P) Pool room owners.
It use to be that room owners never labeled or separated their customers by if they could play or not, not like today's room owners do. Because back then, rooms didn't have to much to offer in ways of making extra money as "pool" was the main draw and income, therefore rooms back years ago took better care of ALL the pool tables in their room, instead of just a few for the gamblers. Todays room owners complain about the gamblers constantly, they don't spend any money, they drink water, they tame my customers money....who needs them! But then, the SAME room owners today treat the "ball bangers" worst than the gamblers....AND THEY'RE SPENDING MONEY! They look down on them as less tban worthy of playing on the same equipment the GAMBLERS play on, so they assign them to the beat, worn out pool tables to play on...and CHARGE them just like the equipment was new!! THEN....AGAIN complain about the BETTER players NOT spending a dime????
In todays world, pool time one won't meep the doors open, so room owners have had to adapt, put in food to sell, beer and wine, hard liquor, and if that isn't enough, live music, or karaoke....to try and draw some of the bar crowd already going to the bars....into coming into a pool hall for the same reason as going to the bars....to have fun....and spend $$$$$ Then what you end up with is 2 scenarios, the room owner that don't want the hassel of doing any more than collecting table time....OUT OF BUSINESS! Or, the room owner that does the math and figures spending $5,000 on 10 pool tables to get them up to par as to keep the attraction of coming there to play pool....OR investing $5,000 in booze to retail it to the customers.....6 months to recoup the pool table money....or maybe ater this weekend I'll have my booze money back and turned a profit....such a delima. But then, spends the money on the booze and justifies not spending it on the pool tables by saying....i ain't got nothing but ball bangers showing up anyway....and they'll RENT the tables no matter what condition they're in.
UNTIL ONE DAY WHEN THERES A NEW PLACE TO GO PLAY....THEN YOUR ASS IS OUT OF BUSINESS CUZ YOUR DIDN'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE REAL PLAYING CUSTOMERS!!! Then everyone cries about pool going down hill. We.just lost another pool room people!!!
My saying pool room owners is not calling out ALL pool room owners, there are a few really good owners that DO understand a customer with money....IS a customer needed, and should feel wanted, and therefore is treated as so. Not shoved off on pool tables no one that CAN play would touch...like they have a disease, and the only way to deal with them is to take their money, smile...and tell yourself, they're just a bunch of dumb "bangers" who cares anyway!
I haven't been to Griffs yet, but i know Mark well, ALL customers are treated like gold to him. I haven't been to Scott's new place yet, but i will say he's off to an impressive start and shoud do well as long as he makes everyone feel important, and he wants them there. Haven't been to Mike's place, Fargo Billiards yet, but to keep a room open with 50+ tables in a small city when pool rooms with the same amount of tables, and way less, with twice the population base are dropping like dead flies....he must be doing something right!