the key to success in any enterprise. So as you look at F1 Arcade, what's the goal? What's the key to ensuring that repeat business, right? How do you make sure that people want to be back in that simulator again and visiting again and again? I think you can't ever rest on your laurels is probably the easiest,
::rest on your laurels is probably the easiest, what I would say for that. It's also creating a hospitality environment that people want to come back to. You can have the best concept in the world, but if the service is terrible when you left, you're not going back to that. So I think the quality of experience that you're having from the team perspective and driving that, now we don't always get it right. I'll be the first to say that, but always trying to make ourselves better and make it better for every guest that comes in. On top of that, from a game perspective. We're just getting started. The game is a lot of fun. It's fantastic. But we have an entire software engineering team in -house that is constantly developing new ways, new added things for the game. We've got some exciting announcements later this year of what comes to that. So always improving on the game, the experience. We just launched a new drinks menu as well, cocktail menu, to get people excited for Philly. And again, a whole new menu fundamentally for the food side of things. So always innovating and looking at new ways to create that experience that we have.
::Yeah, it's interesting, right? They talk about it in sports all the time, right? You don't really have a whole lot of control over the product in the field, but you do control if the hot dogs are hot and the seats are clean and the bathrooms are clean. That's the key. So it's important to have the excitement of F1, but you are still operating an entertainment facility. So all the little things that nobody likes to think about are play a key role in making sure that repeat business is part of what everyday occurrence is going to be.
::is, you know, people remember how you felt or how something made you feel. And I think we take that to heart a lot of times in terms of when you're in our venues to leading with a, you know, a sense of, I want to come back. I want to come back. But also that was one of those amazing experiences I had. That's always the goal.
::the goal. It was amazing. I don't want to bring my buddies here to see what it's like. That's it.
::it. I think that's also the entry points for people are different ways. You might go for a corporate event. It might be your entry into it, but then the same thing. I want to bring my buddies back here or I want to bring my girlfriend, my wife, for a date.
::I think that's also
::It's an impressive first date spot as well that we've seen. But also, I want to have my birthday party here because this is amazing. And, you know, girls' nights out, guys' nights out, you know, champagne cocktails are fantastic. So all those different elements, you might not understand because, again, it's very hard to get across with pictures and videos, but when you go and experience it, you feel it. That's when you get people in the door to give us a chance and try it. And then you're able to, that's where you see other people really come in.
::The goal is ultimately 30 locations across the U .S. So that's a good one. That's a big goal. In your mind, what's the key to getting to that point?
::One thing that we've done a good job of so far is being very disappointed about where we're going and the locations that we're choosing. And also... the pace at which we're going and other concepts we've gone very quickly and maybe we're more focused on scaling at times than it was about you know being as disciplined as we can be with us but i think our opportunity is not just in the us in the uk it's also globally because it is a global concept so we are looking internationally we've got some amazing global partners that we're currently working with we'll be announcing some point soon about who that who that is but that that's how we get to the 30. It's going to be US, UK owned and operated, but ultimately global franchisees that we're bringing to the table as well.
::And with John Gardner, he's the president of F1 Arcade. John, appreciate the time today diving into F1 Arcade, its growth, how it's established, what changes have been made. Fascinating stuff and look forward to seeing where things are headed. And I'd love to let you go right now, but unfortunately I can't do that because I need to put you into the lightning round, John.
::No,
::No, you're not. This is a terrifying moment. You've covered it up well. But here we go. You say you're ready. So you think so? We'll see. All right. Lightning round, John Gardner. What is your bucket list F1 race? Monaco. Absolutely. I started you off pretty easy.
::You did start an easy one off. I think, Monaco, you need the yacht, though. If you're going to do it, you've got to go yacht. I've got to meet someone that has a yacht.
::You're in the right circles. I'm assuming most F1 team owners have a lot yacht that you can probably do. Anybody who's listening, Monaco, yacht, John Gardner. What's the fastest you've ever driven your own car?
::You're going to get me in trouble here, David. Like I said, maybe I should have been scared. I'd say about 125 when I was in my younger years. Where was that?
::was that?
::That was down a road that... Shall be unnamed. Shall be unnamed at a certain time of the evening. 125 miles an hour?
::be unnamed at a certain
::125 miles an hour? That's lickety -split.
::I was a little bit more daring, I'd say, in my earlier years, David. Daring's a nice way to phrase that.
::Daring's a nice way to phrase that. Nice branding. Nice branding there, Gardner. Favorite video game, or since we're talking about arcades, what was your favorite video game growing up?
::Nice branding there, Gardner.
::That's a tough one because there's quite a few that I loved. Arcade game or video game?
::or video game? The question is, oh, I said video game, didn't I? Yeah.
::Yeah.
::All right, but let's do both. Favorite video game, favorite arcade game. You walked into that one.
::video game, favorite arcade
::Arcade game. You know, this might be surprising. Well, the basketball hoop in the arcade was always my go -to. I'm 6 '7", David. So I play a little basketball in my day. So that was the go -to. Or skee -ball. That was always my favorite. Basically just reach out and put the ball in the thing. That's it. And then I was, yeah, I think Madden would have been my game of choice at one time.
::was always my favorite. Basically
::would have been my game of choice at one time.
::All right. Very good. Yeah. Last one. And you just sort of brought it up. Back in the day. You were a six foot seven inch center for Florida Southern College. Go Moccasins. How well does that six foot seven inch frame fit into an F1 car?
::You know, don't think that I wasn't there preaching that the whole way through. You know, what I was most impressed with was I fit extremely well. But the beauty was we had we actually had some Philadelphia offensive and defensive linemen in the venue for the opening of Philadelphia, which was a lot of fun. i'm a big guy i mean i look small compared to those guys and the beauty was those guys in and out and there were no problems so i i feel very confident about the simulator designs and where we're at with those the uh the open nature of f1 arcade is available to anyone no matter what their frame is john gardner president of f1 arcade thanks for joining me today thanks david we appreciate it
::guys in
::uh the open nature of f1 arcade is available to anyone no matter what their frame is john gardner president of f1 arcade thanks for joining me today thanks david we appreciate it
