In this post we will try to crack the answer to Why are Escape Rooms so expensive?
There are many factors to look at here.
Firstly is running costs, The high cost of running a business is no secret. Rent is a big factor, Escape Rooms are usually large spaces, this means big buildings and big buildings cost big money. There are also many hidden costs too that maybe you haven’t thought about. Insurance is a large expense in Escape Rooms because it’s such a niche industry, the options for shopping around just don’t exist. A lot of buildings are subject to service charges, especially in highstreets and shopping parks. This service charge pays for things like outside lighting, maintenance of public areas, and even security guards, cctv and carparks. Then of course there is the Games Masters wages, not only do they brief you at the beginning, help you with clues throughout your game and then chat to you after, take your photo and offer you awesome return discounts, they have to tidy up, clean, reset the rooms, post your photos to social media, and do lots of other things too. Time is money and they’re worth their weight in gold.
The next thing to consider is building cost. From padlocks to walls the cost of materials is getting higher all around us. Chances are, unless the building you want to turn into an escape room is already an escape room, you will definitely have to build walls and install doors. Once you’ve built the room’s structure, you need paint, props, furniture, lighting, scenery and technology ( each room takes 1-3 laptops to run). It’s a massive initial cost and most escape room businesses aren’t profitable for 3 years!
Why does it get more expensive for more people? We charge per person so we can keep that cost down. In order to be profitable we would have to charge a minimum of £80 per room. This just isn’t an affordable amount for teams of 2, so to keep it affordable for more people, we have to average it out based on the average team being 3.3 people. This is easier to imagine if you think about a cinema. If every film only had 6 visitors it wouldn’t stay open very long but because some films sell out completely they can afford to show the odd film that only 10 people watch.
So why does it cost more than a cinema ticket? In a cinema one member of staff can serve almost infinite customers in a 5 hour shift. At an escape room, one member of staff can only serve a maximum of 3 teams. That team is the only team they can serve, as the room is occupied, and their full attention is needed at all times.
In conclusion there are many reasons escape rooms could be seen as expensive, but they are great fun and in our opinion worth it! Book now!
or check out our faqs for more info