In the summer of 2019, the residents of Victoria, Minn., welcomed the new Winchester and Rye Restaurant and Whisky Bar. The owners, Kevin and Kim Heanie, had a long history in the restaurant and bar business, previously running a popular establishment at a nearby private country club. Having lived in Victoria for several decades, they recognized a need for a local watering hole featuring great food, a friendly and inviting atmosphere, and a whiskey bar with great ambiance and custom cocktails.
Winchester and Rye quickly became a local favorite to Victoria residents and surrounding communities. The coffee chili-rubbed filet, Yummy Bowl of Goodness pasta dish, and wood-fired pizzas draw a regular flood of repeat customers. Additionally, the excellent staff and leadership of the restaurant create a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere in the restaurant for guests to enjoy.
Despite the restaurant’s culinary and service excellence, Kevin and Kim identified an area for improvement: the entertainment system. The existing sound system was plagued with problems. Music often cut out, stalled, or produced crackling. The system also was complicated to control, requiring three different apps to manage volume, streaming, and source routing. They made the decision to invest in a system update that would elevate the quality of music and entertainment.
Pete Baker with The BIG Corp, who acts as Russound’s sales rep, is a longtime friend of the owners and a local resident in Victoria. Kim contacted Baker for advice on how they could improve the distributed audio system in the restaurant. Baker pulled in a local Russound dealer Shawn Jones of Cool Home Technology to manage the upgrade.
The original distributed audio system included six pairs of flush-mounted ceiling speakers installed throughout the restaurant, a 2-channel amplifier, and basic audio matrix switcher. Streaming audio was delivered to the rack via Bluetooth from a local iPad.
Cool Home Technology removed the existing 2-channel amplifier and audio matrix switcher. As a replacement, they specified and installed a Russound MCA-66 six-zone audio matrix and multichannel amplifier/controller and a Russound MBX-PRE audio streaming source device for a system that delivers up to six zones of audio with amazing quality, supports all popular streaming services, and is easy to control. The entire audio distribution and streaming audio are managed with the new Russound App.
The transformation delighted the Heanies and their patrons. Each zone’s audio was specifically tuned to suit its unique characteristics, enhancing the ambiance throughout the restaurant. Plus, control of volumes, source routing, and streaming music is simplified. Using only the Russound App, staff can easily navigate and manage the system. The Russound App is so simple in fact, within minutes of the final installation, the owners and staff were experts at operating the system from a local iPad or their iPhones.
The Russound audio system not only elevated the dining experience at Winchester and Rye, but also underscored the establishment’s commitment to excellence in every aspect of serving its guests.
