Music & Games

Intercard CEO Scott Sherrod finds FECs recovering

Scott Sherrod of Intercard has been touring family entertainment centers during the coronavirus pandemic to assess activity levels. Operations visited in St. Louis appear to be making progress.

Scott Sherrod visits family entertainment centers in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

August 27, 2020

Family entertainment centers in St. Louis, Missouri, are recovering from the COVID-19 setback, Scott Sherrod, CEO of Intercard found on a recent visit to that city. Sherrod, a provider of cashless technology for the amusement industry, has been visiting FECs since March.

Sherrod visits Fun Town in Fenton, Missouri.

The first stop was Swing-A-Round Fun Town in Fenton, an independent FEC which offers a big arcade in addition to outside attractions like bumper boats, go-carts, mini-golf and batting cages.

"The parking lot was full and when I went inside. I saw there were birthday party rooms decked out in decorations," Sherrod said in a press release. "An employee told me they were at 50% capacity and had two birthday parties under way."

"About 90% of the arcade players were kids," said Sherrod. "But some parents were playing games with their kids, which shows they are feeling comfortable that arcades are safe with proper cleaning and maintenance."

Sherrod's next visit was to Bowlero Lakeside in Valley Park, a former Brunswick property that has been an Intercard customer for over 15 years. He arrived right when the doors were opening, and people were waiting to get in.

While the arcade is small, the facility has a lot to offer guests with 40 lanes of bowling, billiards and a sports bar.

"The manager told me the numbers were only 50% of what they were a year ago," said Sherrod. "But he is looking forward to their fall leagues starting up. The leagues will really help."

Sherrod's site visits confirmed what he had been hearing on his phone calls to Intercard customers.

"Business is down for everyone but as time progresses and more places open up across the country, people are coming out to play," he said. "People are learning how to live with this virus and that you can still have fun outside the home while staying safe. I am optimistic about the future of our industry."

Sherrod plans a fall road trip to visit more customers in Missouri and other parts of the country.

Photos courtesy of Intercard.