Paradise, NV
I like how most of the Tribal casinos in Michigan are saying FY to the order and will remain open.
(Topic ID: 264119)
Quoted from MrBally:I like how most of the Tribal casinos in Michigan are saying FY to the order and will remain open.
the state has no control over that
they have an sign saying not regulated by the state of michigan
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:the state has no control over that
they have an sign saying not regulated by the state of michigan
I agree and was aware of that. However, all casinos closed in March and reopened in June or July. This time they said no. They will remain open to protect the livelihood of their employees and the various Tribes.
Also note that no in restaurant dining is allowed under the new three week closure rule. Most, but not all Tribal casinos in Michigan will keep restaurants open. They will be the only places to sit down and eat outside of your home or vehicle.
Quoted from MrBally:I agree and was aware of that. However, all casinos closed in March and reopened in June or July. This time they said no. They will remain open to protect the livelihood of their employees and the various Tribes.
Also note that no in restaurant dining is allowed under the new three week closure rule. Most, but not all Tribal casinos in Michigan will keep restaurants open. They will be the only places to sit down and eat outside of your home or vehicle.
new buffalo is nice and they have table games you don't find at other places in the Chicago area.
I expect we will be asked to close again. Unfair - yes. Will we comply - of course we will. We have reduced capacity to 25 (was 30) per governors orders last Friday and informed all parties about the reduced limits. As Nic stated it is a little ridiculous that my and his efforts just get lumped in with everyone else who thinks turning on the ceiling fans constitutes “ventilation”. I have seen so many “outdoor” restaurants here that given the cold have closed all sides of their formerly open tents. As I try to as politely and gently as I can point out to them, it’s safer to eat inside their restaurant than in what I now label as a “COVID superspreader tent”. It’s like they and their customers got the message but didn’t exactly understand the intent. Not trying to be pedantic or holier than thou at all here, there is just a profound lack of reliable information for most businesses to follow. So they do the best they can. But yes, it will be sad if we have to close again when we are probably the only business in town turning over our entire air mass every 4 minutes via outside air and MERV 13 filters.
BTW why I haven’t given a financial breakdown lately suffice it to say we are routinely pulling in $1350 a week and it’s enough to stay afloat for now. And the new AIQ Premium has been a big hit here. Very happy with where we are for now.
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:new buffalo is nice and they have table games you don't find at other places in the Chicago area.
Agree New Buffalo is awesome and we love going there when we visit in laws in Chicago
Next time you visit Four Winds, consider having dinner at The Stray Dog in the town of New Buffalo. Also have a pre-dinner drink at The False Front; Bar by night, deli by day.
And I'd like to add that Four Winds is probably the nicest casino to visit around outside of Nevada.
Well this just SUCKS !
https://replayfoundation.org/2020-announcement/
Hello, fellow gamers and friends. We hope you continue to be safe and healthy in this difficult time.
The Replay Foundation was established in 2011 to promote the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of pinball technology, with an emphasis on the player experience. Replay exists to continue the activities of the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association, and it has expanded those activities to encompass many forms of gaming, in particular by operating the world’s largest arcade through the signature Replay FX event.
The Foundation relies on public events to further its mission and support its operations. Being able to play games competitively in person is a key element of both the mission and the events. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic conditions, it has proven nearly impossible to safely and practically operate large public events.
Therefore it was with great sadness and regret that we must discontinue our public events and wind down most of our operations until further notice. We know this is very disappointing, but we have been unable to find any other way to proceed.
While the Foundation is not dissolving, we are liquidating most of our physical assets and cancelling all of our public events. Over the coming months, the Foundation will retire all of its debts, including the refund of prepaid tickets, and will exist solely as an online resource for the foreseeable future.
The tireless commitment and hard work put in by our employees and volunteers will always be immensely appreciated, as well as the support and enthusiasm of our fans and attendees. We hope to play some role in the future of gaming, and we encourage everyone to collect and play these beautiful games whenever possible.
With all our hearts, we thank you for having been on this journey with us, and for creating such wonderful memories together. It is, in fact, more fun to compete. We will see you all in the arcade someday.
Sincerely,
Kevin Martin & Mark Steinman
Cosigned by the Board of Directors
Unbelieveable loss for the entire hobby. Competitive play was driving up participation and new players. Replay was the Olympics of pinball.
With the loss of our flagship show... we’ll have to hang on and champion other venues and events.
Vegas PHOF and TPF are now top of my mind in terms of their ability to entice and recruit new players. They must not fall.
TPF will almost certainly be delayed until 2022 but they can hang on. PHOF might actually do very well if a vaccine rolls out before grand opening.
