Fort Wayne, IN
DO NOT count on people getting change from the bar staff. You absolutely must have an automatic way for people to convert paper money into pinball currency. You need people to be able to play impulsively and with maximum convenience. If they have to wait in line or interact with unenthusiastic bartenders, they would rather just not play. You also don't want the staff to be annoyed by the machines. It's important the establishment feels like the machines are drawing new customers in, or causing current customers to stay longer and drink more beer. As soon as they have to sit there and dish out change instead of pouring drinks and earning tips, you'll be on their shitlist. If you do a split that can keep the proprietor happy, but you want the wait staff to feel like the machines are a good thing so they can report problems, clean the glass and maybe if you're lucky even play the machines. I always chat up the staff when I'm in playing or servicing the machines and ask them specifically if the machine are causing them any problems. I also hook them up with free credits and tip very generously, this all gets paid forward.
Change machines are great, especially if they accept large bills, but they take up space and when they run out and people are counting on them you're in trouble. They work great in arcades where coin drop is the business and someone is always there when they run out to fill it up. You won't always be there and if that thing runs out in the middle of a busy weekend night your earnings will take a serious hit. I have zero interest in stopping in and checking change levels on a machine multiple times a week and making constant trips to the bank for change. One of my breweries asked specifically for a change machine even though every table has a DBV. I bought them one under the condition that they keep it full and all the money inside of it is theirs. I don't even have a key to it, so they are soley responsible for keeping it stocked. If it runs out, I don't care because the games all take bills.
My recommendation, put a bill validator on every single game. If it doesn't have a slot for one, it's too old for location use. Even if you bulletproof an old game and get it reliable, you can't charge as much per play and they just don't make enough money on route.
