How to Build a Custom Indoor Playground in a Restaurant | Custom Indoor Playground Supplier with 20+ Years of Expertise
May 16, 2026
In today's increasingly competitive food and beverage industry, creating differentiated experiences has become the key to brand breakthroughs. Haidilao, a leading hot pot chain in China with over 1,300 locations, is widely known for its exceptional service and welcoming atmosphere.
To better serve families with children, Haidilao decided to introduce small indoor play areas in many of its stores. For this important initiative, they chose Cowboy – a professional indoor playground supplier with over 23 years of experience and a proven track record of 3,200+ successful installations. Cowboy provides fully custom indoor playground solutions tailored to each location's unique needs.
Cowboy has specialized in the family-friendly playground for many years, actively exploring the innovative "dining + play" consumption scenario. While children play safely and happily in the dedicated area, parents can enjoy their meal with peace of mind. This not only increases customer dwell time but also boosts order frequency and repurchase rates – a win-win for both families and restaurant operators.
Custom Indoor Play Design and Equipment
During planning and design, Cowboy customized equipment and activity mixes to each store's space, floor area, and ceiling height, while maintaining brand consistency and visual harmony. Using Haidilao's signature red and warm orange as the primary color palette, the spaces feel both cozy and vibrant, perfectly echoing the Haidilao brand identity.
Case Study 1: Sanming Aegean Sea Store, Fujian, China
A compact 45㎡ children's play area was strategically placed near the entrance to maximize visibility and customer attraction. The iconic round head of Haidilao's mascot "Xiao Hai" was transformed into a custom castle slide, showcasing our ability to turn brand elements into functional play features.
Case Study 2: Zunhua Store No. 1, Hebei
Design Drawing
In a 112㎡ space, we skillfully integrated interactive games such as "Chicken Laying Eggs," "Hit the Radish," and building block walls – activities that enhance children's hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and cognitive skills. Four acrylic windows on the second level allow children to look down at the ball pit while making it easy for parents to supervise, showing how we combine custom equipment design with practical user experience.
Case Study 3: Suzhou Store No. 26, Jiangsu
An irregular 25㎡ corner was fully utilized by embedding a custom-designed second-level castle structure into an architectural recess. We maximize space efficiency through turkey solutions. By adopting a "vertical development" and "multi-functional integration" strategy, we achieved the highest number of play activities per square meter–including slides, step ladders, climbing nets, and more. This is a clear example of our custom indoor playground manufacturing strength.
Dining + Play: A New Differentiating Weapon
Building play areas inside a hot pot restaurant is another extension of Haidilao's service philosophy. Stores with play areas are significantly more attractive to families with children – a customer segment known for stable spending and high repurchase rates. When children are having fun, parents naturally stay longer, order more food, and increase the average check value. Meanwhile, the custom indoor playground helps ease the anxiety of waiting for a table, reducing customer drop-off during peak hours.
The children's play area has become a core highlight of Haidilao's differentiation strategy, helping the brand stand out in a fiercely competitive market and win the favor of more family diners – continuously leading new trends in dining consumption.
Contact us today to bring your dream restaurant indoor play area to life. Cowboy is your trusted partner for custom indoor playground solutions.
