While I think these venues are cool, they’re inherently VERY limited in maximum possible scale. They’re more of a competitor to bars like SPIN, rather than traditional table tennis venues - kinda like how Top Golf isn’t really trying to steal business from the local driving range.
As a tourist, I walked by North Station location in Boston, saw the price - $50/hr at any time I’d want to play - and noped out hard. Decided to spend the money on an Uber to Boston Table Tennis Club instead, and played for three hours with good coaching (shoutout to Coach Vincent for the warm welcome) and fun pickup games. Cost half the price in total, and I didn’t have to hunt for a decent partner either.
Economically, Pingpod will just never be a viable option compared to old school clubs, even if they slash their prices to a tenth of what they are now. Forever a novelty/tourist gimmick.