I'm very nearly 50 years old , when I was a kid, location pinball was everywhere , cafes,cinema foyets ,take aways, launderettes and of course amusement arcades . I'm sure many on the forum can remember these halcyon days and perhaps got their first taste of the magic of the silver ball during this period. Obviously now the vast majority of machines are in private collections and there are hardly any pinballs on location any more . So I was wondering which way will it go ? Will location pinball ever return ? even just a little bit ? I'm hoping the answer is Yes , but wonder what will need to happen for that to be the case....
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Location Pinball in the UK
- Thread starter RuyLopez
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I think the short answer is no, not on the same scale - it simply isn't profitable
Those machines that exist in traditional arcades (if you can even find an arcade that isn't 99% fruit machines / redemption games) a generally in rough shape and in my opinion probably do more harm to the reputation pinball than good (imagine if your first game of pinball was a game with rubbish flippers, half the lights out and bits not working - not going to be fun and you'll assume that's the way the game is supposed to be and not bother) - it's been a while but the only games I know personally in that kind of environment are the 3 at Las Vegas in London and they're pretty awful.
They cost a huge amount to maintain when compared to a solid state fruit machine and bring in way less money, so it doesn't make sense when the kids of arcade age these days play Xbox games or mobile phone games.
However there is some good news, there are places where the pinballs are present but in addition to another part of a business, Tilt in B'Ham, I've been to twice and the place is brilliant - the selection of games is fantastic, they are brilliantly maintained and the lineup changes regularly (People involved are members here)
Chief Coffee in London - Not been myself but again a great place, with great games in great condition
There are also a number of clubs, again one in the midlands - electric circus, one in the south west - Special When Lit in Salisbury and a new one in south London - Flipout
Again - the people that run all of these are members here and do it for the love of the game rather than as a primary business
There are people on here that I know operate the odd machine in pubs etc too, and I'm sure will have an opinion too....
Those machines that exist in traditional arcades (if you can even find an arcade that isn't 99% fruit machines / redemption games) a generally in rough shape and in my opinion probably do more harm to the reputation pinball than good (imagine if your first game of pinball was a game with rubbish flippers, half the lights out and bits not working - not going to be fun and you'll assume that's the way the game is supposed to be and not bother) - it's been a while but the only games I know personally in that kind of environment are the 3 at Las Vegas in London and they're pretty awful.
They cost a huge amount to maintain when compared to a solid state fruit machine and bring in way less money, so it doesn't make sense when the kids of arcade age these days play Xbox games or mobile phone games.
However there is some good news, there are places where the pinballs are present but in addition to another part of a business, Tilt in B'Ham, I've been to twice and the place is brilliant - the selection of games is fantastic, they are brilliantly maintained and the lineup changes regularly (People involved are members here)
Chief Coffee in London - Not been myself but again a great place, with great games in great condition
There are also a number of clubs, again one in the midlands - electric circus, one in the south west - Special When Lit in Salisbury and a new one in south London - Flipout
Again - the people that run all of these are members here and do it for the love of the game rather than as a primary business
There are people on here that I know operate the odd machine in pubs etc too, and I'm sure will have an opinion too....
D
Deleted member 2463
Rich, I think it could happen but its going to require more people like Kirk at Tilt. I believe there is a demand for more places like Tilt across the country. but its a lot harder in the UK that in the US; US has less taxes (rates etc) that makes it much easier to do. You look at the pub industry in general and its in a right old state. Have a look at the TNA thread on pinside and you see cool pubcades/barcades getting the machine and the sort of places they are.
Whenever I go to a new city I'm always on the look out for great pinball places:
If I look at the US, there are Tilt's everywhere, craft beer, awesome food and epic arcades with old school video games, new video games, old and new pinball, pool, shuffle boards etc.
Here are links to the places I've been:
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/d-d-pinball-tucson.36911/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/tilt-studios-phoenix-arizona.36910/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/sunshine-laundromat.36908/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/free-gold-watch.36802/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/pinball-in-the-orlando-area.36554/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/pinball-in-boston-well-cambridge-ma.36108/
and many more.
