Soft Play Facility Set Up
Discussion
Good morning,
I spent Saturday morning at a softplay facility with my 2 under 4 year olds, and whilst there, my brain started doing some rough back of the fag packet maths, and came to the result that these things must make a fortune. It was cold and wet outside, so probably the reason for it being exceptionally busy, but even so, the admission fee, as well as the small fortune made from the food and drink kitchen, made me think.
I have done a bit of research and found that the area I live in, only has 1 other soft play area, in a leisure centre. The one we went to was 20mins drive away and we saw some faces from the local area, so people are willing to travel.
I've made a list of questions and requirements that I think would be required to set up something locally, but does anyone operate / own a soft play facility that could let me know some key factors that I might have missed?
Or, any ideas that people have thought of when visiting a similar facility with their kids, that you feel other sites are lacking.
Thanks in advance
Ross
I spent Saturday morning at a softplay facility with my 2 under 4 year olds, and whilst there, my brain started doing some rough back of the fag packet maths, and came to the result that these things must make a fortune. It was cold and wet outside, so probably the reason for it being exceptionally busy, but even so, the admission fee, as well as the small fortune made from the food and drink kitchen, made me think.
I have done a bit of research and found that the area I live in, only has 1 other soft play area, in a leisure centre. The one we went to was 20mins drive away and we saw some faces from the local area, so people are willing to travel.
I've made a list of questions and requirements that I think would be required to set up something locally, but does anyone operate / own a soft play facility that could let me know some key factors that I might have missed?
Or, any ideas that people have thought of when visiting a similar facility with their kids, that you feel other sites are lacking.
Thanks in advance
Ross
Can't add much to the setting up discussion here.
H&S would be fairly straightforward provided you put in place some systems/inspection & maintenance plans to ensure the apparatus remained serviceable. Also, staffing would be a mixture of Zero hours contracts and part timers for the quiet periods.
My issue is that these places are crying out for decent quality food & drink. Get a Costa or whoever franchise onsite & you'll be laughing. All too often they are Mellow Birds (remember that
) type of coffees and if the catering was better then you would spend more. Just my 2p though!
H&S would be fairly straightforward provided you put in place some systems/inspection & maintenance plans to ensure the apparatus remained serviceable. Also, staffing would be a mixture of Zero hours contracts and part timers for the quiet periods.
My issue is that these places are crying out for decent quality food & drink. Get a Costa or whoever franchise onsite & you'll be laughing. All too often they are Mellow Birds (remember that
) type of coffees and if the catering was better then you would spend more. Just my 2p though!If you've not got anything local then go for it.
As others have said I don't imagine the H&S + insurance aspect is going to be cheap (or easy) and you might struggle to find suitable places that won't cost a fortune to renovate and kit out (basically a warehouse!) but the ones near us are utterly rammed of a w/e/holidays and week days you get quiet spells (typically round school pick up/drop off) but busy with all the pre-schoolers otherwise.
As others have said I don't imagine the H&S + insurance aspect is going to be cheap (or easy) and you might struggle to find suitable places that won't cost a fortune to renovate and kit out (basically a warehouse!) but the ones near us are utterly rammed of a w/e/holidays and week days you get quiet spells (typically round school pick up/drop off) but busy with all the pre-schoolers otherwise.
Initial research for insurance shows to be around £3000 - £7000 a year. Red tape for sure, but looking at the place on Saturday I was in, it seems to be it's the parents responsibility for the children. I didn't see any staff in the actual play area itself. I'm sure if an accident happened, there would be a lot to go through. The odd kiddy was crying, where they'd run into another child, or the parents were telling them it was home time, but the equipment itself was well made, had ample padding and seemed to have been planned out meticulously. I got the details of the designer / manufacturer, just in case my initial crazy thoughts led to something!
All the staff were there collecting the money, monitoring the tables and sitting areas, and dishing out the food.
Speaking to the people I was there with, the need for somewhere clean during the week is great. I would imagine in the nicer weather the quiet time would be hard, but somewhere that has areas for the lower ages of the target market, for mums to go and get out of the house, meet other mums, somewhere that they feel comfortable feeding baby, is lacking in the market.
