Family Entertainment Center Equipment Suppliers: How to Choose the Most Profitable Partner

Expanding your FEC but terrified of hidden shipping fees, Activate Games incompatible APIs and zero after-sales support? These seven vetting questions separate profit-driven suppliers from box-droppers.
  1. Can they provide a single-point-of-contact for hardware, software and warranty?
  2. Do they offer hot-swap parts within 24 hours, or will you wait six weeks for a motherboard?
  3. Is content licensing bundled flat-rate, or will you owe 20% of gross revenue forever?
  4. Activate Games Can their system export real-time data to your existing POS so you can price dynamically?
  5. Do they have local install certification, or will you pay union overtime for unknown contractors?
  6. Will they sign a performance clause—X% uptime or pro-rated refund?
  7. Do they finance hardware over 36 months to keep your opening cash intact?
    Ask for three venue references opened in the last 18 months; call the GM, not the owner, to hear about response times. Finally, request a virtual demo over Zoom: if they can’t diagnose a headset tracking issue remotely, move on. Activate Games Download the printable supplier scorecard on our site and compare bids apples-to-apples before you sign.