Owning and running your own seafront arcade

[emma_fish]

todays dream ...

I've long harbored the dream that either voluntary redundancy or a lottery win would enable me to open my own pinball arcade, perhaps a small seafront venue with around 20 tables serving teas/coffee and hosting tournaments and birthday parties etc.
I imagine many of you have or do run arcades and would be interested in the viability of this and whats licensing regulations are required, ultimately i'd be interested in the overall appeal and/or suggestions to improve.

cheers

bob

 

[ZedEx48K]

This dream has been brought up before, and the answer is pretty much forget it! (unless you can afford to run at a loss).

 

[vib_ribbon]

20 tables = 20 pinball tables? or 20 tables for tea & coffee?

 

[jengineer]

a vintage coffee shop with some vintage 70's, 80's and 90's machines could do well, everyone loves seeing coin ops machines and tea and coffee sell very very with a good mark up on it

all you need is the right location with accesible parking and passing trade, if you focused just on pinballs you are only catering for people who like pins with the ocassional interest from other people but a variety of machines could attract many people, and if you had large premises with other machines in the back you could change the stock weekly etc

all the machines could also be for sale and you would get premium prices, this is all on the basis that you know the machines inside out (and can repair them) and you live and breath them and you then also work your ass off

maybe not make a million but it would turn over nicely

but I've never owned or ran a shop so I imagine there are a lot of cost's such as high rent, business rates, hiring and firing staff, staff who take the piss or thieve from you, other stuff like 'quiet periods' etc

ideally to make a lot of money from something like above you'd need to be single and be able to afford to buy your own shop so there is no rent, and then live above it

etc etc blah blah
jengineer2014-05-07 14:01:54

 

[ZuPoint]

Don't want to be negative but there's a reason arcades only have bandits, and the coin ops have gone the way of the payphone.

Downtown disney had best arcade I've been in in a while, all on free play and loads of machines empty

 

[jengineer]

yep, Video arcades died in the late 90's when the home console got just as good, if you just want to run an arcade it won't survive without bandits and redemtion machines, pushers etc, also the big drivers and shooters seem to attract the youngsters

but I think Emma was asking more about a Pinball/coffee shop
jengineer2014-05-07 15:30:46

 

[ZuPoint]

yep, Video arcades died in the late 90's when the home console got just as good,  if you just want to run an arcade it won't survive without bandits and redemtion machines, pushers etc, also the big drivers and shooters seem to attract the youngsters

?

but I think Emma was asking more about a Pinball/coffee shop

Why go to arcades in town to play turtles when your mate has it on his snes, good times

 

[stryker]

Its funny in a twisted way how arcade games went from dedicated boards yielding out of this world results, to generalised boards, to totally generalised kit to not being "special" enough to get people away from their consoles.... guess it had to due to rising complexity?

Regarding pinball machines.... I remember the chap over at lucky 7's complaining he had to reduce his pinball machines as these days the maintenance was costing way more than they brought in. I'm not into pinballs but suspect vintage = costly? worth a thought.

 

[jengineer]

out of all coin op machines I'd have to say from experience that Pinballs are the trickest to fix and due to there 'hammering' of the parts on the playfield they break down the most,
jengineer2014-05-07 15:45:13

 

[tb lilley]

Would make more sense to simply open a coffee shop - with maybe a few pins in the back. Even then, the pins won't pay for themselves ...

BITD all my arcade playing was done in Bab's Cafe. Which was, unsurprisingly, a cafe. All the games were in a back room. 3 cabs, 1 pin, 1 bandit, 1 Juke. They brought in zero extra business for the cafe - just brought in punters like me to play the games. As time went by the games ended up costing more to run than they were bringing in and that was the end of that.

And I doubt putting pins / cabs in a cafe these days would be any different. Won't attract any extra business and won't pay for their keep either.

