How many of you actually work on bar tables? I mean, how many of you actually work on lets say, a 100+ bar tables a year?
I have a question for all you table mechanics, and part timers as well!
- Thread starter realkingcobra
- Start date
Same here. I think we have done 10 this year. It's a hobby. We do the tables at the Veterans clubs for price of the cloth only. Our time to do it is a thank you to the Veterans. Everything else is word of mouth.
Yesterday I got a call from a vending company in Northern Idaho, interested in hiring my service's for all their leased out pool tables. But in the first 5 minutes if the conversation i already knew this wasn't going to go anywhere. First off, they're going to supply the cloth, Championship inventatuonal, at their cost, so there wouldn't be any mark up on the price of the cloth. Then they wanted to know how long it took me to recover the typical valley bar table?
I explained i use the new Strachan Superweave, not Championship cloth, because its a much better product for the same cost. And I charge $300 labor which covers cleaning off gue build up, leveling, and pretty much anything needing to be done.
They replied with that's way to much money for 2 hours worth of work!!! I said, excuse me, but what did you have in mind for the labor???
They informed me their last guy only charged them $125 per table, but he has since passed away, so they're looking for someone to take his place.
I asked them if they were still charging .25 cents a game to play pool and they replied hell no, they're charging .75 to $1.00 a game today. I said that's good, so why are they stuck on paying the labor rates I was charging in 1983 when I first got started working on bar tables!!!!
They replied with, we're not catering to the professional pool players, so we're not interested in using expensive cloths, or paying for professional services, they don't even need me to level their pool tables, they just want me to install the bed and rail cloth, and would be willing to come up to $200 labor per table, i said thanks but no thanks, I'll pass!!
The funny thing is, I've already picked up several accounts in the vending companies operating area, and the players always go from bar to bar playing in leagues, so when they find out they have the worst tables in the area to play on, trouble will be coming, especially when Diamonds start showing up in the bars, and the players want MORE of them!!
I explained i use the new Strachan Superweave, not Championship cloth, because its a much better product for the same cost. And I charge $300 labor which covers cleaning off gue build up, leveling, and pretty much anything needing to be done.
They replied with that's way to much money for 2 hours worth of work!!! I said, excuse me, but what did you have in mind for the labor???
They informed me their last guy only charged them $125 per table, but he has since passed away, so they're looking for someone to take his place.
I asked them if they were still charging .25 cents a game to play pool and they replied hell no, they're charging .75 to $1.00 a game today. I said that's good, so why are they stuck on paying the labor rates I was charging in 1983 when I first got started working on bar tables!!!!
They replied with, we're not catering to the professional pool players, so we're not interested in using expensive cloths, or paying for professional services, they don't even need me to level their pool tables, they just want me to install the bed and rail cloth, and would be willing to come up to $200 labor per table, i said thanks but no thanks, I'll pass!!
The funny thing is, I've already picked up several accounts in the vending companies operating area, and the players always go from bar to bar playing in leagues, so when they find out they have the worst tables in the area to play on, trouble will be coming, especially when Diamonds start showing up in the bars, and the players want MORE of them!!
You would be surprised at the number of so called table mechanics that can't transition between working on pool room, and home style pool tables, to working on coin operated pool tables!
Its the largest commercial pool table market there is, yet it has the worst hacks working in it too.
I would have to disagree that most owners don't care about their pool tables. I think most do care, but not to the extent that they're willing to pay any price to get them worked on. Over pricing the job can be a deterrent to getting the job done as well, if a person really don't want to do the job, but if they do accept, then they want rewarded well for it too.You looking to hire someone?
I would never want to do that many. I mostly only do them in places I know I'm going to be playing in.
Most owners don't really care that much about the tables, and only the ones that do are willing to pay my prices.
Extremely high prices only work with the lack of competition, otherwise competition brings in a fair balance of labor.
So here's my big question, with the commercial market being the biggest market of all that requires the most service work on an annual basis, how come there isn't more quality driven table mechanics attracted to the service work needed???
In my area, it's because vending companies own the large majority of the tables. And, at least around here, they have their own service crews.
That said, I did perform a cloth installation seminar at the largest vending company in my area.
Good for you Jeff, I thought I was the only one doing things like that, I'm impressed buddy!!!
I really wish there were here Glen, the people that do bar table work around here for the amusement companies are awful for the most part. The cloth is always coming loose in the pockets within a month. They never get a good stretch on in. I have recovered my personal valley table twice, once with 860HR and once with Andy 988, both times there was some learning, but both recovers lasted a very long time without needing restretched. If I can figure it out, it can't be that damn hard.
Same in my area. Any venue that has Valley League have to utilize vendor owned tables.
Where is "here"?
There has to be an unwritten law somewhere that pool table vendors will only put you on the payroll to maintain their tables if you have absolutely no idea what you are doing. The tables from our local vendor, everyone apparently uses the same one or there is only 1 vendor, are beyond terrible, cloth is always loose, rail cloth is always wrinkled, and now the side pocket folds even stick out past the nose of the cushion so you cant shoot a ball down the rail, they just learned how to do that one last year.
N.B Canada
100% right
A little west of “there”