Your Venue Is Open on a Dead Tuesday Afternoon. Does Anyone Know?
3 min read · Updated 2026-10-18
If you run a bowling alley, a roller rink or an axe-throwing lounge, you know the feeling. The lights are on, the staff are in, and the lanes are empty. A dead Tuesday afternoon or a rainy Saturday is time you can never sell again. The usual fix is a blanket discount. It is usually the wrong one.
Here is why, and what works better.
People want to go out. They just don't know you're open
In a June 2022 report, TD Economics reported that nominal recreation and entertainment spending on TD debit and credit cards in May 2022 was about 40% above its pre-pandemic level and had surpassed its pre-pandemic share of total card spending. These are historical figures, not evidence of current demand.
For your venue, timing matters. Most deals are only seen after people have already chosen where to go. A special on a chalkboard inside only reaches people who already walked in.
The problem with a blanket discount
A flat "20% off everything" does three things wrong. First, it discounts the busy periods that never needed help, so you are handing money back to customers who would have paid full price anyway. Second, it trains people to wait for the deal, which erodes what your experience is worth. Third, nobody sees it until they're already through the door.
A discount shrinks the value of every visit. What you actually want is the opposite: a reason for people to come in and spend a little more while they are there.
A better move: make the free part depend on more spend
The perks that work share one rule. The free thing is only unlocked by more spend, never a flat markdown. Two examples from the kind of venue we are talking about:
- For groups: "Bring a third person, get one free." It only triggers when they bring more people. You give up one game and gain two paying guests, plus whatever they spend at the bar and the snack counter.
- For a solo visitor or a couple: "Play two games, get the third free." It rewards the person wandering around on a quiet afternoon by extending their visit rather than discounting it. More time in your venue means another round of drinks and food.
Notice what both do. They never feel like giving away margin, because every free thing arrives attached to more spending. That is the whole trick, and it is why a well-built perk beats a blanket discount every time.
It works even better if your venue serves food and drink. A perk on the activity drives the kitchen and bar, and a perk at the bar drives the activity. The two sides cross-promote each other.
Show the perk before they choose
A perk only fills an empty afternoon if people see it while they're still deciding. That's what GooSee does. You set a perk for the hours you're slow, and GooSee shows it to people nearby who are looking for something to do, before they pick where to go.
Put it to work
You do not need a marketing budget to try this. List your venue free on GooSee, choose a perk that fits your slow hours, and reach the people nearby who are already looking for something to do.
List your venue for free. Show people you're open.
Sources
- https://economics.td.com/td-spend