 

[IDCHAPPY]

I'd love to do it too, just need a few hundred thousand in the bank

 

[DrGlitch]

To bring this back on message, if you just had vids there's no issue in terms of the gaming commission and gambling laws.

I intend to do exactly what you mention: a seaside arcade, but only as part of a larger... heritage ... thing.

The arcades (by the seaside) by me live precarious existences now - I counted five vids in four arcades - as said by others the money comes from fruities... and it isn't a pretty sight.

 

[Monkeykong1]

Maybe a bar with video games would be better like Barcad. Theres one opening in Peckham soon. Problem with the coast its to dependant on tourism.

As most people say I think have the cafe/bar first and a few machines.

 

[RGP]

This level of negativity is exactly why we didn't tell anyone what we were doing until we'd got to a point where we meant what we were talking about.

My advice:

coin based play alone won't sustain the business - as long as thats in your mind from the start then you're through a lot of the hurdles.

you don't need gaming licenses for video games and pinball machines but as soon as you go near a redemption, pusher or anything that hands out a prize you'll be handing money to your local authorities.

you will need to do the lion's share of maintenance yourself as having a technician on the books will eat you profits.

We plan to maintain what we can and give out to well known technicians on here what we can't - diagnosis is sometimes half the cost and recognising you can't do everything yourself is the other.

Don't publicise your business plan on a public forum there are lurkers with more money who will take your prep work and run with it. Plus it seems to drive a couple of members a bit dotty when they can't figure out how you can possibly make it work.

if you think you can make it work then go for it - if Bill Gates, Steve Jobs etc had decided not to bother because of a bit of doubt then god knows where we'd be with computing - maybe commodore business machines would have survived lol.

You will not know until you try.

 

[ZedEx48K]

I think the Arcade barn is a perfect example of this, simple fact is day in day out there's not enough retro enthusiasts out there, pinball may fair a little better though due to universal appeal.

Oh, and it's not negativity it's the reality of it.
ZedEx48K2014-05-08 09:04:01

 

[RGP]

I think the Arcade barn is a perfect example of this, simple fact is day in day out there's not enough retro enthusiasts out there, pinball may fair a little better though due to universal appeal.

Oh, and it's not negativity it's the reality of it.

I agree with you that passing trade will not suffice it without a supplementary stream.

I wasn't singling out specifics just that as usual when someone mentions opening a venture, people immediately say don't do it.

I'm more "pro" obviously but I would be quick to point out certain things that won't work.

 

[Equites]

Fixed;

I think the Arcade barn is a perfect example of how not to run a retro arcade, simple fact is day in day out there's lots of retro enthusiasts out there. You just have to reach out to them and let them know you are there. Pinball will just add to the growing interest in retro gaming due to universal appeal.

Oh, and it's not reality it's the negativity of it.

 

[vib_ribbon]

you don't need gaming licenses for video games and pinball machines but as soon as you go near a redemption, pusher or anything that hands out a prize you'll be handing money to your local authorities.

isn't there a banding for this so if the max payout is less than X then you're in a lower band?

 

[ZedEx48K]

Fixed;

I think the Arcade barn
is a perfect example of this, simple fact is
day in day out there's lots of retro enthusiasts out there, that don't
travel out of their locality much, never mind to an arcade the other side of the country a few times a week! Pinball will just add to the growing
interest in retro gaming due to universal appeal.

Some are just overzealous in the reality of it.

Yeah, I fixed it again.

 

[Monkeykong1]

Well Heart of Gaming worked but that's on a tube line. and I'm sure yours could in the right location just diversify and don't have soul reliance on the machines. Craft beers, goof food, good coffee.

People may come for a day trip but you need people everyday even if they aren't into pinball. Just create a good atmosphere for everyone.

Also maybe visit the arcade Bar, The heart of Gaming. Astro city in South end.

But visit decent cafes as well. http://youngandfoodish.com/coffee/top-10-coffee-shops-in-london/

I'm sure it can be, but get the balance right.