 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2004; 21 years ago (2004) |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Number of locations | 31 (29 in U.S. and 2 in Canada) |
Area served | North America |
| Owners | Christina Vitagliano co-founder/co-CEO Patrick Vitagliano co-founder/co-CEO |
| Website | monsterminigolf |
Monster Mini Golf is a franchised chain of entertainment centers. The locations feature an indoor, 18-holeglow-in-the-darkmini golf course, video and redemption arcade games, three-dimensional animatronic props, an in-houseradio station, party rooms for hostingbirthday parties and other special events, as well as laser-tag, laser-maze, and bowling in some of the newer, larger facilities. Theparent company, Monster Entertainment, LLC is headquartered inProvidence, Rhode Island,United States, and Las Vegas. As of January 2023 the chain has 31 locations, either open or under construction, across the United States and Canada.
Christina and Patrick Vitagliano opened the first Monster Mini Golf in an 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) space in an oldtextile mill in the small community ofDanielson, Connecticut, onMemorial Day weekend in 2004. By 2005, they had made the decision to franchise, and were legal to offer franchises by November of that year.[1][2]
In 2012, the company opened KISS by Monster Mini Golf inLas Vegas,Nevada, a facility themed around hard rock bandKISS. Currently located in theRio All Suite Hotel and Casino, this location features the typical Monster Mini Golf fare (but heavily KISS-themed), a rock and roll themed wedding chapel called "The Love It Loud Wedding Chapel", the world's largest KISS gift shop, and a museum featuring memorabilia from the band's storied career on display. It also hosts regular appearances by KISS band members, both past and present.[3]
In 2021, Christina and Patrick Vitagliano retired and sold the Monster Mini Golf franchise to its top franchisees.[4]
All locations incorporate glow-in-the-dark settings with fluorescentgolf balls and monsters. The only consistent features in each franchise are the "Enter at Your Own Risk" sign that hangs above thecast-iron gated entrance to the "cemetery," a hole featuring a mole hill with the cup inside the mole hill, a hole with a tricky path (hole in the middle of a hill followed by an animatronic organ player at the top of the hill), and the trademark clown statue that escorts customers out after the last hole (a reference to the movieHappy Gilmore). Locations typically include two party rooms and an arcade with games such as glow-in-the-darkair hockey tables, custom-made glow-in-the-darkpool tables andarcade games as well as ticket redemption games such as glowSkee Ball.[5]
Each location is customized to reflect the local culture.[6]
Monster Mini Golf has grown organically since inception, and as of January 2023, has grown to 31 locations in the US and Canada.
Monster Mini Golf had been nominated by franchisees for Top New Franchise on Bizzia.com in 2007.[7] Customers have also shown their interest, based on the company’s uniqueness and creativity behind the indoor mini golf concept.[8] Monster Mini Golf sites average 9,000 to 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) and are typically located instrip malls, stand-alone buildings or other commercial spaces. 100% of all franchises are currently owner operated. As of 2017, there are currently 28 franchised locations in the US and Canada.[9]
Monster Cable brought suit against Monster Mini Golf in 2006.[10]Noel Lee, The CEO of Monster Cable, claimed that the public would be confused by the similarity of the names Monster Cable and Monster Mini Golf.[11] After mediation and royalty suggestions that the owners deemed to be unfair; Monster Mini Golf launched a grassroots campaign against Monster Cable on the Internet, which managed to garner nationwide attention and support. After receiving hundreds of complaints from the public, Monster Cable dropped the lawsuit and agreed to pay up to $200,000 of Monster Mini Golf's legal fees.[12]
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Media related toMonster Mini Golf at Wikimedia Commons