Who would have thought that what started in 1978 as a humble claw machine owned by Tennessee school teacher and basketball coach Clarence Mabe will grow into a multi-location US family entertainment center? Taking over the helm in 2013, brother tandem, Bucky and Rusty Mabe rebranded their father’s business of fun with the core values of Faith, Attitude, Consistency, and Excellence – now known as FACE Amusement.

Early on, the brothers understood that in the experience economy, customers are not just looking for products and services anymore – so they set out to provide unique offerings and concepts to elevate the guest experience. From two locations branded Arcade City, FACE Amusement quickly grew to multiple attractions and a VR company, with its latest addition: the famous Downtown Flavortown, a fusion of fun experiences rolled into an F&B concept with celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

Website: https://faceamusement.com

True to their company values, the Mabe brothers knew that they needed to find the right technology driven by a seamless system to provide a superior guest experience. The solutions should match the different requirements and needs of each new and existing experiential concept they will create. 

“We looked at a lot of different manufacturers and solutions providers in the game. We have arcades, VR, and an F&B concept, among others, so we were very careful not to go with a system that will hinder our growth pathway because of its limitations,” shares Bucky Mabe, CEO and Owner of FACE Amusement.

As part of the company’s rebranding in 2013, the Mabes’ first order of business was to adopt the Embed system – integrated business solutions made up of hardware like smartTOUCH arcade game card readers and customizable game cards, and the TOOLKIT software suite with SALES, PRIZES Redemption POS, and GURU.

“We have been in the business for many years and there were a lot of our trusted people who talked very highly of Embed. We knew right there that the search was over, and we made the decision to go in that direction; they have been our card system provider ever since,” explains Bucky Mabe.

Talking about how Embed helped shape and complement the unique experiences they provide, Bucky Mabe says, “the Embed system is robust from the end-user side. Customer experience is the most important part of anybody’s business, and same goes for me.”

Because of the ease of use, customers find it convenient and fast to pay and play, allowing them to spend more time and money while staying in the zone – guaranteed continuous revenue flow.

Therefore, FACE Amusement uses the reliable card system in all their locations, especially Embed’s Kiosk, which Bucky Mabe calls “the most important machine because that’s where all the money goes in.” 

Expansive Growth Year-on-Year

To date, Embed is fuelling the fun in 14 FACE Amusement locations in the United States. The Mabes see to it that any original ticket & token arcades will be upgraded to the latest Embed technology:

“We use the POS system for our redemption products as we have some retail shops. Anytime we swapped an existing system with Embed’s, that location easily goes up 20 to 30% year-over-year. We’ve had that consistently in all our locations and I make sure to tell people,” says Mabe. “It allows you to keep growing - to adjust small things that you can’t do in an old system and just keep driving sales and tracking them as the days go on,” he added.

With a flexible system running their operations, FACE Amusement continues their growth plan without worrying about the day-to-day, implementing Embed solutions to several of their attractions as well: “We own and operate the 7D Dark Ride Adventure and use the Embed system as a stand-alone POS system there,” he added.

Solution Highlights:

• smartTOUCH card readers

• SALES
  
  

• TOOLKIT: GURU

• Game Cards

• Kiosks

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Through their desire to elevate the customer experience when it comes to family fun (and using technology to do so), FACE Amusement has realized massive growth and expansion in the last 9 years. Their partnership with Embed has helped them achieve that mission:

“The key for any good partnership is the continuous drive towards excellence to be the best, and that is one of our core values,” shares Mabe.