The People’s Choice Family Fun Centre in Waukegan, Illinois, US, recently implemented a complete conversion of its legacy point-of-sale system and technology software to Semnox Solutions.
With over 80,000sq.ft of arcade games, a large redemption centre, individual attractions and hard rides, the entire process of transforming the venue took four days. Semnox installed a modern system to enhance the guest experience, increase revenue and help manage staff shortages.
Features implemented at the FEC include a POS system, cashless payments, data reporting across all platforms, inventory management with redemption and RFID functionality in the arcade with card roaming between Bertrand Lanes, a bowling alley under the same ownership that converted to Semnox in 2022.
Over 150 arcade games and attractions were converted to Semnox RFID card readers as well as 13 kiosks created and customized by Semnox with technology specific to the venue.
“Before Covid, we employed over 50 people, and we were half the size we are now,” explains John Sarantakis, President of The People’s Choice. “Today, we have on average 20 employees. Since the pandemic, we’ve struggled to find people to fulfill positions and have been short on labor. The employees we have retained were becoming overworked, and customers were also frustrated with us having too few team members, especially on busy weekends.”
“Beyond running the successful operations at The People's Choice and Bertrand Lanes, John Sarantakis is a well-known subject matter expert in the Family Entertainment industry,” explains Bepin Jose, president of Semnox America, located in Dallas. “So, it was a privilege for Semnox when John decided to implement the Semnox Parafait suite of technology solutions to manage his venues”.
Sarantakis also commented on the installation: “Because of Semnox, I now know what my exact payout is on each prize. For example, we spent US$529 on prizes on games that generated $13,000 in revenue in one week. Before Semnox, our reports were less sophisticated but harder to understand.
“Working with Semnox has been a great experience. During the conversion, they brought in their people making the installation seamless. We didn’t lose any revenue and that just doesn’t usually happen, especially when switching over to a new system.”
