isn't tomorrow the first day for the bars to close?

Could they not raise the money needed ( if its needed by the owner) by selling 2 of those pinball machines or arcade games to regain the 10k trying to be raised? Sorry but I see a lot of money in pinball/arcade machines there. https://loganarcade.com/games/

Is money going to the staff who is out of work?

Per the GoFundMe page:

To be clear: ALL funds raised here will be going directly to our whole family- which of course includes all of the bar staff that you know and love. We are also hoping to help our employees that you may not even know- ie: auxiliary crew that help us with tech and maintenance, Trancito and our cleaning crew who’ve been with us since day one, etc. All funds generated will be fairly & transparently allocated, and this campaign is being run by me (Melissa/GM), with oversight by Arunas (bar manager) and Zespy (owner).

Chris

There are a lot of industries impacted by this.

The live event industry is devastated which also filters down into hotels, transportation services, meeting planners, etc.

There will be a lot of people asking for assistance.

https://www.change.org/p/donald-j-trump-federal-aid-package-for-events-industry

Great idea to help out those in your community affected by the shutdowns. I have seen a few other GoFundMe campaigns in my area for the same reason. Hope everyone makes it through this difficult time financially and in good health.

So let me get this straight...... The guy has 150k worth of games and you want people to pay his wages because tough financial times have just started to hit.

Sell games , honestly there are way more people struggling that don't have this kind of disposable $$$$$$ coin laying around,

Sorry but thats my feelings on this subject. Help the folks that can't buy food.

I agree. It’s amazing how quickly these gofundme campaigns get started and how easily people just throw money at them without knowing anything about the financials of a company. I just hope the money goes to those that actually need it.

150k I think that is just in arcade games, I stopped adding at about 300k just going through the list. The big kicker is the price was just raised from 10k to 16k GoFundMe. Pretty sad place if you ask me. They must need the 16k for another alien pinball in there line up.

I’m sorry this is the owners responsibility!

Asking for a hand out is pathetic!

My locations are closed but I’ve prepared properly.

Your having financial difficulties then sell some games to raise money and take care of your problems like an adult!

Better yet why not get creative... everyone is being stuck at home with nothing to do.

Reach out to your trust worthy customers and offer to rent them machines for the next month or 2.

There are better solutions then asking for a hand out.

This. I'd happily rent a machine that I always liked, but not loved (i.e. GoT or GB) just to learn it inside and out so I have strategies in tournies.

Logan Arcade is a great pinball location and the home of my only IFPA tournament victory. I like the idea of renting out machines for a month or two. I'd definitely be interested if they choose to go that route.

No Joke! In my opinion this is no different than the PCP addict on the exit ramp of Interstate 95 with a cardboard sign playing on peoples emotions asking for money. Tons of people have no problem shelling out their hard earned money to this junkie, not realizing that this scumbag is just going to buy more dope with YOUR money and NOT food! All you are doing is feeding the need!!! The owner of this business seems like he is doing just fine, hell look at the thousands of dollars he has for all those games. Yet somehow he is going to reach his goal of $16,000. Shocking how naive the American public has become. No need to even stockpiling toilet paper but somehow we are convinced that we will need this item for a respiratory virus. Let's see the owners bank account and his home value. Oh, not going to post that because then you would discover there was no need for a donation; just like the woman who defrauded thousands from people when she never had cancer!!!! Just my opinion. Lets hope I'm wrong lets see if he post his accounts on here.

When you see how easy it is to F people out of their money, why not raise it another six thousand dollars????

Is this the norm now? Can every small business get in on this? Maybe it's my generation but I've got too much pride to ask for handouts, suck it up princess and handle your own problems. You just might surprise yourself with the pride and satisfaction you get from handling stressful situations when life throws you a curveball.

(Comment below is in general and not in re: to Logan Arcade)
THIS IS the new norm. If you want to start your own business you don't save up your own money or go to a bank and take a loan out .... you start a Kickstarter. What's better then having your own business started by other people's money? Well having your business ran using others money as once you hit a snag along the way you do a GoFundMe to keep it afloat.

This was the first reply to the initial post and it says a lot. It also seemed to have gone over the OP's head. Before people actually need the money, they start asking for it. Was the place even closed for half a day before the Gofundme started? It's just too easy nowadays. Businesses should have to provide proof that they need financial assistance before you can start a Gofundme campaign. If you have 100's of thousands of dollars in pinball and arcade machines sitting in your establishment, you should be automatically disqualified.

I don't thumbs down often but the audacity of the OP leaves me scratching my head on this one.

The economy is tanking and you have your hat out?

Sell 2 machines if you're hard up ffs.

i don't think the OP is the one who created the GoFundMe... rather just somebody passing the information along to those that might care to help out. Don't shoot the messenger and all that jazz, ya know?

Still reeks to me. But I can't really blame them because they know people are morons and will donate.