BYO shows like TPF and GOG and NWPAS etc. should survive. Replay on the other hand was sitting on a gigantic inventory all their own... wasn’t able to share the burden across the hobby. :/
Man, this really sucks. I’m just glad I got to be there and try Pinburgh at least once.
Quoted from LTG:Tonight Minnesota finds out what next. School sports, gyms, and bars/restaurants take out only. No idea yet if I'm in it or not.
LTG : (
If you are I say rebrand
If gyms are allowed to stay open but you aren’t, put in a dumbbell set
If the school basketball team is allowed to practice, set up an arcade basketball hoop, an NBA Jam cabinet and call yourself a basketball academy.
If bowling alleys are allowed to stay open, relabel skee ball Bowl A Rama
If takeout if allowed, put some hot pockets in a feeezer and set up a microwave and a donation cup.
This attempt of government to brand risk while Walmart and Lowes are allowed to do whatever the hell they want is just to ridiculous.
Good luck.
And I tell ya if I am forced to close again while Walmart stays open with no limits to anything, no changes to air handling whatsoever, I am gonna call up our states COVId task force and give someone a piece of my mind.
Quoted from pookycade:If you are I say rebrand
If gyms are allowed to stay open but you aren’t, put in a dumbbell set
If the school basketball team is allowed to practice, set up an arcade basketball hoop, an NBA Jam cabinet and call yourself a basketball academy.
If bowling alleys are allowed to stay open, relabel skee ball Bowl A Rama
If takeout if allowed, put some hot pockets in a feeezer and set up a microwave and a donation cup.
This attempt of government to brand risk while Walmart and Lowes are allowed to do whatever the hell they want is just to ridiculous.
Good luck.
And I tell ya if I am forced to close again while Walmart stays open with no limits to anything, no changes to air handling whatsoever, I am gonna call up our states COVId task force and give someone a piece of my mind.
We have a similar thing in the Uk where lots of none essential shops are forced to close yet all the big super markets which now days sell everything can remain open giving them a massive advantage over all the little guys.
Quoted from yancy:I understand your frustration at the apparent hypocrisy, but Walmart is a bit more essential than an arcade. Risky, sure, but worth it. I will walk through fire to feed my family. I will not to play pinball.
But there's no reason the government can't say, "Customers can't go into Walmart. If you need something, order curbside, just like you have to do with a restaurant." But they won't.
Quoted from Fezmid:But there's no reason the government can't say, "Customers can't go into Walmart. If you need something, order curbside, just like you have to do with a restaurant." But they won't.
Grocery stores are struggling with accommodating the amount of curbside service as it is. There is no way they could ever move to a 100% curbside pick up model in a such a short amount of time. This sucks for bars/restaurants/entertainment venues, but let's be realistic here.
Quoted from beergut666:Grocery stores are struggling with accommodating the amount of curbside service as it is. There is no way they could ever move to a 100% curbside pick up model in a such a short amount of time. This sucks for bars/restaurants/entertainment venues, but let's be realistic here.
I have no problem with grocery stores. I don't agree with Walmart having the whole place open. If other businesses have restrictions. They could be held to just the grocery/food part being open.
LTG : )
Look I have no problem with Walmart being open either. All I am saying is that if a tiny arcade that makes $50k revenue a year can implement measures to turn over its air 16 times an hour to keep people safe and also reduce occupancy to keep people safe, that there is no good reason that the government can’t demand that they play by the same rules. The hypocrisy here is not that Walmart stays open and arcade closes. The hypocrisy is that Walmart stays open, gives a gigantic FU to its customers, and the government looks the other way. Mandating behavior applies as much to a trillion dollar Corp as it does to a $100k arcade
Dunno what it would take to turn over a gazillion cubic feet of Walmart air 16 times an hour, but it might be as loud and expensive as a jet fighter.
I don't think there's any hypocrisy in saying grocery stores get to stay open no matter what, and indoor amusement places have to jump through a ton of hoops and/or shut down. It's not "fair," but nothing is fair in a pandemic. I do think it's hypocritical BS when a casino can stay open, though. Hard to imagine a less essential business.
Quoted from pookycade:If you are I say rebrand
If gyms are allowed to stay open but you aren’t, put in a dumbbell set
If the school basketball team is allowed to practice, set up an arcade basketball hoop, an NBA Jam cabinet and call yourself a basketball academy.
If bowling alleys are allowed to stay open, relabel skee ball Bowl A Rama
If takeout if allowed, put some hot pockets in a feeezer and set up a microwave and a donation cup.
