THOMAS' ESCAPE ROOM:
How One Escape Room Cut Labor Costs by 30% While Boosting Revenue
For Texas escape room owner Thomas, Drawbridge wasn’t just software—it was the catalyst for a complete operational overhaul. See how he moved from 20+ staff members down to 12 while achieving a 96% escape rate.
THE CHALLENGE:
Tech Contraints Created a Bloated Roster
Operating a 9-room venue with traditional methods was proving costly and inefficient for Thomas. Without a unified system, his team relied on a staffing model that required two gamemasters just to handle the basic load, because they couldn’t run multiple rooms effectively with the existing software. Labor costs hovered around 17.3% of revenue, and the team was hesitant about running games solo. Thomas needed a way to streamline operations, reduce overhead, and empower his staff to do more with less.
AT A GLANCE
LOCATION:Texas, USA
VENUE:9 rooms
TEAM:12 staff
"Everyone was scared about being alone gamemastering. Right now, they're doing four games by themselves. It’s no big deal. We took our labor from 20-plus down to 12.” Thomas, Owner, Texas Escape Room
THE SOLUTION:
A “Catalyst” for Confidence and Efficiency
Thomas didn’t just install Drawbridge; he used it as a catalyst to completely restructure his business mindset and operations. By implementing the software, he was able to show his team that a single gamemaster could comfortably handle four games at once.
The platform allowed them to:
- Consolidate Monitoring: Move from disjointed systems to a single command center where one person can monitor multiple games efficiently.
- Optimize Schedules: Implement a staggered staffing model that opens and closes the day with just one person, ramping up to only five staff members during peak hours.
- Streamline Resets: Use Drawbridge’s logging capabilities to verify that evening resets were completed correctly, saving 30-45 minutes on opening and closing duties every day.
THE RESULTS
LABOR COST REDUCTION:Labor dropped from roughly 17.3% down to ~11.5% of revenue—a solid 5% reduction to the bottom line.
REVIEW GENERATION:Staff are incentivized to get named reviews, with top performers securing over 100 Google mentions in a single month.
WORLD-CLASS ESCAPE RATES:Despite running with fewer staff, the customer experience improved, resulting in a 96% escape rate because gamemasters could intervene more effectively.
MASSIVE STAFFING EFFICIENCY:The venue went from needing a roster of 20+ people down to about 12, saving an estimated $8,000–$10,000 per month in staffing costs alone.
A Competitive Advantage
For Thomas, Drawbridge has become essential not just for saving money, but for driving performance. He uses the League Reports to benchmark his venue against others and leverages the leaderboards to create friendly competition among his staff. The efficiency gains have given him the time and resources to focus on growth and family, proving that a leaner operation can be more effective.
“Just looking at staffing alone, I would say [costs] are down close to $8,000 to $10,000 a month... We’re definitely making multiples in return [on the investment], for sure.”Thomas, Owner, Texas Escape Room