Calling all pinheads: Customers flipping over unique entertainment rentals from Saskatoon cafe

Flashing yellow, red, white, orange and blue lights pop from the boxy machines lining the right wall of Pokey’s Pinball Cafe, greeting customers as they walk through the door.

Cafe owner and operator Jason Carroll said his favourite is always changing based on the new games coming out, but the ones on the wall are his own personal collection.

The variety of colourful pinball machines displayed for customers to play currently include Jurassic Park (“a player’s game,” Carroll said), The Walking Dead, The Twilight Zone (a “classic” from 1993 and always in Carroll’s top five), Metallica, Star Wars (very popular with customers), and — his latest addition — Godzilla (“fantastic,” according to Carroll).

He has more games than those on the floor right now, and Carroll will switch out the games in the cafe to keep a fresh rotation going for customers.

It’s been five years since the cafe opened its doors — their grand opening was on Feb. 3, 2017 — and Carroll said they look forward to celebrating the milestone in the spring. The cafe represented a fresh start for Carroll at the time; a chance to do something different.

“I wasn’t getting any younger and this has always sort of been a passion of mine — pinball and working in the service industry,” he explained.

Carroll didn’t claim to be the best player in the room, but he’s been passionate about the boxy metal contraptions filled with silver ball traps since he was a young.

“You used to see them everywhere around town in gas stations, convenience stores, that sort of thing,” he said. “We’d always play when we were kids.”

It’s been more than a decade since Carroll bought his first pinball machine — for less than $3,000 at the time. It kicked off what he called a “somewhat of an expensive addiction.” Today, Carroll said it costs around $10,000 for a new machine.

One of his first machines — The Twilight Zone — is one he said he wouldn’t sell today. If he did, however, he estimated it might go for about $13,000 based on the table’s age, upkeep, rarity, and desirability.

“The cost of them has gone up substantially,” Carroll said.

“The more you play, the more you figure out some of the strategies and how the tables play,” he said.

While many might be familiar with pinball as far as the silver balls and flippers, Carroll said some people might be surprised to learn that every game is different. Some are known for more traps and toys in the table layout, while others are higher scoring. Some are easier to play longer games on than others.

Carroll prefers the games that require more strategy and boast deeper complexities.

“Every game is different, every single game,” Carroll said. “Because there (are) so many physical aspects of the game. It’s never the same game twice, so unlike a video game where there’s repetition … pinball constantly changes.”

But though no two pinball tables are the same, the end of each game is inevitable, Carroll commented — especially when that silver ball takes a nosedive between the two flippers.

“It’s somewhat of a metaphor for life, you’re going to lose in the end so just try and enjoy it while it lasts,” he said with a smile.

The 33rd Street West cafe has been helping people have fun through the holidays and Saskatchewan’s recent cold snap by offering their pinball machines to the public at their cafe and in the comfort of their own homes.

Over the Christmas break, Carroll said various businesses rented some of his pinball machines for staff parties and other events.

“There was a lot of great feedback from that, people were really excited to see pinball again,” Carroll said.

Some customers who missed the cafe decided to even rent machines for their own homes to beat the frigid temperatures and avoid Omicron over the past few weeks.

“They bring the fun home,” Carroll said.

Indulgent post alert:

Saskatoon, did you know that @PokeysCafe rents their pinball machines? It has made this cold snap and close-contact COVID jail we’ve been in over the holidays infinitely more enjoyable. Plus I love finding new ways to support great local businesses 🌟 pic.twitter.com/NXhVtic1iH

— Tamara Hinz (@hinz_tamara) December 31, 2021

Saskatoon resident Tamara Hinz posted a tweet about renting Pokey’s Deadpool pinball machine for the past couple of months.

“It has made this cold snap and close-contact COVID jail we’ve been in over the holidays infinitely more enjoyable,” Hinz tweeted. “Plus I love finding new ways to support great local businesses.”

Pinball machine rentals from Pokey’s include transport of the machine to and from a customer’s home and installation of the game. It costs $400 a month with a minimum requirement of two months rental. Someone can rent the game for as long as they like, however.

It’s a great option for people looking to find a unique form of fun at home, Carroll said. The games are especially fun with more than one player.

“Competition can be fierce on pinball machines,” Carroll said.

To keep his games in pristine condition, Carroll said they’ll vet customers by requesting identification and their credit card. He also does not rent games to people who want to put them in their basement to prevent damage to the game and limit difficulties installing the game.

“Not anymore,” Carroll answered when asked if it was hard to see his machines head out to different homes for a time. “I guess in the beginning it sort of was, they’re all kind of like my babies, but it is a business after all.”

Carroll also has his tables insured and has learned to clean, fix and maintain each of his tables. But he said his games always come back in good condition.

The cafe has other options for people looking to enjoy pinball.

Carroll said they recently closed to the public for an evening to host a private event for a couple who’d spent much of the past two years in lockdown because of COVID-19. The couple used the occasion to celebrate all the anniversaries, birthdays and other events COVID had limited for them at once.

Winter presents more interest in the machine rentals than summer, Carroll said. He said the cold weather has likely had a positive impact on their rental numbers this year.

“They’re a little different than sticking an iPad in front of someone,” Carol explained. “There’s so much interaction … and the nostalgia of it all.”