2026 Indoor Playground & Play Café Industry Trends (Part 2)

Every year since 2019, I’ve released an annual trends forecast for the indoor playground and play café industry. And every year, those episodes consistently become some of the most watched and listened-to content I put out.

That isn’t because people love predictions.

It’s because this industry is expensive, nuanced, and wildly unforgiving when you build the wrong thing—or build the right thing but run it in a way that slowly drains the owner into the ground.

This is Part 2 of my 2026 Indoor Playground Industry Trends predictions.

In Part 1, I focused on designing the business: your space, your experience, your pricing, and the revenue model behind it. Because before we ever talk about systems, staffing, or tech, there’s a hard truth owners need to accept:

You cannot market your way out of a bad layout.
You cannot systematize your way out of a broken business model.
And you definitely can’t “work harder” your way out of math that isn’t mathing.

And while we’re here, I need to say this clearly because I’m seeing it a lot lately:

For the love of goodness gracious, do not let ChatGPT plan your entire business.

I’m all for AI. I teach owners how to use AI. I use it daily. But this industry is highly nuanced and often counterintuitive. If you use AI as your architect instead of your assistant, it may save you time and money right now—but the cracks will show. And when they show, they don’t just create “small problems.”

They restrict you at every turn.

They make staffing harder. Marketing harder. Paying yourself harder. Creating systems harder. Delegating harder. And the worst part? Many foundational mistakes cannot be undone without massive reinvestment—sometimes not at all.

So yes: use AI as a tool. Use it as support. But it cannot replace real-world operator insight, industry-specific numbers, and decisions that account for how families actually behave inside a play space.

Now—Part 2.

This is about what’s shifting in the day-to-day operations of the best-run play businesses after the doors open and the foundation is solid.

And if you’re listening as a prospective owner, hear this clearly:

Everything in this article is either something you can design for now…
or something you’ll be forced to fix later, under pressure, while the business is already open.

The owners who struggle most in year two and three aren’t bad operators. They’re owners who unknowingly built businesses that require too much human effort to run.

If you’re already open, you’ve felt that firsthand.

If you’re still planning, this is your chance to avoid it.

In 2026, the smartest operators are making structural decisions that separate:

• businesses that constantly require more effort to survive, from

• businesses that get easier to run over time.

Let’s get into it.

Trend 1: Owners Stepping Back as the “Face” to Protect Their Peace

One of the clearest shifts I’m seeing isn’t about growth tactics or design choices.

It’s about how visible, accessible, and personally exposed owners choose to be inside their businesses.

A few years ago, being the face of the business felt almost required. Owners were:

• answering DMs at midnight

• handling complaints personally

• jumping into comment sections

• engaging in every local moms group

• absorbing every emotionally charged customer interaction themselves

That level of access used to get labeled as “good customer service.”

But customer behavior has changed.

Expectations are higher. Patience is lower. Social media gives customers a louder, faster way to escalate even small issues—and a minor misunderstanding can become a public narrative in minutes.

And when the owner is the brand, that pressure lands directly on the owner.

So in 2026, I’m watching owners make an intentional adjustment.

Not because they don’t care.
Not because they’re disengaged.
But because tying your mental health, reputation, and identity to every customer interaction is not sustainable—especially if you have longevity in mind.

Here’s what this looks like in practice (and yes, this is something I’ve helped many owners restructure in 1:1 support):

What owners are doing differently

• Personal photos and bios quietly removed from websites so the brand—not the owner—becomes the anchor

• Social media shifting away from “me talking to the camera” and toward brand-led content, experience-led content, and team-supported content

• Empowering team members to show up on social media (when they’re comfortable) so marketing is not dependent on the owner’s personality or availability

• Communication routed through systems and trained staff instead of direct owner access, including:

  • call forwarding and routing

  • dedicated inboxes monitored by managers

  • auto responders and expectation-setting on social platforms

  • standardized response libraries for common issues

This shift is the difference between:

• “I run a business,” and

• “I am the business.”

Some of the owners I work with now live in entirely different states than their locations. Others maintain full-time jobs while their play spaces operate with strong leadership in place. Some are growing their families and don’t want their business to own them during maternity leave.

Five years ago, this sounded unrealistic in this industry.

In 2026, it’s becoming normal.

