Located in a suburb of Chicago, Poplar Creek Bowl is an entertainment complex including 32 bowling lanes, a sports bar, restaurant, and banquet facility. As was the case across most of the US due to the pandemic, the Illinois governor ordered a business shutdown in March of 2020. Pete reflected on how two weeks turned into two months, so he and the business owner diligently explored ways to safely reopen. He said Bill Griggs, owner of Poplar Creek Bowl, knew temperature screening was needed. Pete found Viper from a Google search for temperature screening solutions. He and Bill were impressed with the high-quality FLIR camera technology utilized in our Elevated Body Temperature (EBT) detection systems, as well as the integrated ViperVision software which made the screening process both accurate and quick. Pete reached out to inquire about Viper EBT and was put in touch with Bob Mintz, regional sales manager for Viper. Bob facilitated conversations among Viper’s engineering team and Pete’s team at Poplar Creek Bowl to provide a system solution well-suited for their facility.

Pete, Bill, and the marketing team at Poplar Creek Bowl assembled an impressive 4-step safety protocol to welcome customers back once the state mandate allowed for 50% capacity. This protocol included a welcome video providing an overview of the process, a questionnaire, a hand sanitizing station, and the Viper EBT system. Prior to reopening, the county health inspector had to come and inspect the facility. They received approval to reopen, and Pete said the inspector was very impressed with the EBT system. Pete and his team created an informational video outlining the protocol and proactively distributed it to their customers via email and social media. Poplar Creek Bowl was able to reopen in late June, and Pete shared that customers responded very favorably to the safety protocol.

“People were very happy with what we did. They were pleased to come in here and feel safe when they came in. We got a lot of comments, especially about the temperature scanner, how safe it made them feel… We were doing everything possible to make them feel comfortable to come back here. It worked out really well for us.”

When asked about the Viper EBT system’s ease of use, Pete said that was one of the features that made him and Bill so interested in Viper’s system. By providing the quick protocol overview video at their facility entrance, customers proceed through the screening process without staff assistance. We asked Pete if he has ever needed technical assistance since they’ve had the system in place. He said there have been just a few times he needed help adjusting settings, and he appreciated being able to simply set an appointment with Viper technical support via the Viper website. He said Viper support staff was timely and reliable, and they “had the system back up and running within minutes.”

“Temperature screening was vital to maintain the business. We know from customer feedback that it helped people feel comfortable with coming in.”

As of April 2021, Poplar Creek Bowl continues to use its safety protocol and is still operating at 50% capacity following state guidelines. “We have waitlists for people who want to come in here,” Pete said. They are looking forward to when business capacity restrictions can be expanded or lifted. “Temperature screening was vital to maintain the business. We know from customer feedback that it helped people feel comfortable with coming in.”

Viper is so pleased and honored to help Poplar Creek Bowl and many other businesses safely remain operational throughout the pandemic. Learn more about Viper EBT here.