Question about table time
- Thread starter dabarbr
- Start date
Just a thought about the (wrong) idea that "wear and tear is a per table expense, not a per player expense":
The main source of wear and tear in a pool room isn't the amount of use the equipment gets but the amount of abuse it gets. More than two people at a table usually means less experienced and less considerate players who will cause much more wear and tear than one or two "players" who have an interest in avoiding damaging the tables. More people also means they're more likely to use (and abuse) house cues and they're more likely to be in a "party mood" and cause more wear and tear to the room and its furnishings, carpeting, etc.
If I had a room I'd consider charging one rate for up to two players and another for more than two (unless I knew the players). On the other hand, it's hard to make a living with a pool room and I might just charge more per player because I can.
Another thought: with each added person the hourly cost per person usually goes down.
pj
chgo
The main source of wear and tear in a pool room isn't the amount of use the equipment gets but the amount of abuse it gets. More than two people at a table usually means less experienced and less considerate players who will cause much more wear and tear than one or two "players" who have an interest in avoiding damaging the tables. More people also means they're more likely to use (and abuse) house cues and they're more likely to be in a "party mood" and cause more wear and tear to the room and its furnishings, carpeting, etc.
If I had a room I'd consider charging one rate for up to two players and another for more than two (unless I knew the players). On the other hand, it's hard to make a living with a pool room and I might just charge more per player because I can.
Another thought: with each added person the hourly cost per person usually goes down.
pj
chgo
What happened to the good ole days. When I started playing it cost a nickel a cue and they racked the balls. My buds and I played rotation because it lasted longer. The owners looked the other on the eighteen and under law which was seldom enforced. I used to play golf on the snooker table with four or five players each paying by the hour. The owner made out, but it was non-stop action. He was also the best player which helped augment his income.
rates
should have rented 2 tables then everyone would have gotten to play all the time.............standard procedures for the rates. continue to support the billiard halls lots of them are struggling as it is. C mon guys, If you think it is easy to operate a pool hall ,go open one and find out.(rent, electric ,water licenses for the tables ,labor, food. They have to make a living also........
should have rented 2 tables then everyone would have gotten to play all the time.............standard procedures for the rates. continue to support the billiard halls lots of them are struggling as it is. C mon guys, If you think it is easy to operate a pool hall ,go open one and find out.(rent, electric ,water licenses for the tables ,labor, food. They have to make a living also........
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Great response.
That 3rd person that shows up may grab a drink, snack, drop a song in the jukebox (unless it's Ames). Getting people in the room sets the atmosphere and get's more people cumming back and calling more friends.
JonnyB
That 3rd person that shows up may grab a drink, snack, drop a song in the jukebox (unless it's Ames). Getting people in the room sets the atmosphere and get's more people cumming back and calling more friends.
JonnyB
At Buffalo Billiards, where we occasionally have a large group of Mexican players playing "pool" (which is a game that MANY people can play at one time), I have seen as many as 10 people playing at one time on the one table.
They get charged the "table rate" for two people which is $3.25 an hour per person ($6.50 hr total).
While Buff doesn't make a lot of money on their pool time, the cervezas bottles need a crew to keep them picked up.
JoeyA
In Sanford NC there is a room called Speakeasy Billiards. While I was staying in Sanford I went to the room to hangout often. I watched this
"mexican pool" like you're seeing.
They also only charged a by the table rate. They also got some deals on the beers. They came back over and over and over.
Poolrooms should be just like any other business..... they need to focus on returning customers.
Coming from the food industry one thing has always stuck in my head...
people drive past restaurants to get to the one they are going to. Many times they are the same restaurants as the one that they are going to.
Many people will pass a Wendy's to get to the Wendy's that they like and want to frequent.
Rooms arent any different. Every other pool room, bar and entertainment
venue are theother spots.
While everyone is talking about table time the pool hall in my area Lebanon Pa only charges $2.50 a person 2 or more people. 8 gold crowns simonis felt centenial balls. What are some of the rates and area's that you play in?
Ron
Ron
I would like to open a place that had a "rack boy" and charged a per rack fee. Have one "boy" service 4 tables, and be knowledgable in the rules for the major games. There's no arguement about a slug rack a bad hit or a rule, as there is someone there who's impartial to take care of it. Call it $1.00 for a full rack and $.50 for a short rack (ie 9 ball). One guy could easily handle 4 tables and everyone get's premium service.