Leena and the “not being the face” model (and why it works)

At Play Maker Society LIVE, Leena from Little Play Avenue talked about this openly during our marketing panel.

Her business does not rely on her being the face, the voice, or the emotional buffer. That’s a personal preference—and she’s structured the business accordingly.

And yet her marketing is clear, consistent, and effective.

Why?

Because her brand is cohesive and recognizable. She has invested in:

• photographers and videographers

• a strong bank of visual assets

• consistent aesthetics that are instantly identifiable as Little Play Avenue

That matters more than people realize. When your content and visuals are consistent, you don’t need the owner’s personality to carry trust. The brand carries it.

“But Michele… some owners do go viral.”

Yes. And I want to be careful here, because I am not saying front-facing marketing is wrong.

Some of the most successful operators in this industry are incredibly visible:

• Sierra from Grandma’s Playroom

• Kaylinn from Kay’s Play Days

• Karen from Little Leaf

• Kat from Little Lattes

They get millions of views being active and personal on social media.

And they’re crushing it.

But that path is not required to run a sustainable local play business. It can open extra doors—brand deals, creator revenue, affiliate income (which we’ll get to)—but it is not the only model.

If being on camera is pit-inducing, if you dread it, if it feels like the part of marketing that makes you want to hide under your bed… you are not alone.

I don’t have the stomach for that kind of visibility. I’m a stay-in-my-little-corner-of-the-internet type of person. I’m not trying to make content for views. I create content so people searching for it can find it.

And many owners are the same.

The “grocery store problem” (and why brand boundaries matter)

In 2025, I helped many owners take a step back and create a stronger brand voice so their identity wasn’t tied to the business.

Because when you are the face, you don’t just get recognition. You get access.

You get stopped in the grocery store while your kid is having a meltdown. You get cornered at school pickup. You get asked for free passes, discounts, donations, exceptions.

And when you make a data-driven business decision—no discounts, no policy exceptions, no $500 in gift cards for a raffle—people don’t interpret it as a business decision.

They interpret it as you being mean.

That’s where brand-first thinking protects you.

Kate from Funtown Play Café is a perfect example. When we talked, what stood out wasn’t that she was absent—it’s that the brand itself does the heavy lifting.

Her fonts, colors, mascot, and vibe are cohesive and memorable. Her space is instantly recognizable. Customers understand what the experience is without needing Kate to narrate it.

And because the brand is the anchor:

• people aren’t expecting to see Kate

• they’re not trying to message her personal account

• she’s not being turned into the villain for setting boundaries

Say it with me: in 2026 we are not buckling to pressure from customers.

This trend isn’t about hiding.

It’s about building a business that can communicate clearly, handle friction professionally, and grow—without requiring the owner to absorb everything emotionally.

Trend 2: Tech That Removes Humans From Low-Value Work

In 2026, owners are done with tech that promises efficiency and delivers more work.

For years, many tools in this industry claimed to “save time,” but all they did was shift the work onto the owner or staff:

• more dashboards

• more logins

• more things to remember

• more steps that still required a human to babysit the process

That’s not leverage.

That’s digital busywork.

In 2026, the filter is clearer than ever:

Tech stays only if it removes humans from low-value work.

Not replaces people.
Removes the need for people in moments where they add no value.

The tech that survives will be tech that:

• reduces payroll without hurting experience

• reduces owner interruptions

• eliminates repetitive decisions

What this looks like in real businesses

Owners are leaning into:

• automated welcome sequences that educate new customers so staff stops repeating the same explanations

• booking systems with advanced automation:

  • automatic confirmations

  • contract collection + signatures

  • upsells at booking

  • reminders that reduce no-shows

• call routing and communication systems that protect owner time

• AI tools that draft SOPs, policies, schedules, internal messages, and customer responses so you stop reinventing the wheel

• team management tools like Homebase that use AI to draft schedules based on staff availability so managers review and tweak instead of starting from scratch

The goal isn’t to be cutting-edge.

The goal is to stop wasting human energy on tasks that don’t require human judgment, care, creativity, or decision-making.

Because every time a person does something a system could do just as well, you pay twice:

• once in payroll

• and once in mental load

The bigger shift: teams that generate money, not teams that “cover hours”

And here’s where 2026 gets blunt.

