Indoor play center calculator: how many visits a week to break even? Free, private

Your play centre

Weekdays open per week (0 to 5)

Child visits on an average weekday

Weekend days open per week (0 to 2)

Child visits on an average weekend day

Walk-in admission per child, dollars

Share of visits on a membership or pass, %

Revenue per member or pass visit, dollars

Card and booking-platform fees, % of revenue

Cafe and vending spend per child visit, dollars

Cafe cost of goods, % of cafe sales

Other cost per visit (wristbands, socks, cleaning supplies), dollars

Birthday parties booked per week

Price per party, dollars

Party food, favors and supplies per party, dollars

Extra staff minutes per party (host, set-up, clean-up)

Paid staff hours per week (floor, cafe, front desk)

Average hourly wage, dollars

Payroll tax, workers' comp and benefits, % of wages

Rent per month, dollars

Utilities per month, dollars

Insurance per year, dollars

Marketing per month, dollars

Manager or your own draw per month, dollars

Other fixed costs per month (software, repairs, licences), dollars

Floor area, square feet

Fit-out per square foot (floors, restrooms, fire, electrical), dollars

Play structures and equipment total, dollars

Cafe, party-room and front-desk equipment, dollars

Launch cost: licences, legal, branding, first marketing, dollars

Lease deposit, months of rent

Contingency on fit-out, equipment and launch, %

Attendance in month 1, % of full demand

Months to reach full demand

Loan as % of startup cost (0 for all cash)

Loan interest rate, %

Loan term, years

Target operating margin, %

Fill in your centre, then click Work out the centre. A walk-in admission price is required; the rest default to zero or the neutral choice.

Result

If attendance runs above or below plan

Versus plan	Child visits per week	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

If you charge more or less

Admission and party price change	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

If wages rise or fall

Wage change	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

Year by year, first five years

Year	Operating profit	Cash after loan

What it does, and what it leaves to you

Visits: weekdays open × weekday visits plus weekend days open × weekend visits = child visits a week; a month is 52 ÷ 12 weeks.
Revenue: visits × the blend of walk-in admission and the lower revenue per member or pass visit, plus parties × party price, plus cafe spend per visit, less card and booking fees as a share of all revenue.
Variable cost: cafe cost of goods, other cost per visit, and per party the food and supplies plus the extra staff minutes at the loaded wage. Fixed: paid staff hours × wage × (1 + payroll load), rent, utilities, insurance, marketing, manager and other costs.
Break-even: parties move with visits, so profit is a straight line in attendance and break-even attendance is fixed cost divided by what planned demand contributes. Startup: fit-out per square foot, play equipment, cafe equipment, deposit, launch and contingency; the loan is a share of that on level payments. Ramp-up runs sixty months with demand climbing in a straight line from the month-1 figure; payback is the first month cumulative cash covers your equity.
Not decided: whether your catchment can supply the visits; seasonality and school-term swings; child-safety, play-equipment inspection, building and fire code, occupancy, food-licensing, waiver and staff background-check rules; insurance terms; income tax and depreciation; and what a lender will offer.

Common questions

How much profit does an indoor play centre make?

It depends on how many children come, what a visit and a party earn, and what staff, rent and insurance cost. Enter your own figures; the page works out revenue after fees, cafe and party costs, fixed costs, monthly profit and margin at planned attendance.

How many visits a week does an indoor playground need to break even?

Two figures are shown: visits a week that cover operating costs, and the higher number that also covers the loan. Parties scale with visits in this model, and profit is a straight line in attendance, so both are exact for your inputs.

How much does it cost to open an indoor play centre?

The page adds fit-out per square foot, play equipment, cafe equipment, lease deposit, launch cost and a contingency. Every one is your own figure; the page does not assume a benchmark cost.

How much do birthday parties add?

Party revenue is parties a week times your price, less party food and the extra staff minutes each party takes. They are entered separately because party margin is usually much higher than a walk-in visit, and the page shows what they add to profit.

Does this tell me whether a play centre will succeed?

No. It works only from your figures. It does not know how many families live near the site, what competitors charge, or how your reviews will go. Check your catchment, child-safety and play-equipment rules, building and fire codes, insurance and staffing rules first.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent; a test in the code asserts there are no network calls.