From a Bernal Heights Skee-Ball machine to Joey the Cat, a California arcade-events business network

A hobby that became a commercial arcade operation

A single Skee-Ball machine placed inside a San Francisco apartment in 2008 became the starting point for what later grew into an arcade operations, rentals, repair, and events business identified publicly as “Joey the Cat.” The founder, Joey Mucha—who has competed in Skee-Ball and won national titles—began by acquiring a machine for personal practice and gradually expanded into paid rentals for parties and corporate events.

Public profiles of the business describe a progression from one machine to a larger inventory of vintage arcade games and Skee-Ball lanes, supported by event rentals, placement of machines in bars, and custom arcade builds for venues. By the mid-2010s, the operation had moved beyond an apartment-based side business into dedicated space used for storage, maintenance, and events.

Leagues, venues and the economics of “social play”

San Francisco’s bar-and-league ecosystem has long been part of the city’s recreational nightlife, and Skee-Ball leagues have operated locally for years. The model is straightforward: recurring league nights create predictable foot traffic for host venues, while organizers benefit from entry fees, sponsorships, and event-driven beverage and food sales. In parallel, rentals for weddings, brand activations and corporate gatherings provide higher-margin revenue that can finance equipment purchases and restoration work.

The “Joey the Cat” business footprint has been described as extending across California with dozens of arcade installations. Within San Francisco, it has been tied to large-format arcade bar concepts, including Thriller Social Club in SoMa, alongside projects in other California markets.

A physical expansion shaped by permitting and neighborhood process

Turning an arcade hobby into a bricks-and-mortar venue in San Francisco requires navigating planning rules, building permits, and public hearings that can add cost and time. In 2019, Mucha’s effort to convert a property—previously used for private events and repairs—into a broader public-facing food-and-beverage arcade concept became an example of how discretionary review and community input can affect timelines even when a use is allowed by zoning.

Separate reporting in early March 2026 described a new phase: a Mission District arcade space associated with Mucha’s operation moving from private use toward recurring public programming, including league nights intended to be open to participants beyond private events.

What the growth trajectory reveals about the arcade business

• Inventory is capital: Skee-Ball lanes and vintage machines are costly to buy, transport and maintain, pushing operators toward mixed revenue streams (rentals, bar placements, and venue builds).

• Maintenance is strategy: Repair capability can be a competitive advantage, reducing downtime and enabling restoration of older machines.

• Leagues function as retention: Regular play nights turn one-time customers into repeat visitors and stabilize demand for host locations.

Over 16 years, the Skee-Ball machine that began as an apartment fixture in San Francisco became a platform for a wider entertainment-services business—one combining competition, event logistics, equipment operations, and venue development.