Owners can no longer afford to hire expensive warm bodies.

This is a major theme in Module 8 of Play Cafe Academy: team members are no longer just there to cover hours. Labor is too expensive for that.

Team members are being trained and measured as money-generating assets who understand how the business makes money and how their role contributes to that outcome.

That doesn’t mean turning staff into commission-hungry salespeople.

It means clarity.

Clear expectations.
Clear ownership.
Clear scoreboards.

When team members understand what matters—whether that’s:

• café upsells

• membership conversions

• party follow-ups

• retail attachment rates

• customer experience metrics
  They stop waiting to be told what to do.

They start operating like stakeholders.

The owners who are winning are pairing lean tech with intentional people systems:

• automation handles repetitive low-value tasks

• the team handles judgment, care, relationships, and execution

And when you stop wasting payroll on what a system can do, you can invest more into:

• training

• leadership

• retention

That compounds fast.

Also: payroll dollars can’t be eaten up by people sitting behind the counter scrolling their phones waiting for something to happen.

That model is done.

Trend 3: Unstaffed Access Is Scaling Up

This trend has moved from “interesting experiment” to legitimate business model—so it deserved its own section.

Keypad entry, smart locks, and semi-staffed access models are expanding because payroll is expensive and flexibility matters.

Heather from Play Date Indoor Playground in Minnesota talked about staffless models years ago on my podcast. We highlighted it at Play Maker Society LIVE. Vendors came in to talk through logistics and answer questions.

Now more owners are testing versions of it:

• unstaffed open play blocks

• membership-only access hours

• private rentals without full staffing

With the right systems—booking, waivers, cameras, access control—owners can expand hours without expanding payroll.

But here’s the catch:

Unstaffed access only works when the customer experience feels effortless.

Families don’t want to think about:

• logins

• waivers

• codes

• emails

• instructions

They want to book, show up, and have it work.

That’s why “duct-taped tech stacks” are breaking down.

If your booking system doesn’t talk to your waiver system, and your waiver system doesn’t talk to your access system, and your access system doesn’t talk to memberships…

The owner becomes the integration.

And 2026 owners are moving away from that.

Seamless tech is becoming a baseline expectation—not because families want “fancy,” but because they’re used to experiences that simply work: gyms, coworking spaces, classes, storage units.

Indoor play is not exempt from that expectation anymore.

Trend 4: Inclusivity Is No Longer Optional—It’s a Baseline Expectation

In 2026, inclusivity is no longer something that differentiates your business.

It’s something customers expect to be baked in.

Families are more aware of:

• sensory needs

• mobility differences

• neurodivergence

• elopement risk

• medical complexity

• social inclusion

And this doesn’t just come from families with disabilities. It comes from communities where inclusion is a shared expectation.

What’s shifting is that accessibility alone is not enough. ADA compliance is the starting line.

What families respond to now is universal design—spaces that work for many types of children without isolating or labeling.

That shows up in:

• layouts that reduce bottlenecks

• zones for both high-energy and low-stimulation play

• clear sightlines so parents don’t have to hover

• communication supports that help caregivers and kids

• gates and safety design for elopers

• sound control to reduce overwhelm

• staff training for children with differences

• thoughtful transitions between play zones

When inclusivity is done well, it doesn’t feel like a “special feature.” It just feels like a space that works.

And here’s the business reality:

Spaces that ignore this often see:

• shorter visits

• higher complaint rates

• lower membership retention

• hesitation around parties, camps, and recurring programs

Spaces that embrace it see the opposite:

• longer stays

• more repeat visits

• more trust for higher-ticket offerings

As competition increases, families don’t choose only the closest option—especially for high-ticket items. They choose the place that feels safest, calmest, and most supportive.

Trend 5: Brand Partnerships, Affiliate Revenue, and Creator-Adjacent Income

This is emerging as a legitimate revenue channel in 2026—and it is not reserved for influencers.

Attention has value now. And play spaces sit at the intersection of two valuable things:

• parents who spend money

• kids who influence spending

A few years ago, brand deals were dominated by parenting bloggers and big family accounts. Today, brands want trust and real connection. They want to reach families in environments that feel credible and experience-driven.

That’s where you come in.

And no—this does not contradict Trend 1 (owners stepping back). The business can be the platform. The owner does not have to be the influencer.

