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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
He’s the king of the castle
  
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Owner of family entertainment center says keeping his new business open is more important than economy.
By Natalie Yemenidjian
In the midst of a recession, Kids Castle owner Mike Daglian does not care about the financial future of his newly built family entertainment center, which opens Sunday.
“I can care less about the economy,” Daglian said. “This is my dream.”
He could fail, but as long as the amusement center exists, he will be content, Daglian said.
Fourteen months ago, his longtime vision for a family-oriented amusement center came to fruition with the help of amusement consultant Reggie Moultrie.
When the 15,000-square-foot center was nothing but an empty warehouse, Moultrie and Daglian walked through the decrepit building and envisioned an interior design that has not wavered.
“The layout that you see today is almost exactly what we thought it would be 14 months ago,” Moultrie said.
The exterior is surrounded by cartoons of dragons, knights and princesses, creating a fairy-tale setting that stretches all the way to the Himalayan Ride, an indoor ride that goes forward and backward at up to 30 mph.
Inside are the typical bright lights and beeping sounds of games that beckon for someone to play them.
Not so typical is the restaurant seating, the private rooms for parties and a soft two-story playground. Instead of the traditional tokens, kids use cards to access games.
The prizes are unique as well.
“We wanted the parents to play with their kids and have a goal for winning,” Moultrie said.
Behind the redemption counter, beside the traditional stuffed animals and plastic toys, are blenders and name-brand kitchen equipment.
“It takes a lot of tickets and a lot of playing time to earn those prizes,” Moultrie said.
“We want the parents to enjoy it, too,” added Daglian.
“My favorite part about this place is the kids’ eyes when they see all the games.”
Although the indoor entertainment center does not have the same amount of games and rides as larger amusement parks like Six Flags, Moultrie said Kids Castle is a good alternative.
“No matter what the state of the economy is, parents are going to do something for their kids,” Moultrie said.
“I can care less about the economy,” Daglian said. “This is my dream.”
He could fail, but as long as the amusement center exists, he will be content, Daglian said.
Fourteen months ago, his longtime vision for a family-oriented amusement center came to fruition with the help of amusement consultant Reggie Moultrie.
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“The layout that you see today is almost exactly what we thought it would be 14 months ago,” Moultrie said.
The exterior is surrounded by cartoons of dragons, knights and princesses, creating a fairy-tale setting that stretches all the way to the Himalayan Ride, an indoor ride that goes forward and backward at up to 30 mph.
Inside are the typical bright lights and beeping sounds of games that beckon for someone to play them.
Not so typical is the restaurant seating, the private rooms for parties and a soft two-story playground. Instead of the traditional tokens, kids use cards to access games.
The prizes are unique as well.
“We wanted the parents to play with their kids and have a goal for winning,” Moultrie said.
Behind the redemption counter, beside the traditional stuffed animals and plastic toys, are blenders and name-brand kitchen equipment.
“It takes a lot of tickets and a lot of playing time to earn those prizes,” Moultrie said.
“We want the parents to enjoy it, too,” added Daglian.
“My favorite part about this place is the kids’ eyes when they see all the games.”
Although the indoor entertainment center does not have the same amount of games and rides as larger amusement parks like Six Flags, Moultrie said Kids Castle is a good alternative.
“No matter what the state of the economy is, parents are going to do something for their kids,” Moultrie said.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of burbankleader.com.
Wanda wrote on Jan 13, 2009 10:08 PM:
" PARENT BEWARE!
I just took my children to Kid's Castle and here is what happened:
-the indoor roller coaster costs $5 a ride and you have to be 48" high to ride without a parent and EACH CHILD UNDER 48" MUST HAVE A PARENT RIDE WITH THEM. NO "MOMMY AND TWO KIDS ALL RIDE TOGETHER EVEN THOUGH YOU ALL FIT IN THE SAME CAR" ALLOWED, so that's $20 for 2 adults and 2 children to ride. In order for me to take my kids on the ride, Grandma would also have to ride...again, that's $20 for a ride.
-for parties of 6 or more in the restaurant (not a private room or party) there is an AUTOMATIC 18% GRATUITY ADDED TO YOUR BILL IN ADDITION TO AN AUTOMATIC 18% TIP...YES, THAT'S RIGHT, TWO CHARGES OF 18% FOR GROUPS OF 6 OR MORE IN THE GENERAL DINNING ROOM. We were not informed of this policy; it just appeared on the bill. We were told it is written in the menu. Our bill for 2 adults and 4 toddlers was $70.
