People coming in the pool room but never plays

pool808

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How do you guys handle people coming into your pool rooms and not spending anything. They just sit there watching everyone play but never plays. Do you guys just leave it alone or do you guys do something about it? Any input you guys may have is greatly appreciated.
 

Charlie Hustle

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How do you guys handle people coming into your pool rooms and not spending anything. They just sit there watching everyone play but never plays. Do you guys just leave it alone or do you guys do something about it? Any input you guys may have is greatly appreciated.

Cover charge the moment they walk in. At my local hall, most of the days its between $5-$8 cover, which entitles you to unlimited pool and specials on drinks. This way you are at least getting something from them. Can't force them to eat or drink. Good Luck
 

doitforthegame

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I used to explain that they were on time even if they were not playing. Now if they were a regular that spent money I'd let them hang out. But someone that just comes in and sits. No chance. It is a business. I would do the same thing with the people that come in with 6 people and only 2 want to play. I'd explain to the 4 others that they are on time as well.They don't have to play and can sit and watch, but they would be on time. As an aside, if you are going to have trouble in your room it is the people that are not playing that cause it.
 

BBL

Registered
Certain aspects need to be address to this question

This is actually a very loaded question.

First question where is your pool room located reason being, certain areas of the country charge for the table different ways.

Is it
1 per person
2 per table
3 flat rate
4 or door coverage

My next question is pool your primary source of income.

Charging $5 to enter the door and unlimited play depends on what your source of income.

Saying to a group that has 6 and only 2'play and tell them they all have to pay is dealing with fire. Usually when I had that problem I would tell them I would put 4 on and they all could play. Again this if it is per person per table.

When people would come up and I know they hoped on I would tell the ones paying their bill then I would tell who ever hoped did you play, they would tell me no I would show them the video and say that is not you. Then they would say it was just one game and I would show them it was a hour then I would say if I never saw them before to pay their bill, if I saw some of them before I would say buy 2 sodas and you can go.

As for the ones that come n and never pay omg I had fun with them. Sometimes I would move the furniture around to where they could only stand, sometimes I would ask them to gamble, the ones that could play I would play them for $5 and give them a game I couldn't win but I would take forever lol, usually 95% of the time they would not play any way.

If you offer anything free like coffee stop, because these parasites will just come to your place for the free stuff.

Next question are these guys tournament players, I find lots of tournament players becoming non payers they just come for the tournament and never match up. If anyone thinks tournament players are paying customers we can debate that in a private message to me personally.

Another way is single the non payers out if you have some regulars that come in during when the non payers come in at a certain time. Do some kinda of break and run pot. Make the pot cheap to buy a ticket, here is the catch if you play that day it is only $1 per ticket, if you don't play at all that day it is $3 for a ticket. You will get jerks giving you a dollar that has not played in a year. When they argue you tell them it's not fair for that person to pay $3 and he did while you pay $1. You only pay $1 if you play.

Here is the best part of the break and run pot when it gets to $1000 have a tournament for $500 prize money and entry fee what ever you want, you can do automatic entry with who leads how many times they bought a ticket.

There is a lot of things you can do to discomfort the non payers, but don't throw them out, some non payers can be a good.

I had a non payer once come in for three years straight never payed for anything, but he was evolved in games. He always took half a bet of someone, so if he was not there probably was no game or started something.

Honestly the only time I would throw someone out is if they tried to tell others to not come to my place of business. That happened only once and that person was a cancer that I had to remove.
 

maha

from way back when
Silver Member
now everyone can see why all the pool rooms are closing when you have owners like these.
 

sprben83

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Im just wondering, does this person harass or drive customers away? I understand that its YOUR business, so you can ultimately do whatever the hell you want, but IMO, this person is not costing you anything by being in there that youre not already paying for (light, etc etc), so whats the problem. Hes also not driving away your income.
 

Texdance

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
shoot yourself in the cash register

now everyone can see why all the pool rooms are closing when you have owners like these.

Some room owners just have to have Control, no matter how they work it. Or what it costs them.

At one large room I thought was a great customer, along with several others very much like me. Thoug we only showed up one day each month, we put a grand or more into the till and the staff pockets between the four, five or six of us. The small group of which I was a regular member always brought a roll of cash to party with. We each spend $50-100 on pool, food and drinks for myself over my twelve or more hour visit, and spent at least that much again tipping the wait and cook staff. Then there were the bets... and the bookie action... and eveything else actionable.

The owner did not like our group's popularity with his staff at all, not one small bit, and many times verbally treated one or several of us with great disrespect. I saw what a paranoid, small person he was early on, and never after let him get my goat.

There was a crowd of railbirds, penniless hangers-on, that showed up the one day per month designated as some sort of semi-official gamblers meeting day. Four big corner Diamond tables were taken over by guys playing for $200 and up (no one else in the room wantedto play on those Diamond 9-ft tables, it was a 7 and 8 foot table league crowd).

Twenty of these guys would stand around, filching french fries off someone else's plate, mooching soft drinks, checking for a small loan here and there... and watching players with money or with backers try to make a game. Usually these guys were too broke to bet anything; they would at most buy a bottle of water or a candy bar for a buck each, over the course of six or seven hours. The wait staff served them but got no tips, or next to nothing in tips, but never seemed to mind because in general it was a big tip day.

Eventually the room owner ran everyone who came for 'gambling day' off, leaving only league players in his joint. The next month when I drove my hundred miles for 'gambling day' action, the place was a tomb - he had kicked out not only the poor railbirds but also the generous players and gamblers who spent one or two hundred each on pool, food, and drinks, then another similar amount on tips, each and every time they showed up. The room owner had started opening later in the day, and reduced the hours for food service, trying to discourage trade that included those twenty poor railbirds.

