If you’re looking to boost your business and rake in more cash at your family entertainment center, you may be stumped for ways to bring in more customers. Good news — with just a few imaginative twists, you can encourage your customers to spend more time and money in your family entertainment center, and keep them coming back for more.

Offer Incentives

One of the best ways to keep your customers coming back is the lure of awesome incentives. This can be as simple as offering a punch card (for example, bowl 10 games and get one free), or starting a new VIP program that gives the customer a set discount for X amount of time when the membership is purchased, and offering additional bonuses if they bring in a new customer who signs up for the VIP program as well. This not only brings in repeat customers, but can encourage your faithful visitors to bring in new patrons.

Create Leagues

Another idea for to increase revenue at your family entertainment center is to create leagues. This is perfect if you have bowling on-site — leagues garner registration fees, and also automatically keeps players coming back week after week. While they’re there, they also buy food and/or drinks. Cha-ching!

Offer Multiple Gaming Options

While games may bring in the crowd, not everyone plays the same types of arcade games, so it’s important to keep that in mind. Some gamers like modern arcade games, while others prefer old-school throwbacks that never really got old. In addition, try to rotate in new games on a fairly regular basis. If your arcade stock remains stagnant, it may be less of a reason for people to come back in.

Incorporate Current Events

Sports are a great way to bring in more customers, and the best part is sports happen year round. Take advantage of this by installing a few TV screens in locations easy to view from various spots in your family entertainment center. Be sure to let your clientele know (via social media or on signs) that the big fight, the MLB playoffs, or the Super Bowl will be playing in your center.

Have Food Options

While vending machines are OK, they don’t really hold a candle to a full-fledged snack bar. Even just a few simple hot food choices and a soda fountain are way better than a few small bags of chips and canned drinks. Not only will the food and drinks themselves bring in more dough, but may make your family entertainment center far more attractive to people looking to go out and have fun. Plus, people who come to your center won’t leave to find food elsewhere.

Have Theme Nights

Finally, offer theme nights that encourage your customers (new and old) to come in and spend some time and money in your family entertainment center. Whether it’s trivia night, food nights (offer discounts on your most popular food items, such as Wing Wednesday) or specific fandom events (like Superhero Sunday, where you bring in costumed characters and offer unique items for purchase), your theme nights will bring in more customers who are looking for a special deal while you still make money.

To keep business hopping, make it a goal to not only continue to reach brand new customers every day, but to keep your regular customers coming back for more. With just a little effort, you can keep patrons coming to your family entertainment center and encourage them to spend more time & money.