Whenever I go to a new city I'm always on the look out for great pinball places:
If I look at the US, there are Tilt's everywhere, craft beer, awesome food and epic arcades with old school video games, new video games, old and new pinball, pool, shuffle boards etc.
Here are links to the places I've been:
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/d-d-pinball-tucson.36911/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/tilt-studios-phoenix-arizona.36910/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/sunshine-laundromat.36908/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/free-gold-watch.36802/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/pinball-in-the-orlando-area.36554/
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/pinball-in-boston-well-cambridge-ma.36108/
and many more.
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@RuyLopez It is possible but will take a lot. As people know on hear I own a small 'gastro type wine bar ish thingy' with just The Addams Family pinball in it. People love the game and travel far and wide to play it (see pinformer.co.uk). Profitable? Yes it is and it paid for itself within a year. Multiply this by 30 machines and you have a winner. Beer (and craft beer) is the key here and good food. I do all these things already on a small scale but I am not in the right location just to turn my bar into a pincade.
Some also know on here that I have been trying to open another bar in London solely for pinball to include leagues and prize money etc but being in the industry it is very very hard. Finding the right location at the right prize point is as easy to find as rocking horse sh*t.
As Neil has posted above there are some great places in the States but it's a different culture and prices are cheaper. Pinball is bigger now than 10 years ago so who knows? I'd love the 90's hay days back possibly without the pints of Hofmeister!
Some also know on here that I have been trying to open another bar in London solely for pinball to include leagues and prize money etc but being in the industry it is very very hard. Finding the right location at the right prize point is as easy to find as rocking horse sh*t.
As Neil has posted above there are some great places in the States but it's a different culture and prices are cheaper. Pinball is bigger now than 10 years ago so who knows? I'd love the 90's hay days back possibly without the pints of Hofmeister!
Follow the bear!
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D
Deleted member 2463
i usually head in the opposite direction of bears.
Follow the beer?
This is interesting, and was kind of what I assumed and I can see why it works, it's a great title, and as it's your game in your location so you keep it well maintained and it plays well and people enjoy it which is a virtuous circle, much like Tilt and Chef.
Would you operate a load of games in your location or would the running costs start to be an issue?
In central London I guess you'd be a brave person that paid the huge rent and then took a space that could be occupied by a table of diners/drinkers and filled it with a pinball
I'd love more pins in the wild, I now live in the South West and Pinformer pretty much draws a blank on any machines on site near me - the whole of Bristol and not one game - Personally I can't walk past a game on site without sticking a quid in - I feel its my duty!
The sad thing is I remember going to Brewdog in London about a year back when Matt's games were there (are they still or have they all moved to Flipout?) and the place was rammed, but not one game was in use. I couldn't believe it - 6 good games and not a person in the place seemed interested.
My dream to have a place doing "Balls N Beer" (TM - AlanJ Btw **GRIN**) or "Pizza and Pins" whatever. I've got the cash to fund it, and the desire to do it, but I sadly know nothing about running a bar, pub, restaurant, cafe, eatery, etc. Looking for someone who can do all that, so I can sit in the place all day and eat, drink, and play pinball.
wow Neil , that must've been some trip you went on , those places look amazing !!! wish we had more places like that over here , kudos must go to any location operator in the UK ...
great idea Alan , that sounds like a fantastic way to spend ones life , eating , drinking ,socialising and playing pinball
The Sunshine Laundromat in Brooklyn is superb!!! Even the bog has a flipper as a flusher!
great idea Alan , that sounds like a fantastic way to spend ones life , eating , drinking ,socialising and playing pinball
Hey that IS my life at present, except the socialising. Got up, had a bacon buttie and a cup of tea, LOTR, TZ, MM, a quick break and back for more MM - it is killing me - the call outs make me laugh so much !!!
