Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefan Tsai.
Stefan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
In 2014, Austin Panic Room was the first escape room in Texas. I needed a part-time job as I was finishing my degree and decided to get a job. I started as just a game master who ran rooms, but I quickly became a manager, lead game designer and eventually the owner of Project Panic Escape Rooms. From there, I’ve also worked with friends and family to start other businesses and fun ventures.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. It’s pretty tough running a small business in an emerging industry. Escape rooms as a concept are still relatively new. There’s not as much set precedents you can base your decisions on. There’s a lot of skills to learn in this industry. As a game designer, I’ve picked up skills I’ve never thought I needed such as wood working, coding, graphic design, game design. All of those I’ve had to learn as I go. However, it helps that I work with a team I trust and a team that I know.
Tell us more about the business.
We are an escape room that believes that in the customer experience. Back when I was working with Austin Panic Room, we always focused on making sure the customer has a good time. A lot of escape rooms out there like to enforce a certain difficulty or make sure the escape percentage stays at a certain percent. We realize that not everyone wants to play like that. Sure we limit the help we give, but our goal is always about enhancing the customer experience, not about maintaining a certain game difficulty.
We also like to focus on games that really promote interaction. We want everyone to have a role so we often use more unique puzzles or find ways to make people interact in unique ways.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
A lot of our success is definitely due to when we entered the market. When our first locations opened, the concept was relatively new. Even now, the industry is still growing and evolving. I was also extremely lucky to be part of a team that really worked with me. It’s difficult to find business partners or even just people in general who work well with you. Successful businesses require great execution; great execution requires cohesive teams, and sometimes cohesive teams require a lot of luck.
Pricing:
- $32 per person
Contact Info:
- Address: 8060 Park Ln. Suite 135 Dallas TX 75231
- Website: www.projectpanicescaperooms.com
- Phone: 469.354.0633
- Email: dallas@projectpanicescaperooms.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectpanicdallas
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/project-panic-escape-rooms-dallas-dallas
- Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55711-d15518749-Reviews-Project_Panic_Escape_Rooms-Dallas_Texas.html
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
