If you run a family entertainment center (FEC), you’re likely coordinating party bookings, handling walk-ins, processing waivers, scheduling staff, managing food and beverage, and keeping multiple revenue streams moving at once. When your systems aren’t connected, even small tasks can turn into time-consuming workarounds.
This guide will help you find the FEC software that fits how you actually operate, whether you're running one location or ten, one attraction or twenty. We'll walk through what these platforms do, which features meaningfully impact operations and revenue, and how to compare your options.
What is family entertainment center software?
Family entertainment center software is a digital platform designed to help entertainment venues operate efficiently. It combines all the operational management tools you need to streamline transactions, bookings, guest tracking, and overall business performance.
Unlike standard retail POS systems, which focus mainly on sales transactions, software for family entertainment centers manages both revenue and day-to-day operations. It integrates multiple functions, including reservations, party packages, memberships, waivers, and analytics, creating a unified system for the entire venue.
Benefits of FEC software
- Less time spent on manual coordination and paperwork
- Better control over capacity and booking accuracy
- Faster guest check-in and payment processing
- More consistent experiences for visitors
- Clearer visibility into financial performance and trends
Core features to look for in FEC software
Not every system offers the same capabilities, and that matters more than most operators realize. Here's what should be on your must-have list:
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Feature
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Why it matters
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POS and payments
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Handles transactions across attractions, food, retail, and arcade, supporting multiple payment methods.
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Online booking and ticketing
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Allows guests to book and pay before arrival, reducing front desk workload and improving capacity management.
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Waivers and guest accounts
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Digital waivers speed up check-in and use guest profiles to enable personalized marketing and loyalty programs.
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CRM and guest data
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Tracks visit history, preferences, and spending patterns to power targeted marketing and retention campaigns.
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Reporting and analytics
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Provides the data you need to make informed decisions, including revenue by attraction, booking trends, utilization rates, and party performance.
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Choosing software based on your FEC type
Different venue models have different operational requirements. The right software matches how you actually run your business.
Single-attraction venues
If you operate primarily one attraction with some secondary offerings, you need straightforward systems that handle the basics well. Your family entertainment center booking software should manage bookings efficiently, process payments reliably, and provide the reporting you need without unnecessary complexity.
What matters most: Simple workflows, reliable performance, and fast staff training.
Multi-attraction FECs
Running multiple attractions simultaneously requires multi-attraction venue software that can coordinate bookings, pricing, and guest flow across all experiences.
What matters most: Integrated booking across attractions, unified reporting, and flexible package creation.
Franchises and multi-location operators
Operating multiple venues or FEC franchises creates unique challenges. Your software needs to support corporate oversight while allowing individual locations to manage their own operations. Centralized control over pricing, promotions, and reporting matters, but local managers still need flexibility to handle their specific situations.
What matters most: Consistent guest experiences across locations, consolidated reporting, and centralized management tools.
Common mistakes FEC owners make when choosing software
Even experienced operators make preventable errors when evaluating software. Recognizing these problems helps you choose systems that actually support your business.
Separate solutions
Selecting separate "best-in-class" systems for booking, POS, waivers, and marketing seems logical, but often creates integration problems. When systems don't communicate, you end up with duplicate data entry, reconciliation headaches, and gaps in guest information.
Over-customizing too early
Some operators spend months configuring complex workflows and building custom features before launch. Then they discover that basic functions don't work smoothly while advanced features go unused. Start simple and add complexity only when you've proven you need it.
Ignoring reporting and scalability
Choosing software based solely on current needs leaves you unprepared for growth. Systems that work at 300 weekly visitors might fail at 1,000. Make sure your software handles increased volume and provides the reporting you'll need to manage a larger operation.
How to evaluate and compare FEC management software
Use this checklist to guide your demos and trials so you can compare vendors on what truly matters for multi-attraction venues.
