Locations take notice--
Pinball aHracts customers
8usiness has been picking up at
the Fireside Lounge in Dayton ,
Ohio , yet the 120-seat cocktail
lounge has not remodeled its decor ,
lowered its prices , or changed its
service or menu.
The big difference, says owner
Dave Kimmel , is the Fireside's new
pinball machine , which typifies the
trend currently taking place across
the country . Pinball's rising popu-
larity is making lounge and restaurant
owners take notice : the colorful
flipper games not only can produce
additional revenues with no capital
investment, but attract patrons as
well .
"All ages of people like to play
pinball ," Kimmel says, "from kids to
senior citizens . The games provide
something for the customers to do ,
whether they are waiting to meet
someone or simply seeking some
fun . Then other customers get
intrigued watching the players and
before you know it , people are lined
up waiting to play ."
The lines really began to form at
the Fireside when the lounge was
one of the first in the countrv to
receive Contact , Williams Electronics'
newest game . Contact , with its solid
state electronic components , features
memory banks , innovative dual-
action flippers , a specially-designed
wide body for increased action , and
unique outer space sounds , quite
appropriate for the futuristic theme of
the backglass and playfield.
"Our customers liked it more than
any other game we've had ," Kimmel
says. "Some even wanted to know
how to purchase one . Due to the
game 's popularity , we placed it at the
front of the lounge and it's been
doing dynamite ."
" Dynam ite" means minimum rev-
enues of $100 a week . But Kimmel
believes there are even greater
benefits to be generated : more
customers.
''I'm promoting the game in my
radio advertising ," he states . "It's
really one of a kind . I believe the
game will attract more people which ,
of course , not only means greater
pinball revenue but more business at
the bar."
Additionally , this added attraction
does not cost Kimmel a single penny .
"I simply order the games from my
local pinball operator, and he brings
the games to the lounge ," he
explains. "I have no investment
whatsoever , I don 't even lease the
games. Hayes maintains the ma-
chines and replaces them , if needed .
There 's no risk for the restaurant or
lounge owner .
"With the breakthrough in solid
state electronic pinball games and its
many innovations," Kimmel adds , "I
believe more and more elegant
restaurants and lounges-such as
ours - will become sites for the
machines . These games are more
sophisticated and can attract all types
of clientele .
"For instance , our lounge is
fully-carpeted , has liquor-barrel fur'-
niture and is patronized primarily by
middle-income people between the
ages of 21 to 40 . The games blend in
perfectly and are played from the
moment we open until we close ."
CALENDAR
November16-18
International Association of Amuse-
ment Parks and Attractions Exposi-
tion (I.A.A.P.A.) , Civic Center,
Atlanta , Georgia
January 23-25
Amusement
Trades
Exhibition
( A. T . E. ) annual trade show,
Alexandra Palace , England
January 14-15
Music Operators of Minnesota ,
annual convention , Holiday Inn,
Minneapolis , Minnesota
February 2-4
South Carolina Coin Operators
Association , annual convention ,
Carolina Inn , Columbia , South
Carolina
January 19-21
Oregon Amusement and Music
Operators Convention , annual con-
vention , Valley River Inn , Eugene ,
Oregon
May 11-12
Ohio Music and Amusement Asso-
ciation , annual convention and trade
show, Columbus Hilton Inn , Colum-
bus , Ohio
PLAY METER, November, 1978
"Tilt"
The Pinball Book
There 's a new 138-page paper-
back book out called "Tilt: The
Pinball Book" which is written
specifically for new owners of home
pinball games . The book , written by
Jim and Candace Tolbert , focuses on
home maintenance but also goes into
the history of the game , as well as
some tips on how to play the game.
Included in the home main-
tenance section of the book are
sections on disassembly and setup ,
routine maintenance tips and trou-
bleshooting , how to read a sche-
matic , soldering tips , electrical and
mechanical adjustments , how to
replace a coil , and restoration
techniques . Also included in the
home maintenance section are tips
on basic care of the machine and a
couple of pages devoted to
schematic abbreviations and sym-
bols .
The book also has a ten -page
glossary of terms which helps the
reader get right into the jargon
surrounding the game . The book
does not attempt to make pinball
repair experts of all its readers but just
tries to convey a few simple
maintenance tips which can make
owning a pinball machine a fun
thing , rather than a mechanical
headache.
The book's history of pinball runs
through all the major developments
on the game and includes even some
of what can be considered the
"current events" of the game , such as
the mention of some new solid state
games on the market today , an
upcoming movie about pinball , and
promotional achievements such as
Bally's SuperShooter tournament
earlier this year.
The book is complete with
practical illustrations and black-and-
white photographs which will help
the first-time pinball owner with his
new acquisition.
"Tilt" is published by Creative Arts
Book Company , 833 Bancroft Way ,
Berkeley , California 94710 . It retails
for $4.50, but there are discounts of
up to forty percent for the purchase
of more than ten books . "Counter-
paks" of twenty copies are also
available upon request .
It's a good book to complement an
operator's home sales of old pinball
games .
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