"You wanna go where everybody knows your name."
pj
chgo
Rowdy Yates
You would have to name the rackboy Rowdy Yates because with servicing 4 tables it would mean that he would have to satisfy 8 pool players and that means he would have to have skin made of RAWHIDE.
JoeyA
I would like to open a place that had a "rack boy" and charged a per rack fee. Have one "boy" service 4 tables, and be knowledgable in the rules for the major games. There's no arguement about a slug rack a bad hit or a rule, as there is someone there who's impartial to take care of it. Call it $1.00 for a full rack and $.50 for a short rack (ie 9 ball). One guy could easily handle 4 tables and everyone get's premium service.
You would have to name the rackboy Rowdy Yates because with servicing 4 tables it would mean that he would have to satisfy 8 pool players and that means he would have to have skin made of RAWHIDE.
JoeyA
Wow! This does not require much thought.
If a table has 4 players instead of 3 simple mathematics tell us the table receives 33% more wear & tear per hour .
Ergo 33% more money.
If a table has 4 players instead of 3 simple mathematics tell us the table receives 33% more wear & tear per hour .
Ergo 33% more money.
Great idea. I would play there FO SHO!I would like to open a place that had a "rack boy" and charged a per rack fee. Have one "boy" service 4 tables, and be knowledgable in the rules for the major games. There's no arguement about a slug rack a bad hit or a rule, as there is someone there who's impartial to take care of it. Call it $1.00 for a full rack and $.50 for a short rack (ie 9 ball). One guy could easily handle 4 tables and everyone get's premium service.
BVal
...so therefore, if we have a thousand people on a table, the cloth should be replaced every hour?
...just don't get the simple math.
some of theses analogies jeeez
Here is part of the problems from Pool room owners. Fast and loose doesnt like other peoples constructive critizism and belives his way is a !00% percent right, not realizing he is getting some pretty good ideas on what players do want. Oh but thats right its much easier to say im a 100& right then try to see understand the complexities of what the customer might want. Wow have any of you room owners thought that maybe the way some of the pool halls are run is why they do so poorly. This being an example of understanding how people want to pay and feel they are not being gouged. Seems to me like was mentioned before you have a 1 person rate and a more then 2 rate and make those rates where you need to have them to be profitable. One of the big problems with pool hall owners and always has been is there knowledge of operating a buisness and there willingess to understand what the customer wants.
And save your arguement that its been this way forever, well my responce to that would be well it looks like it hasnt worked very well seeing the poor state of most pool halls these days and how many that have closed.
And grump why do you even bother to post you bring so little to the board?
Here is part of the problems from Pool room owners. Fast and loose doesnt like other peoples constructive critizism and belives his way is a !00% percent right, not realizing he is getting some pretty good ideas on what players do want. Oh but thats right its much easier to say im a 100& right then try to see understand the complexities of what the customer might want. Wow have any of you room owners thought that maybe the way some of the pool halls are run is why they do so poorly. This being an example of understanding how people want to pay and feel they are not being gouged. Seems to me like was mentioned before you have a 1 person rate and a more then 2 rate and make those rates where you need to have them to be profitable. One of the big problems with pool hall owners and always has been is there knowledge of operating a buisness and there willingess to understand what the customer wants.
And save your arguement that its been this way forever, well my responce to that would be well it looks like it hasnt worked very well seeing the poor state of most pool halls these days and how many that have closed.
And grump why do you even bother to post you bring so little to the board?
please explain this grumpy
So if 2 players playing 9 ball sets compared to 10 players taking turns playing expalin how that equates to more table use. In my experience 2players playing sets play much quicker and many more games then groups of people who come in and take turns. Is this really that hard to figure out?
So if 2 players playing 9 ball sets compared to 10 players taking turns playing expalin how that equates to more table use. In my experience 2players playing sets play much quicker and many more games then groups of people who come in and take turns. Is this really that hard to figure out?
Id love, even pay good money, to see some of the posters here run a pool room for a couple months. People think its so simple, lol. Maybe if some of these people ran the rooms, we would all get along and sing folk songs around the table while throwing our money in the register. We would all have that warm and fuzzy feeling inside because we finally have someone who can make every pool player happy about paying for pool!
Joe
Joe
Charging an hourly rate for each person must be a regional thing because it sure hasn't always been done that way in many place I've frequented. Most places I've been in charge by the hour regardless of the number of players, with maybe a lower rate for solo play and maybe a slight premium for more than 4.
