EATZI'S VIDEOS AT MACY'S -- JUST A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME

ROSEANNE HARPER

By NEW YORK -- EatZi's is already stopping busy New Yorkers in their tracks with a huge video wall in Macy's window that offers a preview of what's to come.

The colorful, quick-changing video screens -- nine of them -- occupy a whole 10-foot-by-10-foot panel of Macy's display windows facing 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The hybrid restaurant-supermarket will open a unit at Macy's flagship Oct. 16.

The video scenes in Macy's window show action at existing EatZi's locations and are accompanied by opera music and Broadway show tunes piped out onto 34th Street. Piping such music outside -- and playing it inside -- has been a hallmark of EatZi's concept of entertaining as well as feeding consumers, EatZi's officials said.

The EatZi's concept was launched 2 1/2 years ago in Dallas by Brinker International, based in Dallas, and restaurateur Phil Romano.

The aim of Macy's video wall is to educate consumers so they'll be ready to patronize the eatery once it opens, according to EatZi's. The video preview was grabbing the attention of pedestrians on 34th Street as early as 8 o'clock one recent weekday morning, SN observed.

The video wall is situated right beside a mid-block entrance to Macy's on 34th Street. The foot traffic on the stretch of sidewalk that runs past it is estimated at 100,000 people a day.

Every category of information anyone could think to ask about EatZi's appears to be covered in the video presentation, which is formatted to emulate a huge interactive computer screen. For example, a big lit-up arrow goes to a line on one video screen that says "location." Then,a video shot occupying all the other screens shows the The Cellar department of Macy's. Another lit-up arrow, pointing downward, is accompanied by the words "Downstairs here." Then, splashed across all the screens: "Opens October 16."

Next, the arrow goes to the word "Bakery," and all the other video screens show bakery production at existing EatZi locations. Pastry chefs are putting the finishing touches on tortes and tarts. In the next scene, bakers on every screen are shown in various steps of baking bread. Some are shaping loaves, some loading ovens or pulling out racks of interesting-looking breads.

Huge letters across the top proclaim, "EatZi's has 30 kinds of bread a day." Then, "It's always fresh because we bake all day long."

Other "choices" on the "interactive" screen include "wood-fired grill," "sandwich board" and "catering."

EatZi's president, Lane Cardwell, said the video monitors, which were installed on Aug. 14, will be used to show live action downstairs in the Macy's EatZi's when it opens this fall.

Next up for EatZi's is Boston, officials said. That opening is set for late next spring.