People will donate, so let them, but I agree every business needs to get resourceful right now and not just count on a crowd fund.

Wow how quickly people turn. I do agree, they should be looking to sell some games, but let's be realistic, it might not be the best time to try to do that. I mean, as with everything, it's their right to ask. If people give them money, so be it. You have the right to not give money and not feel guilty about it.

We also have the right to point out the absurdity of their request.

So don't donate and drain the thread then?

I won't x2.

I hope the owner of this establishment is reading this page.

Your place looked amazing and i was excited to visit it when i go to Chicago 2 times a year to see family but now i will not step a foot in this establishment.

Morals still mean something to me.

Let’s all start a gofundme.

Well, that could be the most realistic/telling popularity contest ever.

You could sell any machines that will sell and during that time see what stimulus the gov comes up with to help out. If you were able to unload the games that would more than equal the fundme goal. They will be idle and useless when you are closed anyway.

When we get past this, slowly ramp back up.

Good luck. Rough times.

Pinside member Woody lost his house in the tornado in TN last week.
Much better go fund me to support.

this is the most interesting social experiment i've seen in awhile. they're getting crucified on Pinside, and rich on gofundme. i guess everyone has to pick their team.

Ill admit the optics seem off here. Too much, too soon, with way too many assets. They may get their 16k but will piss off many potential customers in the process thus affecting their potential to recover after the mess has passed.

lol, you'll still visit.

Nothing gets americans' blood up more than the thought of someone getting a penny they "didn't earn."

I know, right? It's almost like pinside is full of fiscally conservative upper middle class dudes, few of whom have been to Logan, while most actual day-to-day Logan customers are younger urban folks who came of age in the gig economy and empathize with having tips (wages) pulled out from under them.

The responsible thing these businesses can do is fire/lay off their whole staff so they can quickly access the overloaded unemployment system. Unemployment in times of crisis can last up to 52 weeks, how long will $16k last amongst 25 people? The later the jump you get on your benefits, the longer it will take. Typically it's a one month process. Who knows what it is now...

I am about to file for lost wages today so I'll let you all know.

I believe part of the package is they are waiving the waiting period.

If you guys are getting upset when someone in the middle class gets free money From GoFundme, Just wait until you see how many billions in free money from the Govt. All of these millionaires and billionaire CEO's are going to get soon.

Reminded me of this take on “bailouts”:

Bailing out cruise lines? They fly under a foreign flag to avoid U.S. taxes, they don't pay many of their employees near minimum wage, they don't follow EPA standards. Get right with America first before being bailed out.

Many people disagree with my take on bailouts. I feel if you are going to tout capitalism as the greatest thing ever, then you should be willing to live with the negative side effects such as failing and going out of business. Generally bad business decisions are the reason for it in the first place. One of the first things you are taught as a youngster is personal responsibility. People get caught up on the 'but all the people who work for them', much like 'think of the children'. It's a hard reality people don't want to think about. I don't trust any large company to do what is right for their employees, because they are just numbers that can be adjusted later.

*note, this is a generalization and not related to current events. The virus epidemic is not the same thing as the bank issues in 2008.

While I agree with you theoretically in stating in fiscal terms, "let the free market system work...survival of the fittest", will this same argument apply to the airline industry or the cruise industry or the hotel/casino industry when the real bailout starts...not this $1000 check stuff they're talking about to "average" Americans?

What's a cruise ship worth? What's a 737 worth? How many of those will get sold to increase revenue to keep their respective companies going? Delta just recorded the most profitable year in their history...$1.6B profit sharing payout...$3B in dividends and stock buy backs. It will be interesting to see how quickly their hand comes out when the real cash starts getting thrown around.

It's the exact same argument as last time...we can't let "X" industry fail. The industries wouldn't fail, but some very large companies could. However, we all know that's not going to happen, because in this very anti-socialist country handing out money to BIG companies is ok. It's only the small handouts that are bad.

Having said that, I feel obligated to state that I'm not going to donate to this particular cause. But anyone who is, or wants to, won't be called names by me.

I have my own rainy day fund, but now is not the time to wave our fingers at people for not having one. It's about minimizing the damage to everyone. I'm going to save my lectures for when we're back on our feet.

That's the danger of replying to a post without reading below it yet. You beat me to the response.

No it isn't. But in purely fiscal terms the aftermath will be much the same. When the crisis is over, who gets the most "help"?

There seems to be some confusion about that really. I know where it will go if the populous doesn't take a stand.

Wow, just wow. My wife's work was forced to close, being a restaurant, so we are down to a single income for who knows how long. If I start to run out of money, or something happens to my job, I'm not going to sit on 21 machines with my hand out. That's disgusting. I'll sell machines to stay afloat if I have to.

This is not what GoFundMe should be used for... example of real emergency: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-nil039s-life Stop abusing Gofundme people!!