Old School Arcade Upgrades to a Card System to Experience Immediate Results.

As the owner of Boardwalk Arcade, in Wells, Maine, John Pappavasilliou understands the importance of maintaining traditions and routines. John and his son, George, would arrive 1-2 hours before opening and stay 1-2 hours after closing. They refilled ticket and coin machines before and after shifts, just as the predecessor did before them.

As an “old school” arcade, he liked seeing customers with tickets in their hands. As a seasonal business, investing in a card system never made sense. But after increases in the cost of tickets and labor, they ran a cost analysis. They began their search for a card system at IAAPA 2021.

After meeting with various vendors, another operator told John to talk to Amusement Connect. “I immediately knew you guys were different. You were built for the operator; not the other way around,” John stated. During the off-season in 2022, the Pappavasillious installed their new system.

When Boardwalk Arcade opened its doors for the 2022 season, John knew he had made the right decision. “At the end of the shift, I realized I was at the counter the whole time and didn’t have to leave for one quarter or ticket jam.”

Better yet, their sales increased 15% over last year. “Honestly, it doesn’t like we’re working harder—it feels like it’s been easier this year.” With less time needed to refill tickets and quarters and additional staff to man the redemption counter, they also reduced labor costs with the system. “We’re able to do it with 40-50% less labor. We used to have three at the (redemption) counter; now we have two.”

The Pappavasilliou’s decision to switch to a card system immediately impacted their business with lasting benefits to their profits and customer experience. The future is bright for Boardwalk Arcade.