Revamp of "Executive" McDonald's in San Diego Includes Yamaha Disklavier Player Piano

BUENA PARK, CA (January 2, 2004) — Entrepreneur Bob Sutherland has transformed the McDonald's® restaurant in San Diego's NBC Building into an oasis for the neighborhood's busy professionals – and to help make sure his patrons are "lovin' it" just as much as the chain's advertising promises, he's installed a Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano as the location's centerpiece.

The piano is part of what Sutherland calls the restaurant's "Yamaha room," a business lounge with a ten-seat conference table, couches and chairs. The instrument is visible to every patron in the 160-seat location through glass walls, which stop short of the ceiling to let the music out as well.

The Disklavier is a real, concert-quality acoustic piano with a modern twist – a built-in digital system that lets it play itself using data recorded on CD-ROMs. As the high-tech version of the old player piano, it brings performances by top artists into users' living rooms – or, in this case, their lunch room. Yamaha will help Sutherland program the music that will play on the instrument, ranging from classical to light rock to holiday tunes.

"We thought it would be a big draw if we did something really upscale like that," says Sutherland, who owns 13 McDonald's locations in San Diego. "We know for a fact that people in the building told us they'd come down and use the conference table for meetings." The building is also near the San Diego Convention Center, cruise ship berths and other offices in the city's downtown area.

After purchasing the location in late September, Sutherland completely refitted it to fit his vision – formal décor, carpeted areas, neon and of course the "Yamaha room" – and the renovations are scheduled to be completed by the beginning of December. A private reception on December 15 marked the formal kickoff.

Arriving in Nashville in 1987, the Lynchburg, VA native soon established himself as one of the Music City's premier songwriters. "After a while I put together a demo tape, and the labels didn't like it," he recalls. "They hated it. You know, every one of the songs that was on that tape later became a number-one song."

Sutherland, who owns a Disklavier of his own at home, obtained the piano for the restaurant through Greene Music, which operates two retail stores and two educational centers in the San Diego area. "I've known Mike and Pat Greene for some time," he says. "I've always been a fanatic about piano music; I can't read a tune or hit a note, but I love pianos."

In this regard, Sutherland is like many other Disklavier owners – its self-play ability has made it a popular home entertainment choice for non-musicians. "The one we bought for the house doesn't stop until we go to bed at night," he declares, "and the one in the restaurant is going to go from when we open until we close."

For more information about Yamaha pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.