Quoted from bigehrl:

mazel tov! just curious, how exactly does a headquarters operate? is it an arcade with machines on coin drop? a showroom? can you launch nuclear assaults against rival headquarter locations?

Quoted from BMore-Pinball:

Just a guess, but I see potential for this option being a disaster

Quoted from Whysnow:

there used to be a place in ND or somewhere up there and I believe it ended very badly.
Likley not a good idea.

Quoted from anathematize:

Its actually a great idea. I'm a member of Fargo Pinball and it works extremely well. Pretty much 24/7 keyfob access to 30+ great machines. All members pass a background check and there are security cams in the club. Plus there is the ability to stream from the club, host tournaments and rent it out for private parties for extra income.
In regards to things 'ending badly'.... There was a previous version of "Fargo Pinball" and it did close down under bad circumstances but it was mostly due to the previous owner having a bit of a meltdown and - with no notice given to members - he decided he wanted to get out of the hobby and sell all of his machines (his collection was very impressive so losing the machines in this area would have been a disaster for pinball fans).
Luckily a group of local pinheads headed by the current ownership raised the funds to buy the games and open a new location that has been going strong ever since and has now expanded into having 9 machines on-location at a destination brewery in town.
Here is a story from our local newspaper (with a great video) about the new location and our weekly league:
https://www.inforum.com/entertainment/games/985924-Fargo-Moorheads-first-pinball-league-kicks-off-at-Drekker-Brewing-Co
TL;DR - A membership only club is a pretty solid idea for Jack and I think he could make it work if he has a step to vet/background check any potential members and the proper security camera setup. Congrats on the new space! Can't wait until the streams from the new studio with some new games.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Whysnow:

glad to hear that model can work.
Curious on some of the details that have made it work well in your opinion and how it all boils down?
How much is memebership?
Who maintains all the games?
What issues come up?
I have a pretty large collection and have thought a FOB access system could be a really nice way to share them in the future.

Quoted from anathematize:

- First year is $45 to cover the background check and the keyfob. $20 per year after. ALL games at the club are 50 cents. The games on-location at the brewery are standard $1 for one / $2 for three and obviously don't require a membership to play.
- One of the owners is a full-time employee of the club and between him and his brother they maintain all of the machines (with a little outside help if its an extremely tricky fix).
- I really haven't seen any major issues. Occasionally a private party will have rented the space so the club will be closed for a few hours but its a minor inconvenience and the owners are good about communicating the rentals to members. Drinking at the club could be a potential issue but its never been a problem in my experience. I think some folks will step outside to their cars for a smoke or quick nip from a flask but nobody is getting belligerent and treating the machines poorly (again security cameras capture everything so if anything was broken it would be pretty easy to find the offender). Plus with machines at the local brewery now people have a space to have a few drinks and play games.
I do think it helps that the club location is a bit off the beaten path in a residential neighborhood with other businesses like a dental office, medical clinic, etc. Its a bit of a destination and you can't just stumble upon it like the previous location which was directly in the heart of downtown Fargo.

Quoted from anathematize:

- First year is $45 to cover the background check and the keyfob. $20 per year after. ALL games at the club are 50 cents. The games on-location at the brewery are standard $1 for one / $2 for three and obviously don't require a membership to play.
- One of the owners is a full-time employee of the club and between him and his brother they maintain all of the machines (with a little outside help if its an extremely tricky fix).
- I really haven't seen any major issues. Occasionally a private party will have rented the space so the club will be closed for a few hours but its a minor inconvenience and the owners are good about communicating the rentals to members. Drinking at the club could be a potential issue but its never been a problem in my experience. I think some folks will step outside to their cars for a smoke or quick nip from a flask but nobody is getting belligerent and treating the machines poorly (again security cameras capture everything so if anything was broken it would be pretty easy to find the offender). Plus with machines at the local brewery now people have a space to have a few drinks and play games.
I do think it helps that the club location is a bit off the beaten path in a residential neighborhood with other businesses like a dental office, medical clinic, etc. Its a bit of a destination and you can't just stumble upon it like the previous location which was directly in the heart of downtown Fargo.

Quoted from Whysnow:

very cool and cheap/ smart way!
I assume they skirt some of the coin drop license fees also (which would be great as it is pretty expensive per game in most places)
How many members?

Quoted from anathematize:

- First year is $45 to cover the background check and the keyfob. $20 per year after. ALL games at the club are 50 cents. The games on-location at the brewery are standard $1 for one / $2 for three and obviously don't require a membership to play.
- One of the owners is a full-time employee of the club and between him and his brother they maintain all of the machines (with a little outside help if its an extremely tricky fix).
- I really haven't seen any major issues. Occasionally a private party will have rented the space so the club will be closed for a few hours but its a minor inconvenience and the owners are good about communicating the rentals to members. Drinking at the club could be a potential issue but its never been a problem in my experience. I think some folks will step outside to their cars for a smoke or quick nip from a flask but nobody is getting belligerent and treating the machines poorly (again security cameras capture everything so if anything was broken it would be pretty easy to find the offender). Plus with machines at the local brewery now people have a space to have a few drinks and play games.
I do think it helps that the club location is a bit off the beaten path in a residential neighborhood with other businesses like a dental office, medical clinic, etc. Its a bit of a destination and you can't just stumble upon it like the previous location which was directly in the heart of downtown Fargo.

Quoted from yellowghost:

That might work in some areas but I can't imagine people would pay a membership fee AND expect to drop coins into the machines to play them. Shirley a city like chicago has many locations where people can just walk in and play.

Quoted from yellowghost:

That might work in some areas but I can't imagine people would pay a membership fee AND expect to drop coins into the machines to play them. Shirley a city like chicago has many locations where people can just walk in and play.

Quoted from anathematize:

- First year is $45 to cover the background check and the keyfob. $20 per year after. ALL games at the club are 50 cents. The games on-location at the brewery are standard $1 for one / $2 for three and obviously don't require a membership to play.
- One of the owners is a full-time employee of the club and between him and his brother they maintain all of the machines (with a little outside help if its an extremely tricky fix).
- I really haven't seen any major issues. Occasionally a private party will have rented the space so the club will be closed for a few hours but its a minor inconvenience and the owners are good about communicating the rentals to members. Drinking at the club could be a potential issue but its never been a problem in my experience. I think some folks will step outside to their cars for a smoke or quick nip from a flask but nobody is getting belligerent and treating the machines poorly (again security cameras capture everything so if anything was broken it would be pretty easy to find the offender). Plus with machines at the local brewery now people have a space to have a few drinks and play games.
I do think it helps that the club location is a bit off the beaten path in a residential neighborhood with other businesses like a dental office, medical clinic, etc. Its a bit of a destination and you can't just stumble upon it like the previous location which was directly in the heart of downtown Fargo.