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.

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