- Scalability: Can the system handle your current attraction mix and future expansion? If you add new attractions, party rooms, or even additional locations, can it support multi-site dashboards and centralized controls?
- Ease of use: Can staff across roles (front desk, F&B, party hosts, attraction operators) learn it quickly? Can guests complete bookings, sign waivers, and check in without confusion or long wait times?
- Attraction coordination and capacity control: Does the system manage multiple attractions with different session types, time slots, and capacity limits? Can it prevent overbooking while allowing flexible guest movement between experiences?
- Conversion and upsells: Does the checkout flow support bundles, add-ons, timed sessions, party upgrades, and attraction combinations? Can it surface relevant upsells without creating friction?
- Support and onboarding: What support hours are offered? Are SLAs clearly defined? What onboarding resources, account management, and help center documentation are available?
- Implementation and data migration: What is the realistic timeline to launch? How are products, pricing rules, guest data, waivers, memberships, and existing bookings migrated? Is there a sandbox or testing environment for training?
- Security and compliance: Does the platform offer strong payment security, data protection, user permissions, audit logs, and compliance support for waivers and guest data?
- Reliability and performance: What is the platform’s uptime? How does it perform during peak periods? Can it handle kiosks, high-volume POS transactions, and network disruptions without downtime?
- Pricing transparency: Are subscription fees, setup costs, hardware expenses, add-ons, payment processing rates, and contract terms clearly outlined? Are there volume-based price increases?
- Proof and fit: Can the vendor show case studies or references from venues similar to yours? Ask to see demo flows that reflect real FEC use cases, like multi-attraction party bookings, timed sessions, arcade reloads, or group check-ins.
Future-proofing your FEC
The entertainment industry continues changing, and your software needs to adapt. Several trends are reshaping how venues operate.
- Cashless payment systems are becoming standard expectations. Guests want to use mobile wallets, tap-to-pay cards, and RFID wristbands. Your software should support these options without adding friction to the guest experience.
- Self-service capabilities reduce dependency on front desk staff while giving guests more control. Kiosks for check-in, online waiver completion, and mobile booking all improve operations and guest satisfaction.
- Dynamic and variable pricing models let you adjust rates based on demand, day of week, and time of day. Software that supports flexible pricing helps maximize revenue during busy periods while driving traffic during slow times.
- Unified guest profiles that track behavior across all touchpoints enable personalization that guests appreciate. When you recognize repeat visitors and reward loyalty, you build stronger relationships.
- Artificial intelligence is beginning to play a more practical role in venue operations. Systems that predict staffing needs, identify optimal pricing, and automate routine communications save time while improving results. Platforms like ROLLER are incorporating AI features that help operators work smarter.
Final takeaways
The right FEC software simplifies day-to-day management, supports revenue growth, and helps you deliver a smooth, consistent guest experience across every attraction.
For FEC operators, that means having one platform that connects everything behind the scenes so your team can focus on what matters most: creating memorable experiences.
A comprehensive solution like ROLLER brings your essential tools together in one place, including:
- Online bookings: Make it easy for guests to book tickets, parties, and memberships online.
- Point of sale: Speed up check-ins, reduce wait times, and streamline food and beverage sales.
- Digital waivers: Eliminate check-in bottlenecks by allowing guests to sign waivers online before arrival.
- Memberships: Boost revenue with recurring memberships and loyalty programs.
- Guest surveys: Automate guest feedback collection to improve service and drive loyalty.
- Analytics: Gain real-time insights into performance, sales trends, and guest behavior.
- Multi-venue management: Centralize operations across multiple locations for consistency and efficiency.
Whether you're running a single-location FEC or scaling to multiple venues, the right platform makes growth more manageable and operations more predictable.
Book a demo to see how ROLLER can help you boost revenue, streamline operations, and enhance guest experiences.
.png?width=820&name=Blog%20thumbnail_Family%20Entertainment%20Center%20Software%20Guide%20(1).png "A group of young people playing an arcade game at an FEC")
