How to score a location before you buy a machine
Twelve weighted criteria, scored against evidence rather than instinct — and the hard stops that override a high traffic score no matter how good the venue looks.
Reviewed by Micah Stanley
The short answer
Score the venue before you choose the machine. Hardware is a consequence of the location, not the other way round.
Rate each of twelve criteria from 0 to 5, multiply by its weight, and record the evidence beside the score so the assessment can be reviewed later.
Apply hard stops absolutely. An unlawful placement, an unauthorised product, an unsafe installation or an inability to service customers cannot be outweighed by traffic.
The scorecard
Weights reflect how much each factor actually moves the outcome. Legal fit carries the highest weight because failing it ends the conversation entirely.
| Criterion | Weight | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|---|
| Adult-only access and legal fit | 5 | Can this placement lawfully offer every planned category during every operating period? |
| Peak traffic | 4 | How many people are present during the hours when demand is strongest? |
| Dwell time | 4 | Do guests stay long enough to notice the machine and act on it? |
| Audience and product fit | 4 | Does this venue’s audience plausibly want the categories you plan to stock? |
| Visibility and path | 4 | Is it seen without obstructing service, egress or accessibility? |
| Venue support | 4 | Will ownership and staff back the placement, handle refunds and give access? |
| Downside and removal risk | 4 | What could force removal or make the location uneconomic? |
| Hours of operation | 3 | Do late-night and weekend hours align with the assortment? |
| Power and connectivity | 3 | Is reliable, permitted power and internet available at the exact spot? |
| Security and serviceability | 3 | Can it be safely installed, accessed and maintained? |
| Route efficiency | 2 | How much incremental travel and labour does this stop create? |
| Competition and substitutes | 2 | What is already sold inside or immediately nearby? |
How to score it
- Rate each criterion 0–5 using documented evidenceNot impressions. If you cannot point to what you observed or were told, the score is a guess and should be marked low-confidence.
- Multiply rating by weightThis is the whole mechanism. It stops a single exciting factor — usually traffic — from dominating the decision.
- Record evidence and confidence beside each scoreYou will want to know later why you scored something a 4, particularly if the placement underperforms.
- Apply the hard stopsThese are pass/fail and they override the total. See below.
- Choose machine and assortment only after the venue passesCapacity, footprint and product mix are all downstream of the location.
Two people scoring the same venue should land close to each other. If they do not, the disagreement is usually about evidence rather than judgement, which is a useful thing to surface before signing.
Venue archetypes
| Archetype | Why it may fit | Primary diligence |
|---|---|---|
| Late-night bar | High late-night demand and long dwell | Space, visibility, local rules, bartender workflow |
| Nightclub | High peak traffic and impulse behaviour | Security, price sensitivity, high split requests, heavy wear |
| Adult-entertainment venue | Extended hours and adult-only access | Privacy, product mix, corporate policy, reputational fit |
| Casino or gaming venue | Long dwell and varied need states | Corporate procurement, contracts, licensing, service levels |
| Brewery or taproom | Community traffic and long visits | Family hours are the disqualifier — check the calendar |
| Music venue | Event-driven peaks | All-ages shows, queueing, access between sets |
| Hotel nightlife | After-hours demand | Corporate approval, guest support, brand standards |
Hard stops
These override the total, always
An unlawful placement · a product not authorised for sale in that jurisdiction · an unsafe or non-compliant installation · a conflict with venue policy · an inability to service customers or handle refunds. A high traffic score never compensates for any of these. If one applies, the venue fails regardless of what the arithmetic says.
The reason to write these down rather than hold them in your head is that a good venue is persuasive. When an owner is enthusiastic and the room is busy, it becomes easy to reason around a problem. A pass/fail list applied before the total is calculated protects you from your own optimism.
Re-scoring after the pilot
The score is a prediction. After a pilot period you have facts, and the two should be compared deliberately.
Re-score using actual sales, stockouts, support events, service time and venue feedback. Where the prediction was wrong, the interesting question is which criterion you misjudged — that is how the scorecard gets more accurate for the next venue rather than staying a formality.
Operators who do this consistently converge on a personal weighting that reflects their market. Operators who do not keep making the same misjudgement in new venues.
Common questions
What total score means yes?
Can a venue fail on one criterion and still work?
How long should a pilot run before re-scoring?
Should the venue see the scorecard?
Nightlife Vending program
Micah and Ben’s system for bars, clubs and late-night venues: qualifying a venue, getting the owner to yes, setting up compliance, and scaling past the first machine.
See the program Watch on YouTubeInformational only. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Vending regulation varies by state and locality and changes frequently. Verify current requirements with qualified counsel before operating. Figures are illustrative scenarios, not forecasts and not typical results. How we make money
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