It is ALL about location. Whilst I live and operate in SW14 (Richmond Upon Thames) the majority of people in my area are families with young children and wealthy old people. This is great for the food and drink side of things and the TAF does very well but scaling it up (I have the space for it) would not prove profitable. You need young and old. My ideal location would be Putney, Chiswick (although Sam's Chief Coffee is already there) and maybe Clapham (Check out https://www.fourthieves.pub/barcade/ ). Good mixture of young, old and more importantly people with money. Sticking a machine in a 'rough' area would probably be suicide.
Brewdog is still there and I was there last week. Matt still has a number of machines there including Batman66, Star Trek, Fish Tales, Big Buck Hunter and ACDC.
So it looks like there is two approaches:
1. Put machines into an already viable business venture, e.g. cafe, restaurant, pub - al-la above(what's yours called @Tucks ?) , Chief, Tilt, etc.
2. Have a dedicated machine space - a-la electric circus, Flip-Out, Arcade Club, Special when Lit(?), etc.
I'm thinking of the idea of something further north, e.g. LEEDS. A place where people come to meet and play and perhaps it could also offer people who have machines, a place to keep those 'extra' machines that the Mrs. doesn't know you bought!
Any people involved in any of the above - any insights you can provide (either publically on the forum or in private PM) greatly received.
1. Put machines into an already viable business venture, e.g. cafe, restaurant, pub - al-la above(what's yours called @Tucks ?) , Chief, Tilt, etc.
2. Have a dedicated machine space - a-la electric circus, Flip-Out, Arcade Club, Special when Lit(?), etc.
I'm thinking of the idea of something further north, e.g. LEEDS. A place where people come to meet and play and perhaps it could also offer people who have machines, a place to keep those 'extra' machines that the Mrs. doesn't know you bought!
Any people involved in any of the above - any insights you can provide (either publically on the forum or in private PM) greatly received.
www.thebearkick.com
I started playing the student union bar so that might be an option? They need another excuse to rack up their student loans.
It depends on your aim? Is it purely profit or do you really want somewhere to home loads of pins and cover your costs for your own enjoyment.
For me, living in London is pricey and space is at a premium so it was cheaper me buying a bar to sticking a pin in there!
Couple of points to consider:
1) Have you spoken to any pubs? Many will be unwilling to entertain the idea.
2) They can be noisy which might upset customers
It's all exciting stuff. When I'm at the bar and there are people and kids there that love the machine I always give them free credits. It's a really good feeling seeing youngsters playing and enjoying pinball for the first time. It takes me back......
I started playing the student union bar so that might be an option? They need another excuse to rack up their student loans.
It depends on your aim? Is it purely profit or do you really want somewhere to home loads of pins and cover your costs for your own enjoyment.
For me, living in London is pricey and space is at a premium so it was cheaper me buying a bar to sticking a pin in there!
Couple of points to consider:
1) Have you spoken to any pubs? Many will be unwilling to entertain the idea.
2) They can be noisy which might upset customers
It's all exciting stuff. When I'm at the bar and there are people and kids there that love the machine I always give them free credits. It's a really good feeling seeing youngsters playing and enjoying pinball for the first time. It takes me back......
Thanks for quick feedback. Great website you have. I'm not looking to make money out of a venture, but would like it to break even. I could justify even trading at a small loss as in return I'd have more space for more machines.........
It is also my dream to open a real quirky bar/cafe with a great vibe and loads of pinball machines at some point. Last year i operated 2 games in pubs local to me. It was tough, real tough. I must of messaged 50+ local businesses and out of those only 6 gave me the honour of a reply. It then took me a lot of persuasion to get a game into both of the 2 locations. They were both busy pubs with a great mix of custom. I kept the machines in great condition and they took great money for the first week or so and then I’d be lucky to turn up once a month and see £5 in the cashbox. After about 8 months i pulled both locations.
In my opinion location pinball is dead unless the machines are in a spot where people go just to play pinball (such as Tilt, Chief etc.)
In my opinion location pinball is dead unless the machines are in a spot where people go just to play pinball (such as Tilt, Chief etc.)
The secret of better return for sited machines is to keep them fresh, you have to put a different title in every month to keep people interested.
