Bartop machines

SuperSprint

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I may have an opportunity to place two bartop machines in a nightclub. All I know is the ones there now play "lots of games" I don't own any, but can afford to purchase. Any advice regarding becoming a small time operator. i.e. Machine type? game selection? reliability? Typical service interval, etc?
 
Operating

I worked for a big operator for 12 yrs... Its hayday is long gone..Getting into it this late in the game seems fruitless to me..Bartops worth playing are expensive and will get the crap beat out of them..I got real tired of service calls and broken games as well.
When all the operators pass on these deals and leave it open for a newbie there is usually a reason.
I put 5 games in a brand new Holiday Inn and they barely made enough money worth my time to screw with them.
Be careful( take whatever amount you think these will make you and expect half that, take whatever time you expect to spend workin with them and multiply by two)
 
Thanks for the perspective. Would you change your mind if there were operator and machines already in place that were taking in a few hundred a month? You mentioned games worth playing were expensive. What games sell well, and what games just take up space? What's a fair price for a good "routeable" bartop?

Sorry for being intentionally vague about the details; I haven't spoken to the people involved, and they may not wish to have their business aired in a forum.
 
Sorry I only know video game values and didnt do alot of bartops, we just usually had to buy the newest ones out to keep people happy which is expensive.. and a few hundred a month is nothing when u factor in your eq depreciating and getting torn up, time spent on the account etc....
 
You pretty much have to put in the newest lcd touchscreen megatouches if you want people to play them. They are far from cheap!

You could try to put in a slightly older crt based megatouch, but they are real-estate hogs and won't bring in near the cash as a lcd touchscreen. You can get them for a few hundo each though. There is a brand new sports bar/wing joint near me. They have like 6 tables outfitted with the newest lcd megatouches. We were there for an hour and a half in a packed house. I never saw any of the touchscreen games in use.

My opinion though: Most folks already have an i-phone loaded with these types of games. Your high priced touch games will go mostly unplayed.

And GabesDad is right about Ops. If they are leaving money on the table for a newbie...well...then there isn't any money there to start with.
 
As long as there is a bar there, a Megatouch will be played and earn money. In nightclubs, not all people will dance and some will sit at the bar to BS, or to "scope out the action." You get a single person sitting there, and the Meatouch will make some money.

I agree that you will need a newer Megatouch, and the LCD ones don't take up much space. Older ones, even from 2005 or so, non-LCD but with a CRT, are not too expensive. I've seen some on eBay go for $500 or so.

To say if it would make good money or not, your best bet would be to go and see the nightclub, talk to the manager about the client base. If it's a popular 20-something hang out, I don't think it would fare the best. If it has a mixed client base, then you may be surprised.

Just my opinion on this matter, and from when I was bartending. :)

Bill
 
I operate these and have found the JVL Retro does the best of all the bartops. Need to have version 10 or above to do well. The Retro looks like an old jukebox and really catches your eye. They have been very reliable and the only failure I've had are the fans plugging up with dust and nicotine, which is normal on any fan.
Now for the problems. JVL has quit making these and made a cheesy looking new model called the Encore. The new model has a bigger screen better sound and graphics, but it looks like something from the late 70's. Wish they would make a "Retro 2" with the same hardware as this Encore.
You can still find used Retro for around 2k. Hope this helps.
 
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