- the big spin wheel game has a 1,000 ticket prize...and we got it and then were told that they only pay out 800 tickets...so, again, the 1,000 ticket prize only gets you 800 tickets. All management could say to me was "that all the tickets we will give you." After we won the 1,000 prize the game was "OUT OF ORDER" for the rest of our stay
-they stamp your hand and your child's hand with the same number BUT DO NOT CHECK THIS WHEN YOU LEAVE. I ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS NOT FOR THE PURPOSES OF STOPPING SOMEONE FROM LEAVING WITH YOUR CHILD. When I asked what it was for I was told it was to be used if a child gets lost inside.
- the back exit doors are unlocked and lead directly to the street and do not have alarms if you open them. When I informed them that someone could take a child and leave with that child I was told that the valet car parking people would notice someone abducting a child and stop them!
SHOCKING!!
Sincerely,
A Concerned Parent on a budget "
I just took my children to Kid's Castle and here is what happened:
-the indoor roller coaster costs $5 a ride and you have to be 48" high to ride without a parent and EACH CHILD UNDER 48" MUST HAVE A PARENT RIDE WITH THEM. NO "MOMMY AND TWO KIDS ALL RIDE TOGETHER EVEN THOUGH YOU ALL FIT IN THE SAME CAR" ALLOWED, so that's $20 for 2 adults and 2 children to ride. In order for me to take my kids on the ride, Grandma would also have to ride...again, that's $20 for a ride.
-for parties of 6 or more in the restaurant (not a private room or party) there is an AUTOMATIC 18% GRATUITY ADDED TO YOUR BILL IN ADDITION TO AN AUTOMATIC 18% TIP...YES, THAT'S RIGHT, TWO CHARGES OF 18% FOR GROUPS OF 6 OR MORE IN THE GENERAL DINNING ROOM. We were not informed of this policy; it just appeared on the bill. We were told it is written in the menu. Our bill for 2 adults and 4 toddlers was $70.
- the big spin wheel game has a 1,000 ticket prize...and we got it and then were told that they only pay out 800 tickets...so, again, the 1,000 ticket prize only gets you 800 tickets. All management could say to me was "that all the tickets we will give you." After we won the 1,000 prize the game was "OUT OF ORDER" for the rest of our stay
-they stamp your hand and your child's hand with the same number BUT DO NOT CHECK THIS WHEN YOU LEAVE. I ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS NOT FOR THE PURPOSES OF STOPPING SOMEONE FROM LEAVING WITH YOUR CHILD. When I asked what it was for I was told it was to be used if a child gets lost inside.
- the back exit doors are unlocked and lead directly to the street and do not have alarms if you open them. When I informed them that someone could take a child and leave with that child I was told that the valet car parking people would notice someone abducting a child and stop them!
SHOCKING!!
Sincerely,
A Concerned Parent on a budget "
still upset wrote on Jan 19, 2009 2:36 PM:
" We have gone twice to Kid's Castle and will NEVER go again!
First of all, the price per game is ridiculous. They use a card system that requires you to purchase "points" and then you swipe it at each game before playing. Well, not one game in the entire Kid's Castle is just 1 point, they start at 1.5 points all the way to 12.5 points a game!!! So all those .5's quickly add up and take your points away. They also charge you $1 for the card, so if you were planning on spending $20 for game points because it's a better deal, they automatically charge you the dollar for the card, so you're only getting $19 worth of points.
Second of all, the supervision there is terrible!!! Our four year-old son was playing in their indoor castle play-area and was being bullied by an older boy. Since adults are outside waiting for their kids to come out and cannot see all the way to the top, all we heard was our son hysterically screaming and crying. I managed to make my way up to him to find that the older boy had blocked the entrance of the tube slide with one of those giant bouncing balls. My concern about this was twofold;
One: why didn't the employee, Shamil, do anything when he heard the screams? He just stood there chatting with another employee oblivious to the going ons of his area.
Two: why are they allowed to have these balls up there? What if there was a fire? How would a child get out if the slides and/or tubes are blocked with these balls? This is a terrible, terrible mistake on the management and the city's fire department for allowing this.
I agree with the other reader's comment that the exits are not secure and it would be very easy for a child to be taken. AND I am sure that if a stranger walked out with your child screaming and the valet saw this, this stranger could easily say, "Oh my child is not behaving, so we're going home." And that would be that.
This place 1/2 a star and I DO NOT recommend it to anyone! "
First of all, the price per game is ridiculous. They use a card system that requires you to purchase "points" and then you swipe it at each game before playing. Well, not one game in the entire Kid's Castle is just 1 point, they start at 1.5 points all the way to 12.5 points a game!!! So all those .5's quickly add up and take your points away. They also charge you $1 for the card, so if you were planning on spending $20 for game points because it's a better deal, they automatically charge you the dollar for the card, so you're only getting $19 worth of points.