In 2026, there are three lanes:

Lane 1: In-facility brand partnerships

The most underrated option.

A business pays to be integrated into your space or programming in a way that enhances the experience.

Examples:

• a featured business playhouse that rotates quarterly

• sponsored sensory-friendly sessions

• “free coffee for members” sponsorships

• diaper brand sponsorship of baby area supplies

• kids’ dentist sponsoring a brushing station or play kit

• toy brand demo corner that changes seasonally

The key: it cannot feel like clutter. It must feel intentional.

Lane 2: Affiliate revenue (even for private owners)

Affiliate income can be built quietly into what you already do:

• a “shop our favorites” page on your website

• links in your newsletter (“what we’re loving”)

• QR codes in the café/retail area for products families constantly ask about

• seasonal gift guides

• party favor guides

• homeschool or sensory product recommendations

• recommended software/tools for aspiring owners snooping your site

• recommended cleaning supplies, vacuums, service companies

If you already answer “where is that from?” questions, you’re doing the work. You might as well get paid when someone buys.

Lane 3: Creator-adjacent income (for owners who do want visibility)

This includes:

• paid brand content

• paid UGC (content for brands even if you don’t post it)

• sponsored reels

• product placement

• event collaborations

This is why Sierra Zagarri from Grandma’s Playroom is speaking at our 2026 LIVE event. She’s built a brand that attracts partnerships because it’s clear, consistent, and trusted—and she understands how to turn visibility into leverage, not just views.

And here’s the takeaway even if you never want to go that public:

You don’t need millions of followers. You need:

• a clear customer base

• proof you can drive action

• a brand that looks professional on camera

• an audience that trusts you

A small local audience often converts better than a huge generic one.

In 2026, there will be a bigger gap between owners who treat their facility like “just a place” and owners who treat it like a platform.

Because your business can be:

• a play space

• a café

• a party venue

• and a media channel

And this revenue does not require more square footage, staff, equipment, or physical effort. It can literally be done from home in bed.

Trend 6: AI as a Daily Operator Tool 

AI is no longer theoretical in 2026.

It’s becoming part of the operating system of modern play businesses—because it reduces repeated work and mental load.

Owners are using AI to:

• write and update staff training materials

• generate SOPs that reflect how the business actually runs

• draft customer email replies without spiraling

• create policies/handbooks/internal documentation that used to live in their head

• think through schedules and coverage scenarios

• draft marketing content faster (not to post more, but to remove bottlenecks)

• analyze situations before reacting

That last one matters most.

Decision fatigue doesn’t come from the big decisions. It comes from the constant small ones:

• How do I respond to this complaint?

• Is this an exception or a boundary?

• How do I explain this to the team?

• Is this a real issue or am I overwhelmed?

AI can act as a filter so you respond intentionally instead of reactively.

But the framing matters:

AI does not replace leadership.
It removes busywork.
It removes the blank page.
It removes repetitive explanations.
It removes midnight emotional drafting.

It does not set your standards.
It does not define your values.
It does not replace judgment.

The best operators give AI constraints. Context. Parameters. They use it to pressure-test decisions—not avoid them.

And over time, the compounding effect is real:

• faster responses without reactivity

• consistent onboarding

• less owner-dependency

• less reinventing the wheel

• more mental bandwidth for high-level thinking

Owners who ignore AI in 2026 won’t feel behind because others are flashy. They’ll feel behind because everything takes them longer and feels heavier.

Trend 7: Conversion-Focused Marketing

Most marketing doesn’t fail because of reach.

It fails because of conversion.

Owners are paying for attention they already earned… and then losing the sale through:

• confusing booking paths

• clunky mobile experiences

• DIY websites

• disconnected waiver systems

• duct-taped software

• unnecessary steps

Parents are booking on their phones—during pickup lines, between errands, late at night, tired and impatient.

Every extra step sends them to a competitor.

As competition increases, you don’t win by shouting louder.

You win by making it easier to say yes.

A small conversion lift creates huge results, and you gave a perfect example in your script:

If your party page gets 2,000 visitors a month and your average party is $450:

• at 2% conversion, that’s 40 bookings = $18,000

• at 3% conversion, that’s 60 bookings = $27,000

Same traffic. Same offer.
An extra $9,000 per month.
That’s $108,000 per year—by removing friction.