This attempt of government to brand risk while Walmart and Lowes are allowed to do whatever the hell they want is just to ridiculous.
Good luck.
And I tell ya if I am forced to close again while Walmart stays open with no limits to anything, no changes to air handling whatsoever, I am gonna call up our states COVId task force and give someone a piece of my mind.
A local toystore began selling milk, eggs and dry goods. Called themselves a general store
Here at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, we are still open, but because the Governor has ordered all citizens to stay at home, our traffic has been reduced in the last week from 30 to 50 percent of last year to 20 to 40 percent of last year.
We are still coming in every day and using the time to get more equipment from storage ready for our new building which will be 3 times as large as our present facility. The income from the Billboard sign pays out electric and water bills, we pay no rent, so while the lack of income hurts, it is not going to make us close.
The total lost revenue so far from Covid slowdown/shutdown tops 500,000 dollars. Our original plan was to coast up to having the building on the Strip paid for the day we opened, but it now looks like we will run out of money sooner than that and will have to borrow more to get the job done.
Keep in mind that we were committed to finishing the building the day we bought the land. Being "all in", as they say in Vegas. The latest estimate is sometime in mid January. We have to be out of our old location by May, so there is still enough time to get things moved with out having the threat of running out of time causing stress and rushing.
One thing that has our staff REALLY stressed is the complete disregard a lot of our customers have about our self imposed STRICT NO MASK-NO STAY policy. All the spoiled Karens and Kens that think it is a fun little game to run around the poor minimum wage types that are beneath their station. They pull off the mask the SECOND you walk away. It distracts us from working to improve our product and causes massive amounts of stress having to eject people.
That is what happened today. Who knows what will happen next.....
Quoted from beergut666:Grocery stores are struggling with accommodating the amount of curbside service as it is. There is no way they could ever move to a 100% curbside pick up model in a such a short amount of time.
Agreed. Plus we can’t assume everyone has the means to place a curbside order. There is the elderly and less fortunate who don’t have the resources. I mean, maybe they could fill out a list like a warehouse picks and packs orders but that is a shock to some people who are set in their ways and getting groceries that way for 60+ years.
Controlling the food supply has the potential to be a slippery slope.
Waiting outside without your own transportation is almost impossible up here in MN. There is a McDonald’s here by public transit system and they have a “walk thru” window which I can’t imagine getting much use when it’s -25 outside.
Quoted from LTG:And starting Saturday I'll be closed for at least a month.
LTG : )
Ugh. So sorry to hear this.
These are extreme times. Here is another idea from me.
Lloyd, since you can't have customers come in, what if you created a product they could buy at a premium price to support your place?
I just bought 4 chocolate bars from someone yesterday for $20 to support their fundraising. It wasn't about the chocolate being worth $20.
So what if you created a "Friends of SS Billiards" t-shirt for $100?
Use one of the on-demand t-shirt places, upload a design, and drop ship to anyone that supports your shop by $100 or more.
Quoted from frolic:...Use one of the on-demand t-shirt places, upload a design, and drop ship to anyone that supports your shop by $100 or more.
See my post #193 
Quoted from mbwalker:See my post #193
[quoted image]
Be careful if you decide to wear that to SS billiards. As soon as you walk out of there you might become invisible and people will start running into you.
Quoted from frolic:These are extreme times. Here is another idea from me.
Lloyd, since you can't have customers come in, what if you created a product they could buy at a premium price to support your place?
I just bought 4 chocolate bars from someone yesterday for $20 to support their fundraising. It wasn't about the chocolate being worth $20.
So what if you created a "Friends of SS Billiards" t-shirt for $100?
Use one of the on-demand t-shirt places, upload a design, and drop ship to anyone that supports your shop by $100 or more.
Give me a web link, confirm the money is actually going to LTG (remember the unfortunate Otaku debacle on that one) and I’m in. Would love to have a premium priced t-shirt to add to my collection
Quoted from NicoVolta:Got new charcoal grey and indigo tees in stock... want one? S, M, L, XL, 2XL in American Apparel tri-blend softness.[quoted image]
Any web link to buy ? Or is it an in person only affair and eye candy to make me drive 2 hours there to get one. In any event looks awesome and way better than our own
Cue Queen... “I’m having such a good time, I’m having a ball. Don’t stop me now! If you wanna have a good time, just gimme a call!”
No website e-commerce yet, but I can pop ‘em in the mail and do PayPal or whatever you like.
Can also hook you up with my merchandiser if you’d like. We used to do pinball projects together... he’s as detail oriented with graphics as I am with the pinball electricals & mechanicals.
