Looking at opening a storefront that would include pinball, but would not be an arcade/barcade. Because my focus needs to be on the whole business and not just machine maintenance, I want to secure a mechanic on retainer.

I have a couple people in mind so I’m not looking for resumes, but rather, I’m looking for feedback on how this might work.

Examples of feedback I am looking for:
How much per hour do I pay when I’m supplying the tools and parts? I want to pay for the diagnostic and repair only.

Do I pay by the hour or by the “fix” or a guaranteed number of hours per week to not only keep the games clean, but also fix issues at the same time? Maybe pay $X every two weeks to clean all machines, create a parts list as needed for issues, diagnosis time and repair work? Not base it on hours, but more of a maintenance contract?

What is your experience?
What works/what doesn’t?