Independent Operation vs. Friendly Fire Franchise

Money Talk

Independent Operation: You'll need to throw down a lot of $$$ to get started. Every penny comes from you: computers, chairs, software, renovation, marketing, and all those "oh ****, I didn't budget for that" expenses. When you make a mistake, it's your wallet that feels it.

Friendly Fire: Typically about 30% cheaper than going solo. Our supplier connections and bulk discounts save you serious cash upfront. Years of trial and error have shown us exactly what equipment you need and what's just expensive window dressing. You skip the costly learning curve that indie owners can't avoid.

Tech Headaches

Independent Operation: Hope you like fixing computers at 11 PM when there's a tournament happening. You're now the IT department, software developer, and tech support all rolled into one stressed-out person.

Friendly Fire: Our team handles the technical stuff. The software needed to run a modern gaming cafe is ridiculously expensive to develop and maintain. As part of Friendly Fire, you get all this technical support and sophisticated software for a fraction of the independent cost. When something breaks, you've got actual humans to call for help.

Getting Known

Independent Operation: Day one, nobody knows who you are. You'll burn through marketing money just to get people to realize you exist, and it'll take years to build a name people trust.

Friendly Fire: You're instantly part of a brand gamers already know and trust. Our locations see between 70-120 visitors daily, with a loyal customer base from day one. People come to Friendly Fire because they want to hang out and meet new people in a fun, social atmosphere.

Day-to-Day Help

Independent Operation: Figure it out yourself or pay consultants big money to tell you what you're doing wrong. Every problem is yours to solve, from staffing to pricing to hours.

Friendly Fire: You get actual humans available 24/7 to answer questions and solve problems. Our team provides guidance on everything from hiring to marketing to pricing. When something goes wrong, chances are we've seen it before and know how to fix it.

Making Money

Independent Operation: Total freedom to try different money-making ideas, but also total blame if they fail. Want to experiment with food service? That's on you to figure out.

Friendly Fire: We've already figured out what works. About two-thirds of revenue comes from gaming services, with the remaining third from food and drinks. Our model is tested across multiple countries, so you're not flying blind.

Building Your Tribe

Independent Operation: Start from zero, with complete freedom to create whatever vibe you want.

Friendly Fire: Tap into our proven approach to building gaming communities. We've figured out how to turn first-time visitors into regulars. Our events system means you collect all revenues from participation fees and food/drink sales while we handle the prize costs.

The Long Game

Independent Operation: No ceiling on your success but higher chance of failure. If it works, you own 100% with no ongoing fees.

Friendly Fire: Better odds of success with a clearer path forward, but yes, ongoing fees are part of the deal. The upside? Individual Friendly Fire locations experience an average revenue growth of 15% year-over-year, which beats many other retail businesses.

Bottom Line

As one of our owners put it, "I didn't join Friendly Fire because I couldn't do it myself. I joined because I didn't want to waste time figuring out technical problems when I could be building a community instead."

Going independent gives you total freedom but comes with bigger risks and a ton more work. Many indie gaming cafes get stuck dealing with technical issues and IT problems instead of creating great experiences for customers.

Joining Friendly Fire means getting a proven system with way less technical hassle and real human support, though you'll give up some control and pay ongoing fees.

My Take

Here's my direct take. I've been on both sides, doing this for the last 10 years.

Unless you've run a marketing business, a tech business AND a retail business before, you will not make it independently.

It's just a way to complex operations for a small business owner. You will need to be all-in-one wizard and you will have no time to focus on what really matters - making money while having a good time doing it.

We really do have it both!

Cheers! — David