Simple food and drink would be a big winner too.
It cost us GBP15.00 to get in (2 adults, 1 over 3 year old and 1 over 1 year old). Higher costs for the kids GBP6.55, lower cost for the adults, GBP1.25. We decided to eat lunch there, another GBP20.00, plus a couple of cups of tea GBP5.00. So best part of GBP40.00 for a few hours. There must have been 100 to 150 kids there, then the parents.
They do parties, (we saw at least 5 in the 2 or 3 hours we were there)
Seems the need and market is there, it's just finding the key location, offering something slightly more than competition, although none really in my town apart from the Leisure centre one, which is tired and needs a full refurb.
The one from Saturday was on an industrial estate, with manufacturing units all around. So a warehouse with high ceilings (to get the slides in!!
All the staff were there collecting the money, monitoring the tables and sitting areas, and dishing out the food.
Speaking to the people I was there with, the need for somewhere clean during the week is great. I would imagine in the nicer weather the quiet time would be hard, but somewhere that has areas for the lower ages of the target market, for mums to go and get out of the house, meet other mums, somewhere that they feel comfortable feeding baby, is lacking in the market.
Simple food and drink would be a big winner too.
It cost us GBP15.00 to get in (2 adults, 1 over 3 year old and 1 over 1 year old). Higher costs for the kids GBP6.55, lower cost for the adults, GBP1.25. We decided to eat lunch there, another GBP20.00, plus a couple of cups of tea GBP5.00. So best part of GBP40.00 for a few hours. There must have been 100 to 150 kids there, then the parents.
They do parties, (we saw at least 5 in the 2 or 3 hours we were there)
Seems the need and market is there, it's just finding the key location, offering something slightly more than competition, although none really in my town apart from the Leisure centre one, which is tired and needs a full refurb.
The one from Saturday was on an industrial estate, with manufacturing units all around. So a warehouse with high ceilings (to get the slides in!!
I would have thought the trick is to have the yearly memberships of monthly DDs be just enough to cover your overheads.
Things to consider:
Things to consider:
- If you're going for an industrial estate location, parking for lots of beaten up Citroen Picasso's might be tricky.
- Also, the heating for these places will be pretty costly too.
- Think about the layout, I suspect good money can be made from children's parties, so a room will be needed for the food element.
- Consider the "after school" crowd too, some do get a bit busier at 4pm on weekdays, so work out how you can entice regulars in, and if they're on yearly membership, how to get them to part with a bit of cash each time. (Coffee stamps for free coffee every 4 cups, etc.) There might be ways to encourage them to stay for dinner as well, perhaps offer "home cooked Wednesday" when the food is more than just fish fingers / nuggets / sausages with chips and beans.
- Are there options for combining with outdoor play too? This might boost your revenue over the summer months, especially the summer holidays.
- Can you get a license to serve alcohol?
I don't know. I do know someone who's trying to sell off used kit so you might be able to grab a bargain. 
As someone mentioned, the issues are weekday daytime as well as weekday evening. You're paying for the warehouse for the 24/7 but only using it after school and daytime at the weekends. Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
As someone mentioned, the issues are weekday daytime as well as weekday evening. You're paying for the warehouse for the 24/7 but only using it after school and daytime at the weekends. Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
louiebaby said:
Hoofy said:
Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
Adult Laser Tag? Not Adult in the "xxx" sense of the word. Although... 
Yeah, that's a possibility; depends how much space is taken up by the softplay stuff as some of that might have a weight restriction eg netting and rope bridges designed for under 10s.Hoofy said:
I don't know. I do know someone who's trying to sell off used kit so you might be able to grab a bargain.
As someone mentioned, the issues are weekday daytime as well as weekday evening. You're paying for the warehouse for the 24/7 but only using it after school and daytime at the weekends. Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
Lots of kids don't start school until they're 4, so the Mon-Fri market is still there for babies and up to 4? Should be fairly busy, not as busy, but certainly far from empty.As someone mentioned, the issues are weekday daytime as well as weekday evening. You're paying for the warehouse for the 24/7 but only using it after school and daytime at the weekends. Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
Wills82 said:
The one from Saturday was on an industrial estate, with manufacturing units all around. So a warehouse with high ceilings (to get the slides in!!
