7 min read
Game club KPIs: six numbers every club owner should know
Game club KPIs with simple formulas and worked examples: table occupancy, revenue per table-hour, average check, bar share, peak hours and net result.
The cash drawer tells you one thing: how much money came in today. It does not tell you how busy your tables are, how long guests stay, what the bar adds, or what is left after the bills. These six game club KPIs fill that gap. For each one you get a simple formula, a worked example and what to do when the number is low.
The example club
All examples use the same club, so the numbers connect. Say you have 6 tables and open from 12:00 to 02:00, which is 14 hours a day. On one day:
- the tables were played for 42 hours in total;
- 28 sessions were closed (we assume one session means one check);
- tables brought in 2,100,000 UZS and the bar 700,000 UZS, for a total of 2,800,000 UZS.
To get these figures you need the start and end time of every session, its amount, and bar sales recorded separately. If you only write down the day's total, you cannot calculate half of what follows.
Are the tables working
1. Table occupancy
Occupancy is the share of available table time that was actually played.
Formula: occupancy = hours played / (number of tables × opening hours) × 100%.
Example: 42 / (6 × 14) = 42 / 84 = 50%. Your tables sit empty half of the time you are open.
Work it out per table, not only for the whole club. If one table is always busy and the corner one is always free, price may not be the reason at all: lighting, the cloth, the cues or the location can be.
When it is low:
- find the empty hours (KPI 5) and give them their own price;
- check the idle table: cloth, cushions, light, cues;
- if a table is empty week after week, consider replacing it with a different game.
2. Revenue per table-hour
This is not your list price. It is what each available table-hour actually earned, and it combines price and occupancy in one number.
Formula: revenue per table-hour = table revenue / (number of tables × opening hours).
Example: 2,100,000 / 84 = 25,000 UZS. Your price is 50,000 UZS an hour, yet each table earns 25,000 UZS for every hour you are open. Check: 50% occupancy × 50,000 UZS = 25,000 UZS.
Look at this number before any price change. Say you raise the price from 50,000 to 55,000 UZS and occupancy drops from 50% to 45%: 45% × 55,000 = 24,750 UZS. The price went up, but revenue per table-hour fell below the old 25,000.
When it is low, split it back into price and occupancy. High occupancy with low revenue means the price is too low or there are too many discounts. Low occupancy means you need more guests first. For setting the price itself, see how to price a billiard table.
How guests play
3. Average session and average check
Formulas: average session = hours played / number of sessions; average check = total revenue (tables + bar) / number of checks.
Example: 42 / 28 = 1.5 hours, or 1 hour 30 minutes; 2,800,000 / 28 = 100,000 UZS.
Read them together. Short sessions and a small check mean guests come in for one game and leave. Long sessions with a small check mean the bar is not selling, or long games get a big discount.
When they are low:
- offer a 2–3 hour package paid upfront, which gives guests a reason to stay longer;
- put the bar menu on every table and have staff offer drinks when a session starts;
- track discounts separately so you can see how much they pull the average check down.
4. Bar share of revenue
Formula: bar share = bar revenue / total revenue × 100%.
Example: 700,000 / 2,800,000 = 25%.
A high share is not automatically good, because bar revenue is not profit. For example, a drink sold for 10,000 UZS that cost you 7,000 UZS earns 3,000 UZS. So track cost and real profit for the bar, not only sales. The details are in bar and stock accounting with FIFO.
When the share is low, check four things: do you stock what guests ask for, can they see it, is the price reasonable, and does it run out on your busiest night.
When the club is busy
5. Peak hours and days
Daily occupancy is an average, and it hides the most useful detail. Split the same day in two:
| Time | Available table-hours | Played | Occupancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00–18:00 | 6 × 6 = 36 | 6 | about 17% |
| 18:00–02:00 | 6 × 8 = 48 | 36 | 75% |
| Total | 84 | 42 | 50% |
An average of 50% looks acceptable. In reality the tables are nearly full in the evening and nearly empty during the day.
A simple way to measure hours: for two weeks, write down how many tables are busy at the start of every hour. You get a map of hot and cold times by day and hour. Differences between days are easier to see in daily reports: put Monday's revenue next to Friday's.
What to do with it:
- charge less in the empty hours and more at peak; see day and night rates for how to set this up;
- match staff to the load: one person in the afternoon, two in the evening;
- manage evening tables through bookings;
- schedule cloth changes and repairs in the cold hours.
Is money left over
6. Expenses and net result
The last number matters most: what is left after every expense. Calculate it once a month.
Formula: net result = total revenue − all expenses; margin = net result / revenue × 100%.
Example for one month:
| Item | So'm |
|---|---|
| Revenue (tables and bar) | 75,000,000 |
| Rent | 15,000,000 |
| Salaries | 20,000,000 |
| Cost of bar goods | 10,800,000 |
| Electricity, water, internet | 6,000,000 |
| Other (cloth, cues, repairs, ads) | 5,200,000 |
| Total expenses | 57,000,000 |
| Net result | 18,000,000 |
Margin: 18,000,000 / 75,000,000 = 24%.
Avoid two traps. First, leaving out your own salary: if you work in the club yourself, pay yourself on paper, or the result looks better than it is. Second, forgetting rare large costs. A repair costing 12,000,000 UZS once a year is 1,000,000 UZS a month. Include taxes and other mandatory payments too, and confirm the exact rates with a tax adviser.
If the result is low, sort expenses from largest to smallest and start with the top two or three. To grow revenue, work on KPIs 1 to 5.
How often to check, and where the data comes from
| KPI | How often |
|---|---|
| Daily revenue | every day |
| Occupancy, revenue per table-hour | weekly |
| Average session, average check, bar share | weekly |
| Peak hours and days | monthly and before any price change |
| Expenses and net result | monthly |
You can collect all of this from a notebook, but it takes real time every week. In ClubTime, sessions and bar sales are recorded as you work, reports by day, table and shift are ready, and revenue is split by club type and bar. Rent, salaries and purchases go in as expenses, and bar profit is calculated from FIFO cost. What is left for you is putting the numbers into the formulas.
In short
- Occupancy and revenue per table-hour show how hard your tables work; change prices with both in view.
- Average session and average check describe guest behaviour; read bar share together with cost and profit.
- Knowing your peak and empty hours helps you set prices and staff schedules.
- Net result is the number after every expense, including your own salary.
- Do not look for a universal benchmark: compare your club with last week and last month.
If you have no time to collect these numbers by hand, try ClubTime free for 15 days, with every feature open and no card required.