Post by jpjohnpeta on Dec 6, 2008 8:07:26 GMT -6
For those who have not seen the article in today's Des Moines Register about Inplay.
Owner of inPlay ousted over rent
A downtown Des Moines entertainment and gaming center has changed hands after the former owner failed to pay rent, new managers of the business say.
Signs outside inPlay, 615 Third St., became AllPlay on Friday after what the new management described as an ouster of the man responsible for the original franchise.
Mark Rogers, a Des Moines-area restaurateur involved in creating the original inPlay concept, said he is running the Des Moines franchise after it was seized by Nelson Development, the business' landlord. Rogers said Nelson evicted a corporation formerly run by Michael Stessman because of that company's nonpayment of rent.
Polk County court records show Stessman and Inplay Franchise Services LLC have settled or lost at least four debt-related lawsuits since March 2008.
The most recent, a $540,597 judgment against Stessman and his company obtained by a Coralville food services company, was filed the week before Thanksgiving.
Stessman, who owns a Clive home assessed for tax purposes at $536,840, could not be reached for comment Friday. Nor could the chief inPlay official at Nelson Development.
Rogers — whose restaurant holdings include Legends, Stadium Grill and FireCreek — attempted Friday to reassure area-customers that the business will continue. There will be no changes for anyone who booked a party into AllPlay's 8,000-square-foot banquet space, he said.
"I want people to have confidence that we're not only going to be here but also going to be better," Rogers said. "We have every intention of it (eventually) becoming part of our restaurant group."
InPlay, founded in Peoria, Ill., opened in March 2007 in Des Moines as the third offering of a chain that also includes Omaha. The $10.3 million renovation project turned a former General Growth Properties office building into banquet space, a 22,000-square-foot arcade, and 7,000-square-foot sports bar.
To aid the project, Des Moines leaders agreed to give Nelson Development nearly $1.88 million in public money to subsidize inPlay's rent. The cash, provided in three installments via a no-interest loan from Polk County, is scheduled to be paid back over 10 years by the city of Des Moines using new property taxes from the development. Polk officials are scheduled to produce the final $437,500 loan for Nelson Development in February.
InPlay's company Web site still describes the business as "a unique, full-service family entertainment concept" that "combines many synergistic elements under one roof to create a vibrant community resource."
"You come down for a wedding, a corporate-team building event, for a kid's birthday party or before a (hockey) game," Stessman said in early 2007. "Every time, it's a different experience."
Stessman said in 2006 that the Peoria location had been posting sales of $2.5 million a year.
Rogers on Friday described himself as one of four investors in the original inPlay corporation but uninvolved until recently in management of the Des Moines franchise. Rogers, who sued Stessman in June over their business dealings, said he wants to negotiate with vendors before assuming any financial responsibility.
Owner of inPlay ousted over rent
A downtown Des Moines entertainment and gaming center has changed hands after the former owner failed to pay rent, new managers of the business say.
Signs outside inPlay, 615 Third St., became AllPlay on Friday after what the new management described as an ouster of the man responsible for the original franchise.
Mark Rogers, a Des Moines-area restaurateur involved in creating the original inPlay concept, said he is running the Des Moines franchise after it was seized by Nelson Development, the business' landlord. Rogers said Nelson evicted a corporation formerly run by Michael Stessman because of that company's nonpayment of rent.
Polk County court records show Stessman and Inplay Franchise Services LLC have settled or lost at least four debt-related lawsuits since March 2008.
The most recent, a $540,597 judgment against Stessman and his company obtained by a Coralville food services company, was filed the week before Thanksgiving.
Stessman, who owns a Clive home assessed for tax purposes at $536,840, could not be reached for comment Friday. Nor could the chief inPlay official at Nelson Development.
Rogers — whose restaurant holdings include Legends, Stadium Grill and FireCreek — attempted Friday to reassure area-customers that the business will continue. There will be no changes for anyone who booked a party into AllPlay's 8,000-square-foot banquet space, he said.
"I want people to have confidence that we're not only going to be here but also going to be better," Rogers said. "We have every intention of it (eventually) becoming part of our restaurant group."
InPlay, founded in Peoria, Ill., opened in March 2007 in Des Moines as the third offering of a chain that also includes Omaha. The $10.3 million renovation project turned a former General Growth Properties office building into banquet space, a 22,000-square-foot arcade, and 7,000-square-foot sports bar.
To aid the project, Des Moines leaders agreed to give Nelson Development nearly $1.88 million in public money to subsidize inPlay's rent. The cash, provided in three installments via a no-interest loan from Polk County, is scheduled to be paid back over 10 years by the city of Des Moines using new property taxes from the development. Polk officials are scheduled to produce the final $437,500 loan for Nelson Development in February.
InPlay's company Web site still describes the business as "a unique, full-service family entertainment concept" that "combines many synergistic elements under one roof to create a vibrant community resource."
"You come down for a wedding, a corporate-team building event, for a kid's birthday party or before a (hockey) game," Stessman said in early 2007. "Every time, it's a different experience."
Stessman said in 2006 that the Peoria location had been posting sales of $2.5 million a year.
Rogers on Friday described himself as one of four investors in the original inPlay corporation but uninvolved until recently in management of the Des Moines franchise. Rogers, who sued Stessman in June over their business dealings, said he wants to negotiate with vendors before assuming any financial responsibility.