Second of all, the supervision there is terrible!!! Our four year-old son was playing in their indoor castle play-area and was being bullied by an older boy. Since adults are outside waiting for their kids to come out and cannot see all the way to the top, all we heard was our son hysterically screaming and crying. I managed to make my way up to him to find that the older boy had blocked the entrance of the tube slide with one of those giant bouncing balls. My concern about this was twofold;
One: why didn't the employee, Shamil, do anything when he heard the screams? He just stood there chatting with another employee oblivious to the going ons of his area.
Two: why are they allowed to have these balls up there? What if there was a fire? How would a child get out if the slides and/or tubes are blocked with these balls? This is a terrible, terrible mistake on the management and the city's fire department for allowing this.
I agree with the other reader's comment that the exits are not secure and it would be very easy for a child to be taken. AND I am sure that if a stranger walked out with your child screaming and the valet saw this, this stranger could easily say, "Oh my child is not behaving, so we're going home." And that would be that.
This place 1/2 a star and I DO NOT recommend it to anyone! "
paniagua_marie wrote on Jan 25, 2009 11:30 AM:
" I like how it looks and everything except for the food the food is very pricy and they don't even have alot to offer and it does not taste very good. Also the indoor ride is very expensive. ANd the games period are expensive they have more toys for 1,000.00 tickets and up and for the lowest tickets they only have 2 things. Its rediculous is very expensive I will not go there anymore. I rather go to chuck e. cheese "
lauren wrote on Feb 12, 2009 2:00 PM:
" Parents: Thanks for all of the comments.
I was thinking of taking my son to Kid's Castle and now I am glad I did my research before we went out! Go to UNDER THE SEA on Victory and Buena Vista instead. It is geared for younger tots but definitely much more fun!! Socks are required in the play area. You can bring your own snacks and drinks or bring in outside food (there's quizno's and round table right next door). Also, you cannot leave your child (it is NOT a babysitting service!). Again, it is fun for the younger kids, probably ages 8 and under. "
I was thinking of taking my son to Kid's Castle and now I am glad I did my research before we went out! Go to UNDER THE SEA on Victory and Buena Vista instead. It is geared for younger tots but definitely much more fun!! Socks are required in the play area. You can bring your own snacks and drinks or bring in outside food (there's quizno's and round table right next door). Also, you cannot leave your child (it is NOT a babysitting service!). Again, it is fun for the younger kids, probably ages 8 and under. "
chrstnecastle wrote on Mar 1, 2009 6:38 PM:
" Im glad I read this, i was about to book a party for 20 kids and their parents, but after reading these comments i don't think it a safe way to go. Thanks for the heads up! "
dragon wrote on Apr 20, 2009 4:35 AM:
" "Second of all, the supervision there is terrible!!! Our four year-old son was playing in their indoor castle play-area and was being bullied by an older boy. Since adults are outside waiting for their kids to come out and cannot see all the way to the top, all we heard was our son hysterically screaming and crying. I managed to make my way up to him to find that the older boy had blocked the entrance of the tube slide with one of those giant bouncing balls. My concern about this was twofold;
One: why didn't the employee, Shamil, do anything when he heard the screams? He just stood there chatting with another employee oblivious to the going ons of his area.
Two: why are they allowed to have these balls up there? What if there was a fire? How would a child get out if the slides and/or tubes are blocked with these balls? This is a terrible, terrible mistake on the management and the city's fire department for allowing this.
I agree with the other reader's comment that the exits are not secure and it would be very easy for a child to be taken. AND I am sure that if a stranger walked out with your child screaming and the valet saw this, this stranger could easily say, "Oh my child is not behaving, so we're going home." And that would be that.
This place 1/2 a star and I DO NOT recommend it to anyone! " "
It isn't the duty of the play place attendant to watch the kids, that is the duty of the parent. If you weren't watching your kid well enough don't blame it on someone else.
It isn't like the play place attendant is inside watching the kids, he/she has the same visual view as the parents do. No adults are allowed in the play place "
One: why didn't the employee, Shamil, do anything when he heard the screams? He just stood there chatting with another employee oblivious to the going ons of his area.
Two: why are they allowed to have these balls up there? What if there was a fire? How would a child get out if the slides and/or tubes are blocked with these balls? This is a terrible, terrible mistake on the management and the city's fire department for allowing this.
I agree with the other reader's comment that the exits are not secure and it would be very easy for a child to be taken. AND I am sure that if a stranger walked out with your child screaming and the valet saw this, this stranger could easily say, "Oh my child is not behaving, so we're going home." And that would be that.
This place 1/2 a star and I DO NOT recommend it to anyone! " "
It isn't the duty of the play place attendant to watch the kids, that is the duty of the parent. If you weren't watching your kid well enough don't blame it on someone else.
It isn't like the play place attendant is inside watching the kids, he/she has the same visual view as the parents do. No adults are allowed in the play place "
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