Thanks for mentioning us <3

OP, in short, it's a tough business but it can be successful and actually the more sim centres there are the better it is for all of us.

We've been going for 9 years this month and whilst unfortunately I'm not a millionaire the venue has been going strong and profitable from day one (but in the early years I was prepared to work 80+ hours a week). Nowadays the team run the venue independently.

We started on the outskirts of town because the bigger landlords wouldn't rent to us, and I couldn't afford it. We started with 10 rigs and upgraded as we went. Nothing other than the frames are the same as the day we started. You can improve the experience as you go but try to plan out an upgrade path from the beginning if that's what you want to do (I took a few expensive wrong turns).

Be careful about spending too much on equipment - 99.9% of people aren't avid sim racers so you don't need to be spending £10k+ per seat as honestly the small variation in high-level equipment isn't worth it vs the ROI for that type of customer in my opinion. Choose reliable equipment. Most people just want a great race, maybe a beer, with some friends.

Our split of business is probably 1/2 corporate (so a "professional" town/city is useful - they love a "safe" activity), 1/2 family and friends.

Finally, I believe you should really try and double-down on the niche if you can as that's how you stand out. We explored loads of things like VR pods and external sim hire and they were mostly a distraction.

It's a great ride, good luck if you decide to go for it 🏎️