Meanwhile... hoo boy. Gettin’ real bad.
https://aatishb.com/covidtrends/?scale=linear
North Dakota is now the most dangerous place for Covid-19... IN THE WORLD.
Do we know of any pinball venues still open up there?
Quoted from NicoVolta:Got new charcoal grey and indigo tees in stock... want one? S, M, L, XL, 2XL in American Apparel tri-blend softness.[quoted image]
When I look at those shirts I instantly hear in my head Dennis Kriesel saying "Roanoke Pinball Museum" in a very bad accent! LOL
Quoted from LOTR_breath:When I look at those shirts I instantly hear in my head Dennis Kriesel saying "Roanoke Pinball Museum" in a very bad accent! LOL
We have been encouraging his creativity. He's certainly running with it.
After an absence of too many years the Christmas Lights are coming back to a window at SS Billiards. The project started before the current shutdown. I was thinking of tossing them back in storage. I decided to move forward with them. Rebuilt the PVC frame, restrung the lights and added a few new strings. I hope to be reopened on December 19th and crank them up. If not open for Christmas. I plan to have them in the window and light them for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
XMasLights (resized).JPGQuoted from NicoVolta:I can’t sell concessions in good faith right now, so I’ve been making up the difference with merch. Good merch. As a smaller museum we focus upon maxing out quality... we don’t have the floor space of huge venues.
Hats turned out really darn good.
[quoted image]
I'll buy one if you can find a way to ship to me in Canada for less than the cost of the hat!
Quoted from Fytr:I'll buy one if you can find a way to ship to me in Canada for less than the cost of the hat!
Should be doable. I’ll send you a PM.
We don’t yet have an online shopping cart system, but anyone who wants some of our merch just fire me a PM... thx!
I just watched a couple of episodes of Restaurant Impossible that were filmed during covid. He's revisiting some of his past restaurants to help them adapt to make money today within the restrictions.
A big part of his strategy is to make sure that customers feel safe visiting the restaurants, because otherwise they aren't going to come.
Operating at 50%, or whatever the local guidance is and a bottle of hand sanitizer at the door isn't going to make enough people comfortable, and we're talking about survival here where every customer matters.
I think 
pookycade would be given a huge thumbs-up from the host for all the procedures you've put in place, and have communicated with your customers.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Hats turned out really darn good.
Do you have a non-trucker version of the hat? Would be interested in one if so.
Quoted from pinball_ric:Do you have a non-trucker version of the hat? Would be interested in one if so.
Right now this is what we have in stock. Which other style were you looking at? Send me a link and I'll see if we can get a different style made.
Just one that's fabric all the way around and doesn't have the plastic mesh. Preferably adjustable and not fitted
Quoted from NicoVolta:We have been encouraging his creativity. He's certainly running with it.
I vote for Schwarzenegger next!
1 week later
I should retitle this thread “How to run an arcade on $10 a day”.
Things have gone from abject bad to disaster in the space of a few short weeks. We did $1800 the week before Thanksgiving (our best to date) and then things just fell off a cliff.
I think last week was $600, this week about the same. Soooo we are poised to lose about $2K a month given labor and rent. I mean it’s not horrible, but it does feel a little bit like lighting money on fire.
Most of our parties have cancelled, a few were kind enough to postpone and let us keep the party fee.
Mind you I actually fully support this despite the economic damage to my arcade. People should stay home. I’ve even contemplated closing again. The conundrum is that we are about the only truly safe indoor space in town, I don’t want to lay off my employees, so I’m not sure to what degree I’d be helping anything.
In one of the more nonsensical moves Virginia as of Monday has a midnight to 5 AM stay at home order. Now THAT is for sure gonna be real effective at curbing the pandemic. Also, we have a no social gathering over 10 people. So 25 people who don’t know one another can come into the arcade during public hours (realistically could be 50 but we artificially limited that), BUT if you are having a party it’s 10 people max.
Oh, and once again if you are Walmart or Lowe’s “come in all 500 of you at one time”. Your see essential means there are no rules, there is no responsibility, just come on in if ya want or need to.
This just scattershot approach to everything is great if you are trying to create innovation and absolutely terrible if you are trying to manage a pandemic.
My best guess is about a $20-$30K loss over the next 9 months before things start to approach any new normal. At least I am mentally prepared for that, so if anything better emerges I’ll be overjoyed.
Til next time
Calgary, AB
Quoted from pingod:I feel your pain.
The casino where I have my games is closed again.
Minimun 3 weeks for now.
Interesting location well done! Only wish more casinos would do that. Love an option to loose a dollar yet feel I Enjoyed it lol.
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