Of the ones near us. One was an ex-car showroom (gone now to make way for a supermarket). One is a large industrial warehouse, one is a small industrial unit and one is an old large shop (think it was something like an Focus DIY or similar). Parking is something to be aware of and might be tricky.
Fastdruid said:
Parking is something to be aware of and might be tricky.
The "Mum Network" is strong now, what with local FaceBook groups, and the more traditional gossiping at the school gate. They will be very vocal about one little door ding because of trouble parking, so I would recommend thinking it through.Probably not enough to break a business, but definitely worth considering. Out of use places like an old Focus could work though.
Dr Murdoch said:
Hoofy said:
I don't know. I do know someone who's trying to sell off used kit so you might be able to grab a bargain.
As someone mentioned, the issues are weekday daytime as well as weekday evening. You're paying for the warehouse for the 24/7 but only using it after school and daytime at the weekends. Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
Lots of kids don't start school until they're 4, so the Mon-Fri market is still there for babies and up to 4? Should be fairly busy, not as busy, but certainly far from empty.As someone mentioned, the issues are weekday daytime as well as weekday evening. You're paying for the warehouse for the 24/7 but only using it after school and daytime at the weekends. Whilst these times can be busy, it may not bring in enough money to make it worth your while unless you can find a use for it in the evenings.
piecost76 said:
My issue is that these places are crying out for decent quality food & drink. Get a Costa or whoever franchise onsite & you'll be laughing. All too often they are Mellow Birds (remember that ) type of coffees and if the catering was better then you would spend more. Just my 2p though!
I had wondered that myself however looking at the clientele on the odd occasions I've frequented these horrible places with my two it's chav central. All they want is for it to be cheap and greasy. Average coffee, cakes and choccy bars, + anything that can be fried especially chips. Nobody would pay a premium for organic rare breed sausages in their hotdog. ) type of coffees and if the catering was better then you would spend more. Just my 2p though!What I would do though is stick in a few amusement machines, the local place has a Thomas The Tank Engine and an Air Hockey table. I get constantly harassed by my kids for coins even though they know the answer is always no. Suspect some parents are a bit more of a push over though!
C0ffin D0dger said:
I had wondered that myself however looking at the clientele on the odd occasions I've frequented these horrible places with my two it's chav central. All they want is for it to be cheap and greasy. Average coffee, cakes and choccy bars, + anything that can be fried especially chips. Nobody would pay a premium for organic rare breed sausages in their hotdog.
I know what you're saying, but there is space for something a bit more up market. We had a really nice cafe open in town recently, and it has a play bit out the back. It's always busy, and going great guns.http://www.ticketyboocafe.co.uk/tag/ottery-st-mary...
See if you can track down this episode: Alex Polizzi - The Fixer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04w8xlf
Food for the adults and parties is where you'll make your money.
Many parents will keep their young kids away from your food as they may be trying to keep them off sugars etc for as long as possible, or the children just prefer what they have from home.
Parking is a massive PITA for soft play visitors, it's always impossible to find a space unless you're going out of peak times. The worse the weather, the higher the visitor demand.
Value added services for us as paying parents are: Children's party hosting and a bookable hair dresser.
Never mind the heating bill, your cleaning bill and cooling in the summer will dwarf that. Hygiene needs to be tip top, it only needs news of one bad case of the trots from the kitchen to spread like wildwife amongst the parents.
If the weather is anyway near decent, expect it to be deserted as families head to the great outdoors or to BBQs. Luckily in the UK those days are few and far between
Local examples of:
Astounding: http://www.riversidehub.com/
Good: http://www.safarimk.co.uk/
Ok but tatty: http://360play.co.uk/
Tiny but has a hairdresser: http://www.junglejimsplayland.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04w8xlf
Food for the adults and parties is where you'll make your money.
Many parents will keep their young kids away from your food as they may be trying to keep them off sugars etc for as long as possible, or the children just prefer what they have from home.