This is exactly what we break down inside my Book More Birthdays Challenge inside Play Maker Society: not by chasing more traffic, but by fixing pages, paths, and processes so your existing interest turns into confirmed bookings.

In 2026, the advantage will go to owners optimizing the booking experience—not chasing the newest platform trick.

Trend 8: Thinking Longer-Term About Every Single Dollar 

One of the biggest mindset shifts heading into 2026 has nothing to do with equipment or marketing.

It’s about how owners think about money.

Not just how much they make—what every dollar is for.

For years, most owners were in survival mode:

• cover rent

• cover payroll

• maybe pay yourself something

• keep the doors open

Exit planning felt unrealistic.

That’s changing fast.

In 2025, a record number of indoor playgrounds and play cafés changed hands. And what surprised many owners was that several sold for far less than expected—and some not for a profit at all.

Not because the owners were bad operators.

Because they didn’t plan for an exit early enough.

That’s why this was the focus of my keynote at Play Maker Society LIVE 2025: ownership as an asset—one that should be working for you the entire time you own it.

And what stood out wasn’t the reaction in the room—it was what happened afterward.

In our year-end check-ins, I watched owners implement:

• cleaning up books with a buyer in mind

• allocating profit intentionally instead of reinvesting everything

• paying kids legally through the business

• thinking in five-year windows instead of “forever”

Owners are asking better questions earlier:

• If I sell in five years, what does that look like?

• What would a buyer want to see?

• Is this transferable—or does it collapse without me?

• Where is my money going while I own this?

That last question is the shift.

In 2026, smart owners aren’t letting profit sit idle or get eaten by lifestyle creep. They’re structuring money with intention.

You gave an example that’s simple and powerful: paying your kids reasonably, then investing it.

If you pay a child $50/week:

• that’s $2,600/year

• over 5 years, that’s $13,000 contributed

• invested long-term, it can grow into roughly $90,000–$120,000 over 20 years depending on returns

That’s the difference between a business that “pays bills” and a business that builds wealth behind the scenes.

Because most owners won’t own their play space forever.

Some will sell. Some will pivot. Some will burn out.

The owners thinking long-term understand: the business might only be in your life for five years—but the financial impact can last decades.

And it doesn’t start at exit.

It starts now—in how you structure reporting, profit, payroll, and owner dependency.

Every trend in this article falls into one of three buckets:

1) Things you’re already doing well

Good. That’s a signal you’re operating in a more future-ready way. Double down. Tighten it. Systemize it. Make it easier to maintain without you.

2) Things you’re aware of, but avoiding

These are the uncomfortable ones. The ones that feel complicated or expensive or like “future me will deal with that.” Those are operational gaps that quietly create pressure right now—more interruptions, more owner dependency, more mental load.

3) Things you’re not doing at all yet

Not because you’re behind—because the industry is evolving faster than most owners can adapt while running day-to-day.

Here’s the mistake I don’t want you to make:

Trying to implement everything at once.

That’s how owners burn out—and ironically, how nothing improves.

Instead, pick one operational shift and commit to it in 2026:

• one thing that reduces pressure

• one thing that removes owner dependency

• one thing that makes the business easier to run

Because when you fix the right one or two things, everything else starts to feel lighter.

These trends aren’t about working harder.

They’re about building businesses that don’t require constant hustle, constant decisions, or constant availability to survive.

The owners who feel the calmest and most in control at the end of 2026 won’t be the ones chasing every new idea or tool.

They’ll be the ones who intentionally designed their systems, tech, team structure, boundaries, and role on purpose.

And if you’re reading this thinking, “I know what needs to change, but I don’t know how to implement it,” that’s exactly why I have multiple programs—because owners are at different stages.

Some need foundational systems.
Some need help stepping back without chaos.
Some need clarity around staffing, metrics, or tech.
Some need support turning ideas into execution without burning out.

Whether that’s through Play Café Academy, Play Maker Society, workshops, or live events, the goal is the same:

Turn insight into implementation.

Don’t just consume this.

Use it.
Choose what you’re going to run differently in 2026.

Because the industry is moving whether you do or not—and the goal isn’t to keep up.

The goal is to build a business that finally feels sustainable to operate.