Quoted from hbpinball:I have a machine at 2 different breweries in so cal. They went to zero earnings since the first shut down. Is there anyone with advice as to how I can start getting players on these before the brewery owner ask me to remove these idle machines?
Marketing is what gets people in front of the machine, and most of that is handled by the table being in a busy location. Beyond that, you (or the location owner) would need to setup things like tournaments, competitions, or discounted games. If the bar isn't getting heavy foot traffic, nobody is looking at or playing your machine.
Unless the location is renting the machine from you, the table sitting idle isn't a big deal. It's not costing you anything, it's a delayed ROI and reduced maintenance costs. If they are renting and the bar owner doesn't want to continue the contract to save cash, offer to temporarily reduce or wave monthly costs in favor of a revenue split.
To get the machine paying for itself, other than moving the table to a busier location, the other main option is short term rental contracts for $250-300/month like others noted. That requires some hauling capability to pick up and drop off tables, liability paperwork with the renter for damages, and possibly new or altered insurance for you (Pinball machine bursts into flames and takes the renter's house with it).
