Family Entertainment Centers : Developers Start Here
By Peter F. Olesen
Page 1, 2, 3
Attraction Costs
Attractions to be included within a facility have a wide range of costs.
Many of these costs can be mitigated by purchasing used equipment, rides
or attractions, renting or leasing equipment and other steps that may
reduce the total initial fiscal impact, but they all have ongoing costs
that must be considered.
There are a number of formats for establishing arcade and redemption
game rooms that range from purchase to leasing, renting or revenue sharing.
While each has its advantages and disadvantages, they all result in either
up front costs or ongoing expenses. Proper planning in establishing the
financing format, selection of specific equipment and developing a sound
ongoing operational plan can result in significant revenues.
Snack bar installations can range from less than $20,000 to more than $100,000.  They can be self-developed or developed in conjunction with
equipment manufacturers, franchisers, food venders or by restaurant consultants.
Sometimes the planned magnitude of the food services may dictate the
approach used. In all situations, however, there are up front and ongoing
costs involved. Care should be taken in planning food operations. If
the site you plan to develop isn't a natural location for a restaurant,
don't expect a fun center to create the volume of traffic required for
success. What I'm trying to say is, know your market potential before
getting carried away. Most FECs do not generate average stays that result
in a high food demand. A good practice would be to keep it simple until
actual experience and customer requests define the need for expanded
facilities and menus.
Batting cages in many areas are very seasonal in their heavy usage.
Care should be taken when developing projected revenues for a given site.
Should you decide to develop a batting cage facility you should be aware
that there are two basic systems available and that each has its supporters.
These are the pitching arm machines and the wheel systems. Full systems
can easily cost $100,000 or more when multiple bays and multiple pitching
machines are planned.
Concession go-kart tracks can be assumed to cost in the range of $230
to $260 dollars per foot, depending on their length. This includes grading,
paving, barrier system, lighting, pit facilities, canopy and perimeter
fencing. Karts can run from slightly under $3,000.00 to more than $5,000
each, depending on the type, style and horsepower. Rookie tracks and
kiddie tracks would be less expensive.
For most locations, a family road course would be the first choice,
as they have the largest target market and better serve a total family
entertainment center environment. When the market is large enough and
your budget and available space permit, additional specialty tracks can
be added to the site mix to further increase revenues. These can include “adult
slick road courses”, High banked ovals or tri-ovals, rookie tracks
and kiddie tracks.
Electric bumper boats have become the accepted standard because of their
clean operation and environmentally friendly design. Bumper boat ponds
will cost from $100,000 and up when equipped with 8 or more boats, fiberglass
liners, water filtration and treatment equipment, safety fencing and
lighting.
Miniature golf courses can range from small budget courses (costing
$30,000 to $100,000) to major adventure golf facilities in the multi-million
dollar range. The more common price range for FEC miniature golf courses
is from $100,000 to $500,000, except in heavy tourism areas where the
sky is the limit.
Many smaller outdoor attractions can be added to the primary mix that
cost anywhere from $10,000 to more than $80,000. These include bounce
attractions, WaterWars, shooting galleries, carousels and other flat
rides, and various other small attractions.
Major indoor attractions can include electric go-karts (selected because
of air quality concerns and their performance options), mini-coasters
and large flat rides that would each cost several hundred thousand dollars.
Other indoor attractions include bumper cars, miniature lane bowling,
soft play, laser tag, arcade games, miniature golf courses, flat rides,
inflatables, trains, mini-coasters and related attractions. None of these
attractions are inexpensive, with individual elements costing up to $100,000
and more.
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