The Buck Stops Here With Today’s Options, Don’t Just Charge, Be in Charge
By Taylor Rau
It's fair to say that the coin-op industry and the hospitality industry
have overlapped for years, but the extent of synergy existing between
the two today is unprecedented –– coin-operated games and bar guests go
together like pretzels and beer. Whether with tried-and-true classics
or the razor’s edge in video gaming, the level of entertainment and of
options for owners is keeping scores of patrons and proprietors on the
winning team.
Each year for the past few years, the coin-op category has grown, and
as the competition toughens to entice potential guests away from their
homes and up to the bar, many owners have embraced coin-op as a means
to be a better magnet and earn more money. And while options abound for
what equipment to place strategically to garner more profits, many
operators neglect the first step: trying it.
If you haven’t considered coin-op to be an option, think again.
Although, it’s safe to say today, it is just as much of an opportunity
as it is a decision.
Attracting Players: Placement and Promotion
The second step in the battle for increased business, after first
committing to give coin-op a chance to succeed, is to select the
devices that will give the bar’s bottom line the best boost. Sound
easy? This decision perhaps once was, but the sheer amount of coin-op
categories and then company units within those categories makes
purchase planning more important than ever before.
“Giving (guests) an opportunity to play without looking like an arcade
is key,” says Scott Adams, regional director for McDuffy’s Sports Bar
Inc. in Tempe and Peoria, Ariz. McDuffy’s features numerous coin-op
consoles for patrons to play, but Adams says the planning process for
what to put where and for when has been as crucial for traffic as it
was methodical.
How do you decide what to offer when there are pool, pinball, foosball,
shooting games, golf games, redemption units, trivia and puzzle games,
bowling, football, racing –– even saltwater sail-fishing –– and the
almighty digital jukebox? It’s a matter of placement and promotion,
Adams says.
“For instance, our pool tables and Golden Tee, they go up in revenue
more on the late nights –– promotional nights,” he says. Adams also
says while guest ages can be a factor in who plays which units and
when, and it helps to factor in how one caters to certain crowds, don’t
neglect the value of coin-op unit placement for directing traffic.
At McDuffy’s, touchscreen games are placed at each corner of the
rectangular bar for easy accessibility, and when traffic seemed to slow
recently on some of the tabletop units, Adams says his staff simply
moved them onto the patio for a different approach. Despite the
challenge the blazing sun could sometimes bring, Adams says it was
effective for catching more coins and pleasing more guests. Plus with
smoking laws in effect, why not capitalize on patrons’ outdoor downtime?
Tourney Time
There is little downtime when tournaments are underway, however, and
this is something serious to think about, involving coin-op units of
any type.
Competition is a fun way to draw in patrons and score extra food and
beverage profits (not to mention game fees) as they play. Pool and
pinball tournaments are strong for sales, Adams says, but so are
foosball and a new wave of online gaming tournaments. With the advent
of debit card-style playing cards, Adams says the potential to interest
gamers–serious or casual–has increased. Setting up in-house
tournaments, regularly
or
spradically as special events, can round-up serious sales.
“It is important to develop a night for the entry-level player,
though,” Adams says. “And, it’s also good to have it be co-ed ... have
more than one level.”
McDuffy’s also has been developing and refining a state-wide foosball
tournament with an affiliated group–up to 100 players. “I still work
with people doing events like that,” Adams says. “They’re like sports
fans. They like beer, they like wings, and they like our
environment.”
Another point to consider, Adams says, is what region these coin-op
fans are from, and how you can cater to that at your bar. “The
popularity of games can change with different fan bases, too. For
example, New England people are more familiar with off-track
betting...and people from the Northwest seem to embrace foosball more
here.”
A Profit Point to Ponder
With the astounding amount of coin-op options in today’s market — from
digital jukeboxes to deep-sea fishing simulators-to the classic pinball
and pool, it’s no wonder the two industries, coin-op and hospitality,
seem to be merging. Coin-op is important enough for revenue at many
venues, including McDuffy’s, that Adams shares a parting word of
advice. “Make sure suppliers have a weekend service number, and bar
managers need to know where that info is posted,” he says. “Also, leave
very specific messages for problems ... they’ll be more willing to make
the drive to get you up and running as quickly as possible.
“If you’ve got the right games for your crowd and the right service
setup for your venue, you’re getting additional revenue from your
guests who come in for food and beverage ... so in that sense, it’d be
fair to call it easy profit.” NCB
It's fair to say that the coin-op industry and the hospitality industry
have overlapped for years, but the extent of synergy existing between
the two today is unprecedented –– coin-operated games and bar guests go
together like pretzels and beer. Whether with tried-and-true classics
or the razor’s edge in video gaming, the level of entertainment and of
options for owners is keeping scores of patrons and proprietors on the
winning team. 
