The Central Bistro and Bar in Denver provides visitors with a casual, contemporary atmosphere to enjoy a unique, upscale menu. To help create just the right dining experience for guests, the neighborhood restaurant is equipped with a Lutron^® RadioRA2 lighting system, an RTI AD-8 distributed audio system to play three audio sources throughout the 6000-square-foot space — including an RTiDock to easily incorporate music from iPods^® —and televisions located around the bar.

For control over the A/V and lighting systems, owner Isiah Salazar wanted a solution that was simple and intuitive for the staff to use, while also offering a sleek design to match the restaurant's style. Furthermore, to ensure that visitors received a consistent experience every time they dined at the Central Bistro and Bar, it was important that "scenes" were created for different times of the day, each featuring preprogrammed volume and brightness levels. To provide this level of control, Salazar turned to Green Energy and Electric, an electrical, energy, A/V, and shading contractor based in Englewood, Colorado.

"For the Central Bistro and Bar, we chose RTI control solutions for a number of reasons," says Rick Greene, president of Green Energy and Electric. "For one, they are simple to program using the company's Integration Designer^® software, making it easy for us to create the scenes the client was looking for. In addition, RTI products interface seamlessly with the Lutron RadioRA 2 lighting system being used, and with the RTiPanel app, the restaurant can use an iPad^® as the control interface, providing a sleek look for the restaurant."

The Central Bistro and Bar's control system centers around RTI's XP-6 control processor, which offers a variety of communication options — including RS-232, relay, IP, and routable IR — in addition to a built-in astronomical clock. RTI's RTiPanel provides staff with complete control over all components from the convenience of an iPad, offering unique features such as full two-way feedback, dynamic scrolling lists, a completely customizable user interface, and more.

To facilitate integration of the Lutron RadioRA 2 lighting control system, the XP-6 utilizes powerful two-way drivers that provide users with instant feedback on lighting levels throughout the restaurant. Integration with the AD-8 distributed audio system provides feedback on audio sources and volume levels across eight zones. Using the iPad, staff have the ability to play audio from the restaurant's displays over the AD-8 or via local speakers. The XP-6's astronomical clock automatically turns festoon lighting outside the restaurant on/off.

With RTI's award-winning Integration Designer software, Green Energy and Electric was able to create one-touch functionality for the restaurant's lighting and audio scenes. With a single tap, staff can set the perfect atmosphere for "evening" or "night." To eliminate jarring changes in lighting for diners, the programming includes 20-minute fades between scenes.

"The Central Bistro and Bar relies on the RTI system day in and day out to create the proper atmosphere for its customers, and in the nine months since they started using the system, the restaurant has yet to experience an issue," adds Greene. "The audio and lighting scenes we have created are consistent and repeatable, giving customers the same experience every time they dine there. And the staff is completely wowed by the ease of operation and that they can do all this on an iPad."