Claw Daddy Brings Crane Arcades to California

by Matt Harding

Humble industry beginnings have quickly turned into quite the growing enterprise for operator Rob Pollard, better known as “Claw Daddy.” His California-based Claw Daddy Arcades launched in 2022 after spending years in the TV industry.

“I shot 350 episodes of reality television,” he said. That included working as a producer on the show Wicked Tuna, which has since gotten its own video game adaptation thanks to UNIS. “It was really cool to see that at IAAPA knowing I had worked on the actual show,” Pollard added.

With young children and a wife at home, he said he became burned out being on set and away from his family for six months out of the year.

Ideas started percolating for what to do next. First, he bought a crane and placed it at a Chinese buffet in Los Angeles. “I was seeing the potential, but I wasn’t really too keen on splitting 40% commission with the location,” Pollard said. “So, my wife and I decided to get a space and brand our machines. I’m really big on branding – everything we have is Claw Daddy. We went ahead and purchased about 25 machines for our first arcade.”

That arcade officially opened in June 2023 at The Shops at Montebello, a mall just east of L.A. “We immediately found success,” he said, noting that reaching out to Instagram influencers helped him gain his own social media traction. “I was able to take some of the stuff I learned in television selling entertainment and I applied that to arcade entertainment.”

Once that first location found some success, Pollard’s vision was, “We’re not going to put too much money into our pockets – we’re just going to scale.”

Profits from their first location went toward construction and completion of their second location, in Fresno at the Fashion Fair Mall.

At that point, they scaled every few months. Now, Claw Daddy Arcades also has locations in Palmdale at the Antelope Valley Mall; Modesto at the Vintage Faire Mall; and San Diego at the Mission Valley shopping mall.

“My goal is to remain independently owned as long as I can,” he said, adding, “We’re 100% independently funded.” Also importantly, Pollard noted: “It’s been amazing to be able to have my kids and wife be a part of this. One amazing thing about amusements and arcades, with Claw Daddy, this is something I can leave to my children. No matter how many episodes you produce in television, there’s nothing to leave behind, so it’s such an amazing feeling to have that sense of ownership and stability for my family and my kids.”

With that future-focused vision in mind, Pollard sees the Claw Daddy concept spreading throughout the state. “I want to have the entire California market sewed up,” he said. His plans for 2025 includes five new sites – two new locations in Southern California, one in the Central Valley and expansion into the Bay Area.

As far as Pollard is concerned, winners make players and players make long-term customers. “As long as people are winning, they’re going to have a good time,” he said. “I look at the long-term dollar. My profit margin might not be as great as someone ripping someone off and furthering the stereotype of cranes. Some players win every time.”

Though the crane arcade concept has been growing in the States, it’s been a long-time staple in Japan, where Pollard has a very personal connection.

“My inspiration for this was my roots,” he explained. “My mother is from Tokyo. When I grew up, I’d spend summers in Japan as a kid.” There was an arcade four blocks from his grandmother’s house and at just about every train station, too. “She’d give me a few coins and I’d go down to these arcades.”

As an adult, he’s crafting his own legacy in crane arcades. The smallest location is the L.A. flagship at around 800 sq. ft. of gaming space. The largest is the Modesto outpost at nearly 3,000 sq. ft. There are about 25-50 games at each location, depending on size.

Pollard’s Claw Daddy Arcades rely on a few key industry partners, including Pipeline Games. “Gary Balaban’s cut games are flawless,” he said. “I really love the product that they have.”

Each of the Claw Daddy locations also have trade-up counters, where players can take, say, five smaller plushies, and trade up for larger, higher-value items like life-size plush, headphones, speakers and the like.

“Outside of Gary and Pipeline Games, I would say Amusement Connect has really helped my business grow and allowed me to scale,” Pollard added. “A lot of crane rooms use the token model, but I don’t know what I would do if I hadn’t gone with Amusement Connect. It’s the easiest thing to use. Their interface is amazing.”

There’s also Allstar Vending, which provides a lot of the plush used at Claw Daddy Arcades. “I have a lot of respect for what they do,” he said. “We’ve been collaborating on a couple of ideas.”

Ultimately, it boils down to the fun of the cranes. “It’s been my goal to create a positive, experiential atmosphere,” Pollard said. “With that, people are going to come.”

Be sure to stop by one of the California arcades, or you can follow along on Instagram (@claw_daddy_ arcades).