A Skee-ball legend is born.
As a teen prodigy in the Chuck E. Cheese’s Skee-Ball circuit, Joey the Cat turned pro in the fall of 2009 and quickly made a name for himself in the Brewskee-Ball® nationwide tour. He went on to break countless records before winning his first major tournament at the age of 23, the San Francisco Skeeson III BROTY (Best Roller of the Year). The records kept coming and Joey the Cat couldn’t be stopped. In May 2011, Joey the Cat reached the pinnacle of the competitive Skee-Ball realm. In a field of the world’s 64 best rollers, Joey the Cat dominated the competition to become the number one Skee-Ball® player.
2011 Brewskee-Ball® National Championships trophy and prize money.
In 2012, Joey the Cat clawed his way through the field again and to defend the title as the #1 Skee-Ball player in the world. The following year, he faced Snakes on a Lane and could not overcome the slithery 50s, resulting in a second place finish.
The Snakes on a Lane vs Joey the Cat rivalry was continued in 2014 where they met in the finals match once again. The back-and-forth match went the way of the Cat and in Austin, TX, Joey the Cat was again crowned the #1 Skee-Baller in the world.
“Skee-Ball is my life. I met my wife playing Skee-Ball.”
— Joey the Cat, Founder
When I bought my first machine, I didn’t realize an arcade business was born.
— Now Joey the Cat owns over 50 Skee-Ball alleys.
Building an arcade business.
Bought the first machine.
In 2010 after losing the first Skee-Ball National Championships, Joey bought a Skee-Ball® machine on eBay and put it in his SF apartment. The machine blocked his bedroom door and took over the entire kitchen area. The passion project began…
Partnered with venues.
Since moving the machines was quite difficult and laborious, we started reaching out to venues (bars, music venues, restaurants, food truck parks, etc) to house the games and create revenue partnerships.
Rented games.
Companies, backyard parties, and event planners started to reach out to rent the Skee-Ball machine for their own spaces. Our first clients actually helped us move the machines in to their space. We quickly figured out transportation to move the Skee-Ball machines around. :)
Built our own arcades.
Once we had 10 location in San Francisco Bay Area, we expanded to Los Angeles, and subsequently Denver, CO. The next phase for us, was to create our own arcades. We launched our first arcade space at Hometown Bowl in S. San Francisco. It’s our largest arcade space.