Being named FEC of the Year is not a single-moment achievement. For Star Lanes Polaris, a 35,000 sq ft bowling-anchored family entertainment center in Columbus, Ohio, it is the result of 13 years of deliberate reinvestment, the right technology partnerships, and a relentless commitment to the guest experience.
On a recent episode of the GrowthPro Edge podcast, host Denise Killian sat down with Star Lanes Polaris co-owner Doug Mechling alongside Sara Paz from Embed and Sarah Malott from QubicaAMF to unpack what it actually takes to win — and to stay winning.
Here is what every FEC operator can take away from that conversation.
Your Venue Should Never Look Its Age
Star Lanes Polaris has been open since 2013. But when QubicaAMF and Embed team members visited for FEC Connect, they would not have guessed it.
That is the point.
Mechling and his family have never stopped reinvesting in the business — replacing hardware, upgrading software, refreshing the game room mix, and making bold capital investments like their latest Neoverse video wall installation. The philosophy is straightforward: guests who walk through your door deserve a great product, regardless of how long you have been around.
If a guest walks in and can tell your venue is aging, you have not been doing your job.
Technology Is Not a Cost Center — It Is Your Competitive Edge
Star Lanes Polaris sits in a Columbus suburb surrounded by Topgolf, Puttshack, Dave & Buster's, and Activate. As a single-location, family-owned operation, competing against well-funded chains could feel like an uphill battle.
Mechling 's take? On the technology front, his competitors simply do not have better systems.
That matters more than most operators realize. Downtime is not just an inconvenience — it is lost revenue. A red swiper on a card reader, a pin deck that goes dark on a Saturday night, a point-of-sale system that cannot keep up with peak demand — these failures cost money and cost guest confidence. The right tech partners minimize those moments and maximize the time your venue is firing on all cylinders.
The Square POS integration between Embed and QubicaAMF is a practical example of this coming together. What once required operators to stitch together disconnected systems is now a connected experience — one that brings Star Lanes Polaris closer than ever to a true loyalty and rewards program that works across all revenue streams.
How to Choose Tech Partners You Will Still Value 13 Years Later
Mechling opened Star Lanes Polaris with both Embed and QubicaAMF, guided by recommendations from other operators in the industry. More than a decade later, he has never switched.
That longevity is not passive. It is earned. He shared three things that matter most when evaluating a technology partner:
1. Responsiveness when things go wrong No relationship is perfect. What differentiates a good partner is how they respond when something is not right. Both Embed and QubicaAMF have maintained that standard consistently.
2. A genuine innovation mindset Mechling is not looking for partners who set it and forget it. He wants vendors who are actively building better products — and who involve their customers in shaping what comes next. When he pushed for the Square-Embed integration, Embed's CEO initially hesitated. After evaluating the overlap of shared customers, it became a no-brainer and was prioritized on the roadmap. His voice was heard.
3. Willingness to treat a single-location venue like it matters Mechling acknowledged clearly that he is not the biggest customer either company serves. But he has never been treated that way. That kind of relationship — where a vendor takes your ideas seriously and follows through — is worth more than any discount.
"If You Buy on Price, You'll Pay Twice"
Sara Paz of Embed offered a line that every operator considering a new tech investment should write down: if you buy on price, you will pay twice.
Choosing a system based on the lowest upfront cost rarely accounts for the real expenses — downtime, poor support, limited integrations, and the time spent working around a product that does not fit your operation.
The better questions to ask before committing to a technology partner include:
- Who else are your customers? What is your track record with venues like mine?
- Do you own your intellectual property, or are you reselling someone else's platform?
- Where is your infrastructure hosted? Is it enterprise-grade?
- What does your support model look like when something breaks on a Saturday night?
- How often do you update and improve the product?
For QubicaAMF's Sarah Malott, this transparency goes both ways. QubicaAMF manufactures its products in the United States (with software developed at its headquarters in Bologna, Italy) and never simply drops off a quote without first understanding the venue. Customization is part of the model — because not every product is the right fit for every operator.
Do Not Neglect the Small Wins That Fill Slow Hours
One detail from the episode that stood out: Star Lanes Polaris runs targeted offers for homeschooling families during times of day that would otherwise be low-traffic. It is a simple idea with a real revenue impact — filling off-peak hours with a guest segment that is available and looking for exactly this kind of venue.
Innovation does not always mean a capital investment. Sometimes it means looking at your calendar, spotting the gaps, and asking who can fill them.
Staying Curious in a Fast-Moving Industry
All three guests on the podcast agreed on one thing: the industry is evolving faster than ever, and the operators who will thrive are the ones who keep learning.
That means attending industry events. Reading. Asking questions of your vendor partners. Not being overwhelmed by AI or emerging technology — but also not ignoring it. As Sara Paz put it, everyone on that conversation was already using AI in some form. The opportunity is figuring out how to layer it into existing products to reduce friction and increase productivity.
For Sarah Malott, the message was simpler: if you are feeling overwhelmed, start with the basics. Clean bathrooms. A warm welcome. A venue that feels alive. And then build from there — using the resources, webinars, events, and vendor relationships available to you.
The FEC industry is unusually generous in this way. Operators share knowledge with competitors. Vendors advise on CAD drawings before a shovel hits the ground. Companies collaborate across integrations to serve a shared customer better. That collaborative spirit is part of what makes Star Lanes Polaris' success possible — and what makes it repeatable.
Want to learn more about how Embed helps FEC operators stay ahead? Explore Embed's SALES Roaming POS and hardware solutions — or reach out to our team to see what the right tech stack looks like for your venue.
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