Parking is a massive PITA for soft play visitors, it's always impossible to find a space unless you're going out of peak times. The worse the weather, the higher the visitor demand.
Value added services for us as paying parents are: Children's party hosting and a bookable hair dresser.
Never mind the heating bill, your cleaning bill and cooling in the summer will dwarf that. Hygiene needs to be tip top, it only needs news of one bad case of the trots from the kitchen to spread like wildwife amongst the parents.
If the weather is anyway near decent, expect it to be deserted as families head to the great outdoors or to BBQs. Luckily in the UK those days are few and far between
Local examples of:
Astounding: http://www.riversidehub.com/
Good: http://www.safarimk.co.uk/
Ok but tatty: http://360play.co.uk/
Tiny but has a hairdresser: http://www.junglejimsplayland.co.uk/
Edited by eltawater on Monday 16th January 14:13
The food and drink element will be a major contributing factor. I like the idea of a recognised coffee brand, I will look into this. Cosy seats for the adults to relax in while the kids run riot, as we all know those times are few and far between.
Good healthy food, along side the fried kids food as parents do try and push healthy food on kids until they rebel and want the chicken nuggets and chips!! Baby food would be a good idea too, pots of the meals that we'd prepare for them.
High Chairs, there's never enough high chairs in these places!!
I'm also thinking groups for new mums, they could bring babies, go to a quieter area, or side room for a group to talk about feeding, questions about what the baby has, or hasn't got. Nice social once or twice a week, charge a set fee and it includes a drink and biscuit or something. Getting out the house is something I could focus off of.
Evening things for the older kids, Laser Tag sounds good, maybe have some Black Lights in their to make it a bit spacey, and not as childish. Parties for that age group too.
A lot to think about.
The hardest thing so far seems to be the right type of premises. I've done a quick search on the internet, and nothing seems to be suitable. Might have to call agents and see what's out there that's not on the websites.
The other thing is how big to go. Do you go all out, or start slow and smaller in case things don't take off. Risk of that is, if it's not big and good enough, it won't attract the numbers needed to break even and make it successful......
Hmmmm.....
Good healthy food, along side the fried kids food as parents do try and push healthy food on kids until they rebel and want the chicken nuggets and chips!! Baby food would be a good idea too, pots of the meals that we'd prepare for them.
High Chairs, there's never enough high chairs in these places!!
I'm also thinking groups for new mums, they could bring babies, go to a quieter area, or side room for a group to talk about feeding, questions about what the baby has, or hasn't got. Nice social once or twice a week, charge a set fee and it includes a drink and biscuit or something. Getting out the house is something I could focus off of.
Evening things for the older kids, Laser Tag sounds good, maybe have some Black Lights in their to make it a bit spacey, and not as childish. Parties for that age group too.
A lot to think about.
The hardest thing so far seems to be the right type of premises. I've done a quick search on the internet, and nothing seems to be suitable. Might have to call agents and see what's out there that's not on the websites.
The other thing is how big to go. Do you go all out, or start slow and smaller in case things don't take off. Risk of that is, if it's not big and good enough, it won't attract the numbers needed to break even and make it successful......
Hmmmm.....
There's one here in Yorkshire, that I've completely forgotten the name of (I'll update if I remember) but it's your usual soft play in a large warehouse. Zones for different age brackets but it's even packed on sunny days because it also has an outdoor adventure playground. SO on those days where it's mid temperature and might/might not rain people are still happy to go.
Use daysoutwiththekids website to find all the local softplays.
Use daysoutwiththekids website to find all the local softplays.
don't forget good wifi for visitors. A chap I do business with is regularly sat in one of these places whilst his kid runs around - he takes his laptop and does the odd email etc.
Hygiene is a big influencer for us - theres one local venue that mini shrimper always comes back ill from so we don't go there anymore.
Another one near us had a half size astro turf football pitch for football parties, but they also leave it open when its not booked so the kids can run around with a football as well is they want
Hygiene is a big influencer for us - theres one local venue that mini shrimper always comes back ill from so we don't go there anymore.
Another one near us had a half size astro turf football pitch for football parties, but they also leave it open when its not booked so the kids can run around with a football as well is they want
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