I suppose if the going table rate in an area is $8/hour then it may be reasonable to charge by the person if you are charging say, $2 or $3 per person. But to charge the going rate of $7 or $8 per person just doesn't make sense either from a logic standpoint or from a business standpoint. And to make the comparison to bowling, there are some bowling alleys where I live that charge by the hour rather than per game - but all of them that do, charge that flat fee per hour regardless of how many bowlers there are! They understand that the hour is being shared among the number of people playing and more people means less alley time for each of them.
There are relatively little variable expenses related to the number of players, most of the expenses are fixed. The light bill is the same for each table regardless of how many players and the square footage taken up by the table is the same. Since there is only one person at the table at a time, wear and tear is the same regardless. And this is why a lot of players posting to this thread have a problem with it. It feels like gouging to them because there seems little economic justification for it. Off the top of my head the only additional expense I can think of is a few more flushes of the urinal perhaps. Even chalk usage is basically fixed.
It seems to me that charging $7 or $8 (and a couple bucks more at night) an hour per person the room will miss out on a big chunk of business. That would make paying pool on a date about twice as expensive as going to a movie. And two couples on a double date paying $36/hour are getting up to around $75 for a couple hours of fun, probably around $100 with beverages. If it's just two guys going out to match up will they go where it cost them $8 or where it will cost them $16 (per hour)? I'm not in the business so I defer to the decisions made by those that are as for what is best for their business, but if I were I would look at the possibility that charging per person might be costing me money rather than making it.
I suppose if the going table rate in an area is $8/hour then it may be reasonable to charge by the person if you are charging say, $2 or $3 per person. But to charge the going rate of $7 or $8 per person just doesn't make sense either from a logic standpoint or from a business standpoint. And to make the comparison to bowling, there are some bowling alleys where I live that charge by the hour rather than per game - but all of them that do, charge that flat fee per hour regardless of how many bowlers there are! They understand that the hour is being shared among the number of people playing and more people means less alley time for each of them.
There are relatively little variable expenses related to the number of players, most of the expenses are fixed. The light bill is the same for each table regardless of how many players and the square footage taken up by the table is the same. Since there is only one person at the table at a time, wear and tear is the same regardless. And this is why a lot of players posting to this thread have a problem with it. It feels like gouging to them because there seems little economic justification for it. Off the top of my head the only additional expense I can think of is a few more flushes of the urinal perhaps. Even chalk usage is basically fixed.
It seems to me that charging $7 or $8 (and a couple bucks more at night) an hour per person the room will miss out on a big chunk of business. That would make paying pool on a date about twice as expensive as going to a movie. And two couples on a double date paying $36/hour are getting up to around $75 for a couple hours of fun, probably around $100 with beverages. If it's just two guys going out to match up will they go where it cost them $8 or where it will cost them $16 (per hour)? I'm not in the business so I defer to the decisions made by those that are as for what is best for their business, but if I were I would look at the possibility that charging per person might be costing me money rather than making it.
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Not really, if a place is charging 8 bucks an hour per person, they are either in a super prime location, with lots of rich folks that play pool, or freakin crazy and destined to fail. I have played in my share of pool rooms, and when Ive had to pay flat table rate is when I have paid the most. My local room charges 3.00 an hour per person, with the 3rd hour free, and a cap of $10, meaning, you will never pay more than $10 a day for pool. Ive seen places where they charge $10 an hour table rate, and if you are playing alone they do you a real favor by only charging you 4 or 5
, still more than most rooms around here charge. Or what if there are 3 guys playing on a flat table rate of 10 an hour. Thats still more than 3.00 an hour. I think a fair hourly per person charge is the way to do it, but thats my opinion. Joe
Give me about 300k and I will run one for the rest of my days
I have worked in pool rooms and managaed them. No two have ever been the same.
I can safely say that I will guarantee that there are more BAD business owners out there thean GOOD business owners. Thats all businesses but pool rooms fall in the same way.
I once had an owner ask me how come my day shifts made more than anyone elses dayshifts. I think he thought I was giving the place away.
I just told him I talked to every person, invited them back, checked on them while they were playing and was friendly.
He shook his head and said "no thats not it. Just must be the certain days"
I shook my head.
I really would like to have my own business one day whether its a pool room or not. I have managed others businesses successfully for too long.
I wish all room owners luck as its a tough time. My focus right now would be ultimate customer service.