Electric Bat Arcade owner Rachel Bess is queen of Phoenix pinball

Rachel Bess fully embraces the mentality that if you love what you do for a living, you never work a day in your life.

As owner of Electric Bat Arcade, she was able to turn her passion for pinball into a thriving business in a little over six years. Not bad for an endeavor she initially said no to.

Years back, she was approached by Yucca Tap Room’s owner, Rodney Hu, and co-owner, Sean Downing, at one of Arizona’s arcade and gaming conventions. Their mission was to find someone to open an arcade branch at the popular historic dive bar. Bess' name came up over and over and, after some convincing, she gladly accepted. Today, Electric Bat Arcade is a destination for pinball enthusiasts at both Yucca in Tempe, and Yucca North in Flagstaff.

“People travel here (from other states) all the time. Almost daily, we'll get people from somewhere else,” Bess says proudly. “Australia, Canada, England, all over the world. People will travel. This has become a mecca arcade.”

During the interview, she spoke with someone from California who was eager to express their respect. She also pointed out a few regulars, including a mother and daughter who were in the arcade; stopping by to play and bond is a tradition for them. Beyond being a landmark for arcade lovers, Electric Bat Arcade has become a true community space. People have celebrated countless occasions there including, birthdays and engagements, and some who met there are now starting families of their own.

“ Arizona has one of the biggest pinball scenes in the world, and I think it's because we support each other,” Bess explains.
Similarly themed bar arcade establishments have popped up across the Valley in recent years. Since the pinball network is tight-knit, it’s been community over competition among the owners. Since many of them met through the pinball circuit, they commit to seeing each other thrive. They even share a Google calendar to ensure pinball events and tournaments do not overlap, so everyone who wants to flip some flippers has multiple chances throughout the week at different locations.

As the arcade’s popularity grew, Bess has had many opportunities to hone her skills in repairing and maintaining arcade games, something not typically taught, due to its complexities and various problems that could arise. Many other pinball machine owners frequently seek her advice, which inspired the podcast "Electric Batcast," hosted by Bess and her husband, Cale Hernandez.

Alongside Hernandez and friend John Shopple, they roll up their sleeves to ensure the machines are always in working order for players. With access to the arcade through the bar side, the main Tempe location is open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Since their marriage, Hernandez has become an owner and plays an essential role in the fabric of Electric Bat Arcade. Being a pinball aficionado in his own right, he noted the shift in the scene from what he’s used to after being in the game for a long time.

“There was just a high percentage of female clientele and he would comment like, ‘I've never seen this many women in an arcade ever,’” Bess recalls.

This might be due to Bess being one of the few female arcade owners around.

“ It's extremely rare to be a woman arcade owner. There are three that I can think of now in the world, and one of them I think isn't doing it anymore,” Bess notes.

When arcade game convention ZapCon started in 2013, Bess was in charge of volunteers, many of whom she had never met before. She remembers the way she would describe herself in emails.

“Come in and I'll tell you where you're gonna be working and what you'll be doing. You’ll know who I am because I will be the female. There were so few women in the hobby at that time that I could just describe myself as, 'I'll be the woman that you see,'” she says.

Despite all the responsibilities of running a successful arcade, Bess is more than a business owner. She's a renowned painter who made a living as a full-time artist before opening Electric Bat Arcade. Her works were recently seen in "The Collection: Dutch Art Expanded" at the Ballinger Gallery inside the Phoenix Art Museum.

After completing her degree in painting, her parents encouraged her to find a more practical path, but Bess resisted.

“Why would I put myself on a path to do that? I've just always been very stubborn about that,” she emphasizes. “I just think that's the right way to live. Just, like, live in a smaller spot and do the things you love.”

When asked what Bess enjoys the most of being an arcade owner, her main focus is connectivity and the diverse crowd pinball attracts seeking both physical and mental stimulation.

 ”When we have tournaments, there's always, really, somebody from all sectors. We have people with a lot of money, people with no money, people that are very left-wing, people that are very right wing people,” she says. “Everybody really gets along, and I think it's really nice to see that. Right now ,we're not seeing a lot of that, so just having 120 very different people get together and have a blast — it makes me feel really good.”

Electric Bat Arcade Tempe is located at 25 W. Southern Ave., Tempe, inside Yucca Tap Room. For tournament or event information, visit electricbatarcade.com.