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In the world of Family Entertainment Centers (FECs), there’s a common playbook: hire a general contractor, buy your attractions from a catalog, and call a tech support line when the lights go out. Then, there’s The Castle Fun Center  in Chester, NY. I recently had the chance to tour this sprawling facility with their General Manager, Mike , and I walked away with a massive amount of respect for their operation. The Castle is a masterclass in the "Hands-on Ethos." While many f

In the amusement business, your crane machines are only as profitable as the "win-appeal" sitting inside them. You can have the best machine placement and the perfect payout percentage, but if the plush doesn't catch a guest's eye, the card swiper stays dark. To get a real-world look at what is actually driving revenue on the floor right now, I pulled data from dedicated claw arcade operators. Between Planet Novak, James P. from Claw City, and Gabriel from ClawOasis, this mon

Bongos Dirty Soda By Clint Novak | Originally featured in RePlay Magazine Note: This article was originally published in the April 2026 issue of RePlay Magazine. I’m expanding on it here with some extra "Consultant's Corner" tips for operators looking to implement this immediately. Clint Novak sampling Bongos Dirty Soda! In February, while attending the IAAPA FEC Summit, our group visited Pecan Lake Entertainment in Queen Creek, Arizona. As we toured their impressive food and

Planet Novak in Fredericksburg, VA If you walk the midway of almost any Family Entertainment Center and ask the General Manager how their cranes are priced, you’ll often get the same answer: "It's a dollar a play." But if you ask them why it's a dollar a play, things usually get quiet. When it comes to merchandisers, claw machines, and pushers, the "set it and forget it" mentality is the fastest way to bleed out your profit margins or entirely kill a guest's desire to play.

Clint and Brett outside Bongos The Novak Roadshow is back on the move!  Our mission is to find the hidden gems and operational brilliance that move the needle in the FEC industry. This month, the road took me to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where Brett and Kourtney welcomed me in for a full tour of their incredible facility: Bongo’s Fun Center. What makes this stop so special is the history. Originally founded in 1976 as the iconic Fort SK8, Bongo’s is officially celebrating 5

Clint Novak Selfie with Christa & Russ The latest stop on the Novak Roadshow  took me to the beautiful Miramar Beach, Florida, to visit Russ and his team at Rainforest Blacklight Golf & Arcade . Russ operates two locations, but the Miramar Beach site is a fantastic case study in how to grow within a strip mall footprint while maintaining a high-end, immersive feel. The Layout: Beyond the Blacklight The core of the facility is a massive, 18-hole indoor blacklight mini-golf cou

Reclaiming Prime Real Estate with High-Engagement Social Play As I prepare to hit the pavement for the first leg of the Novak Roadshow , I’ve been thinking a lot about the "real estate" inside our facilities. Every square foot has to earn its keep. We all have that one attraction that perhaps was the "star of the show" five years ago but is now seeing its numbers plateau. For this month’s column, I reached out to someone who recently made a bold move to reclaim some prime rea

Planet Novak's Who You Gonna Claw ad If you’ve read my columns in RePlay , you know I’m a big believer in strategy, analytics, and equipment. But when it came to my own shop— Planet Novak in the Spotsylvania Towne Centre —I realized that the most valuable asset I have isn't the machines; it’s the four guys running them. Clint, James, Andrew, John, Justin I have very little to do with the day-to-day operations at Planet Novak. My business partner Nate and I made a conscious ch

Clint Novak building Fun Land of Fredericksburg's Multi Level Go Kart Track Thunder Speedway Welcome to the new digital home of Novak Amusement Solutions! Since I started in this industry back in 1999, I’ve learned that the best ideas don’t come from sitting behind a desk—they come from the arcade floor, the coaster platform, and the manager’s office. This blog is where I’ll be sharing those "boots on the ground" insights with you. Whether you're an owner, a manager, or just