He also got rid of the four 9 foot Diamonds that were the real draw for the gamblers, and put back in four 9-ft home made tables, tables that were not too bad, but were not Diamonds.

I hope he did not reduce his revenue so much that he hurt his staffing situation. I know when his ball cleaner broke he didn't get it fixed, instead he added that chore to the toilet cleaning and table washing chores already burdening a wait staff paid under-minimum-wage (because the were supposed to be only waiting on tables, and not doing the work of hourly employees.)

Last I looked, the place was in business, but with the reduced hours, reduced meal service, lesser quality big tables, and no longer would players and backers drive a hundred miles and more, or fly in from another state, just to be in action on one day per month.
 

pool808

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
now everyone can see why all the pool rooms are closing when you have owners like these.

I was only posting a question and trying to get some suggestions and for you to make a general statement like this is not fair. This was intended to gather as much information in order to deal with the situation accordingly. I would like to thank everyone for their input.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Guy I knew had a room in an Arizona College Town, he charge Non Players a small cover fee. Ticket was issued that could be use for drink, soda, beer, etc, for full value of cover fee.

He offered FREE DRY ROASTED SALTED NUTS, people got thirsty, and drank more.
 

Doodlesbilliard

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Really?

First and foremost there are 2 types of rooms. Players rooms. Kinda like a chalky's (Color of Money) and there are more modern rooms. The modern rooms are meant more for entertainment. They can house some great pool talent too but mostly bangers that come to spend money. A real modern room has super nice tables, great food, awesome drinks, and weekend live entertainment.

I can't lie when I browsed some of the responses here I kind of got mad. Thoughts crossed my mind like "Those kind of owners are killing pool" Here is the deal. The old school rooms will survive. They will do what they do. I understand the mentality of not changing for these guys. It's not why they got in the business. However, as cost goes up they will fade out. Or just hang on enough to stay open.

Real business owners see customers who are sitting around as assets. People want to be where people already are. A car in my parking lot makes me look busy. Therefore, I love it when I have 30 cars out front no matter where they come from. No one ever says "hey that place is dead as hell let's go there!"

A real life situation that occurred. I own three pool rooms (currently) Early on I discovered the dead beats you guys are discussing came in and ordered a water. That's free right? I simply added bottled water to my menu at $1.25 and when the next guy came in for his free water I got him. There were no hard feelings. I simply stated thats what we do now. Guess what? Turns out bottled water was a big seller when I changed that policy. I get something out of that guy and sold 10-15 cases a week. Finding the angle... making something bad something good. You can find it. When your tables are full and the fire marshall says no else can come in is when people who don't spend money start crossing my mind. BTW most pool rooms don't have that problem.

Lastly I got a use for anyone. You don't have no money? I take that guy and get my tables brushed and vacuumed. I get the trash took out. Give them some free table time (FREE) and cut some labor. Even if it's just mine. Life truly is what you make of it. Promote the game of pool. Remember that the people you meet on the way up are the same ones you'll meet on the way down. When that happens do you want to be dealing with someone you kicked out for being in a bad spot at the time? To anyone that read this thanks.

Clay
 

Crash

Pool Hall Owner
Silver Member
To me its not people who come in and don't spend ... it's the ones that make trips to the parking lot to drink from their bottle of Vodka to cut the middle man out and avoid tipping my staff. We catch them on video and ban them for 30 days. Do it again and its lifetime.

The shooters that only drink tea are charged table rent or pump quarters. Their cars are in the parking lot and help draw people in. In fact the extra bodies in the winter help heat the place.

Sure I wish everyone that walked in the door left paying a $30 tab for food and drinks plus the quarters they put in the tables, but it ain't gonna happen. One hall in town that was a great pool venue shut down when it was sold to an idividual who ran anyone off who wasn't spending and got a reputation as an A-hole.

IMO, get over it. If you're a public business then you have to deal with the public.
 

DJSTEVEZ

Professor of Human Moves
Silver Member
I managed an upscale room in White Plains, NY. While we were upscale, we had a strong representation from the "player's" community. I think we were what you could call a hybrid of a room.

We had few problems. Of the few we did have, they were almost exclusively alcohol related (during my tenure it was still illegal to sell alcohol in any Pool Room in NY State). The players loved having chum around and the non-players loved sweating the action and fine play of the players. Many of the non-players spent significant $ trying to become players (cues, cases, lessons, table time, etc.) It was a unique synergy and symbiosis.

The problems we had were kind of taken care of by those who frequented the room. Their was an unwritten code of acceptable and unacceptable conduct. Those who stepped out of line usually heard about it from the customers before it ever reached the radar of the staff. Don't get me wrong, no one was throwing other customers out the door by the belt loops or anything. It was more that if you wanted to be accepted, you followed the code.

An interesting sidebar...White Plains, NY is very widely revered for having generous resources for those who suffer from severe behavioral health issues (i.e. Schizophrenia) who wish to live independently (outside the hospital). Our client base had more than a few folks from that community. So long as they were compliant with their meds (and almost all were) they made great additions to our room (and were not always obvious). There's a very large, world class Psychiatric hospital in White Plains, and nearly every unit has pool table. As such, it's not surprising that many of the folks from that community shoot Pool, very, very well. -Z-

I doubt that this helps. but I thought I'd share it anyways.
 
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Crash

Pool Hall Owner
Silver Member
The problems we had were kind of taken care of by those who frequented the room. Their was an unwritten code of acceptable and unacceptable conduct. Those who stepped out of line usually heard about it from the customers before it ever reached the radar of the staff. Don't get me wrong, no one was throwing other customers out the door by the belt loops or anything. It was more that if you wanted to be accepted, you followed the code.

Sounds like Steve's Cue & Grill. We are very lucky room owners.
 
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