As it is, Amazon's and other companies "recommendations" are generally unappealing to me. If Amazon having all this information will help make recommendations that really am interested in, then I'll gladly give out these kinds of publicly available and generally harmless data. So long as they don't share the information and they provide easy ways for me erase the data that I give them. If I were to buy a book about woman's health for my girlfriend, I wouldn't want 100 "recommendation" asking me to buy other feminine books, especially when I've clearly marked that I'm male.
Long story short: This database is only acceptable if actually works.
Thanks for the backup. One time I went to Fry's electronics and found out that they sold 20oz bottles of soda for 88 cents. Now i'm sure you still had to pay tax and crv and that it would eventually come to $1 for the soda, but I'd like to see any other place that offers something that cheap in comparison to its competitors. Seeing that low price one time has put this imprint into my mind that if I want soda, Fry's has it for cheap and I can coincidentally shop for some really cool gear there when I'm buying my soda. Or conversely, when I go to pick up some gear I can grab a couple of bottles to battle the dehydration that comes from salivating all over the nifty gadgets.
Or on another occasion: Albertson's usually has a deal on gatorade that is 4 for $5. Seeing as how their cold section is usually stocked with an assortment of flavors, I can easily and cheaply pick up cold gatorade for a hot day sports practice. Albertsons is lucky cuz I'm usually hungry, so I end up buying some food too.
To make the story short: for me, finding that one bargain can make me enjoy spending my money somewhere can make just about anything worth it. Personally, the convience of being able to by something at the front counter will end up pissing me off if the price is too high. Since I'm already paying this guy how only how long I stay at his cafe, and not for admission, it's more of a convience for me to walk half a block to the nearest gas station or vending machine to save 50 cents. Especially if I plan on spending a lot of time there.
And I'm sure many unwealthy gamers will agree with me.
Just make sure that you're not price-gouging your snacks and beverages. Do not price anything higher than it could typically be found in a vending machine or convience store. You won't sell very much AND your customers (particularly kids) will dispise you. Actually, if its possible, see if you can undercut local snack options even by just a little bit. It could go a long way to developing a trust between you and your hungry customers.
Also, I've only ever been to a gaming cafe once, but I recall that they had some sort of tab system. They had software that tracked users login times so that accurate bills would be. An unlimited monthly plan would probably kill you, but do offer some sort of membership discount. A couple free hours at sign-up and discounted hourly rates help. And as far as the tab concept goes, have some sort of system that instills trust into the customers by allowing them to play for a few hours without having to pay until the next time they come in. Say that after you pay for 10 hours, you're allowed up to 5 hours of unpaid time. After they play for 5 hours without paying, then you kick them off.
Basically, you want to have rigid rules to combat cheating/stealing, but in those rules, allow some flexibility so that your customers trust you and don't feel like you only care about them for their money.
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As it is, Amazon's and other companies "recommendations" are generally unappealing to me. If Amazon having all this information will help make recommendations that really am interested in, then I'll gladly give out these kinds of publicly available and generally harmless data. So long as they don't share the information and they provide easy ways for me erase the data that I give them. If I were to buy a book about woman's health for my girlfriend, I wouldn't want 100 "recommendation" asking me to buy other feminine books, especially when I've clearly marked that I'm male. Long story short: This database is only acceptable if actually works.
Thanks for the backup. One time I went to Fry's electronics and found out that they sold 20oz bottles of soda for 88 cents. Now i'm sure you still had to pay tax and crv and that it would eventually come to $1 for the soda, but I'd like to see any other place that offers something that cheap in comparison to its competitors. Seeing that low price one time has put this imprint into my mind that if I want soda, Fry's has it for cheap and I can coincidentally shop for some really cool gear there when I'm buying my soda. Or conversely, when I go to pick up some gear I can grab a couple of bottles to battle the dehydration that comes from salivating all over the nifty gadgets. Or on another occasion: Albertson's usually has a deal on gatorade that is 4 for $5. Seeing as how their cold section is usually stocked with an assortment of flavors, I can easily and cheaply pick up cold gatorade for a hot day sports practice. Albertsons is lucky cuz I'm usually hungry, so I end up buying some food too. To make the story short: for me, finding that one bargain can make me enjoy spending my money somewhere can make just about anything worth it. Personally, the convience of being able to by something at the front counter will end up pissing me off if the price is too high. Since I'm already paying this guy how only how long I stay at his cafe, and not for admission, it's more of a convience for me to walk half a block to the nearest gas station or vending machine to save 50 cents. Especially if I plan on spending a lot of time there. And I'm sure many unwealthy gamers will agree with me.
Just make sure that you're not price-gouging your snacks and beverages. Do not price anything higher than it could typically be found in a vending machine or convience store. You won't sell very much AND your customers (particularly kids) will dispise you. Actually, if its possible, see if you can undercut local snack options even by just a little bit. It could go a long way to developing a trust between you and your hungry customers.
Also, I've only ever been to a gaming cafe once, but I recall that they had some sort of tab system. They had software that tracked users login times so that accurate bills would be. An unlimited monthly plan would probably kill you, but do offer some sort of membership discount. A couple free hours at sign-up and discounted hourly rates help. And as far as the tab concept goes, have some sort of system that instills trust into the customers by allowing them to play for a few hours without having to pay until the next time they come in. Say that after you pay for 10 hours, you're allowed up to 5 hours of unpaid time. After they play for 5 hours without paying, then you kick them off.
Basically, you want to have rigid rules to combat cheating/stealing, but in those rules, allow some flexibility so that your customers trust you and don't feel like you only care about them for their money.