How the calculation works
- Paid hours = stations × open hours per day × days per month × occupancy
- Session revenue = paid hours × average hourly rate
- Food and drink profit = sales × gross margin
- Electricity = paid hours × power per station (kW) × rate per kWh
- Profit = session revenue + food and drink profit − fixed costs − electricity
- Break-even occupancy is the occupancy at which profit is exactly zero
Getting an accurate occupancy figure
Occupancy is the number that moves profit most, and the one most often guessed. Count it from real data if you can: total paid session hours in a month divided by stations × open hours. Gaming cafe software that times every session, like CR Cafe, gives you this directly in its reports.
Levers that improve profit
- Weekend and night pricing that earns more at peak times — see our guide to gaming cafe pricing and billing
- Prepaid wallets that bring regulars back more often — see memberships and wallets
- Selling food and drink at the station, from one point of sale
- Shutting down idle PCs to save electricity between sessions