Since its opening in 2006, Chef Rob’s Caribbean Café has been a culinary staple in Atlanta. A repeat client of local AV integrator Todd Magee, owner and CEO of T. Magee, Inc., the restaurant was undergoing renovation, making it the perfect time to enhance the guest dining and lounge experience with a fully controlled AV system. To ensure a great user experience with impeccable details customized to Chef Rob’s and the staff’s needs, Magee relied on RTI — the AV control system chosen by restaurants all over the world.

Eight TVs were installed throughout the restaurant — four in the main dining area and four behind the bar, each receiving a video stream from a DirecTV receiver along with the option to switch to one of two satellite receivers. For audio, there are three Electro-Voice main speakers and two Electro-Voice subwoofers in the front as well as two SoundTube ceiling speakers and Ashly Audio KLR-3200 amplifiers in the back. Magee chose an RTI XP-6s control processor to tie everything together in a comprehensive control ecosystem.

Magee mounted an RTI KA8 eight-inch touchpanel into the wall behind the bar and customized an iPad installed with the RTiPanel app. Because efficiency was paramount, the user experience had to be super simple, eliminating staff from having to click through numerous pages and menus. The RTI Integration Designer software, now in version 11, allows for complete UI configuration for the most complex AV system for at-a-glance intuitiveness, whether controlling the system from the touchpanel or the iPad. From one window, Chef Rob’s staff can power on and off the TVs and change the channels, as well as adjust the volume of each of the audio systems down to the individual speaker. Magee also programmed the RTI system to automate many user tasks. For example, if staff forgets to turn off any part of the AV system after closing, RTI will automatically shut it down.

With RTI, Magee also streamlined the music control experience. When users click the Music button, the music-selection layer pops up. They can select from and adjust the various audio sources, which include an audio input from the satellite receivers, the stereo input for the weekly DJ, or the Bluesound Pro B100S media player. Integration Designer 11 tools such as preconfigured templates and auto programming made Magee’s installation more efficient. For example, with a driver library accessible right in the software, Magee didn’t have to search for drivers for the various AV components needed for the project on a separate site. These features helped speed up installation, getting Chef Rob that much closer to reopening his doors on time.

Chef Rob and Magee have already begun discussing new ideas for the restaurant, including projectors, smart thermostats, and smart lighting, which can all be easily controlled right from the RTI system. With RTI, it’s easy to expand as AV components are added and changed.

“RTI truly made every step straightforward and hassle-free, without a single issue,” Magee said. “Plus, the scalability of RTI is absolutely unparalleled. Without a doubt, it’s my control system of choice.”