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Can a Gaming Cafe be Successful?
droidlev asks: "For years I've been toying around with the idea of opening up a medium sized gaming cafe in the Chicago suburbs. I have already taken care of the issue on how to make money during the day, when our younger market is in school, However, the question of whether or not a place like this can be successful, still remains. I've seen plenty of undermanned and poorly planned places in the area (and on the East Coast) like this go under in six months. What is your opinion? What ideas and thoughts do you have that could help a place, like the one I'm proposing, succeed? Do you have gaming cafes in your area that are successful? What unique techniques have they implemented?"
I don't see what the point is. PC's are dirt cheap. Internet connections are slowly getting cheaper. Hell, the game I play almost 24/7 (see sig) requires only a browser. I can play it on a Pentium 1 with dial up just fine. What are you offering that the average personal doesn't already have?
If you plan on having Coin-operated type games, (even using a card reading system) you will be meeting a "Rep" from a certain "trade Association", In small town USA its no problem, but in the Chicago area those folks still have a presence. Oh, and if you plan on playing any kind of music for your customers, you will be meeting a "Rep" from another "Trade Asscociation," (this Association will Legally extort you). Both will demand $$, and you may want to bake that into your budget. Good Luck