For Episode 15 of the RePlay Podcast, our host Randy Chilton spoke with Hawaii-based operator Linda Fernandez, who was inducted into the Amusement Industry Hall of Fame earlier this year alongside her late husband Kane Fernandez.
Today, she operates 22 of their Fun Factory-brand locations. Though the Fernandez name in Hawaii entertainment dates back to 1903 (56 years before Hawaii became a U.S. state), when Kane’s father E.K. Fernandez (known as the “Barnum of the Pacific”) ran carnivals, Fun Factory started in the 1970s following a rained-out outdoor event. That led them to create an “indoor carnival,” which eventually grew into the fun centers that are across Hawaii and over on the mainland.
“We did not know the indoor business, per se, so we created an indoor carnival,” she explained. “There were no video games. It started as a fun center with rides and carnival games and concessions. It evolved into having arcade games. We actually started by subcontracting that piece of the business, until we learned it – or thought we did.”
Fernandez also talked about her family background that led her down the path of leading this multi-generational company.
To learn more about Linda and Fun Factory, listen to the entire podcast and visit www.funfactorygames.com.