Does Your Poolroom Allow Players to Eat While Playing?

C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
One of the hardest rules for us to enforce here for our non-regular players, who come in planning to eat and play pool, is letting them know before they order, that in order to maintain our tables in top condition for everyone's benefit, we don't allow players to eat while playing. That is also clearly stated on our menus. We politely explain to them that when their food comes out, we'll suspend their time, so they are not paying for pool time while they eat.

Sounds simple, and most of our regulars respect this rule, but there have always been people who continue to press the limits on this policy. When you're serving french fries, hot wings, burgers with all kinds of messy toppings, there is absolutely no way they can take bites between shots, even if they use a napkin after every bite, without transferring grease, ketchup, etc. from their hands to the cloth - resulting in a permanent stain that will be there until the table is recovered.

Even our regular tournament players, when they've ordered food during the tournament, try to sneak bites during a match while their opponent is shooting, when I'm not looking. Anyway, just curious how other poolrooms handle this issue, in a constant struggle to keep our cloth free of stains without angering and driving off customers?
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tough call. Maybe you cant have both realities simultaneously.

People need to/ gonna eat. They don't need to play pool.
 
ugotactionTX

ugotactionTX

I'm in dead rack!
Silver Member
I just WISH we had this problem... the only thing you can order to eat at our pool hall is peanuts, chips, or peanuts. kinda lame.
 
PhilosopherKing

PhilosopherKing

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Most pool rooms handle it by being grateful to have customers who spend the money that keeps them in business.

You'll miss them when they're gone.

I wouldn't go to a gym that makes me stop and shower every time I break a sweat.
 
336Robin

336Robin

Multiverse Operative
Silver Member
Yeah I've played at your place, great place and its clean. I guess you have to decide if you need a customer that's going to damage your equipment. People can sure be special when the loss isn't theirs. When I get off this foot surgery I'll be back up there, you got any One Pocket in you?

ChrisinNC said:
One of the hardest rules for us to enforce here for our non-regular players, who come in planning to eat and play pool, is letting them know before they order, that in order to maintain our tables in top condition for everyone's benefit, we don't allow players to eat while playing. That is also clearly stated on our menus. We politely explain to them that when their food comes out, we'll suspend their time, so they are not paying for pool time while they eat.

Sounds simple, and most of our regulars respect this rule, but there have always been people who continue to press the limits on this policy. When you're serving french fries, hot wings, burgers with all kinds of messy toppings, there is absolutely no way they can take bites between shots, even if they use a napkin after every bite, without transferring grease, ketchup, etc. from their hands to the cloth - resulting in a permanent stain that will be there until the table is recovered.

Even our regular tournament players, when they've ordered food during the tournament, try to sneak bites during a match while their opponent is shooting, when I'm not looking. Anyway, just curious how other poolrooms handle this issue, in a constant struggle to keep our cloth free of stains without angering and driving off customers?
Click to expand...
 
slide13

slide13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've never played at a room that didn't allow eating and playing at the same time. That happens all the time around here. During league, during tournament, etc.

Now personally I would have zero problem with this. I will not play and eat at the same time, one exception might be eating some chili or something that is done purely with a spoon...but even then, I prefer to focus on playing and just stop for 10 minutes to eat.

I'm super crazy about having greasy hands though, hate it. If I can eat things with a knife and fork I will (you should see me eat ribs....I'm a pro at ribs with a knife and fork). If I it's something where I need to use my hands I'll eat and then quickly excuse myself to go wash my hands.

So yeah, I'd be totally fine with that but I don't think it would go over well at most places I've played at. So I'm not really surprised you're having trouble with the enforcement of it. I think the best solution would be not serving food to the pool tables. Have regular tables, a counter around the playing area, and the bar where you can eat. No food in the pool area.
 
measureman

measureman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The room i play in has a full service kitchen with outstanding food.
And yes we can eat while playing.
 
Texas Carom Club

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
all the vietnamese carom rooms here have kitchens,all or most
the one close to me makes a knockout spicy fillet mignon that i order every time i go
and all sort of soups and noodle plates
 
B

bbb

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
for me eating while playing is tough because i dont want to get grease/ketchup etc on my cue !!!!!
i respect the tables and wouldnt soil them either
my room does let you eat while playing tho
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't think I have run across a room that has any rules against food except maybe to keep it off the tables. One of the big local rooms with players, Snookers in RI, brings you food to your table, while you are playing. Every other place I play in does the same thing, I have not seen any tables messed up with food. And the drink spills are pretty rare also since the regulars help the staff keep an eye on people mistreating the equipment.

There are rules against powder and chalk color use that I have seen, but never one for no eating during a game, again outside of keep the food and drinks away from the tables.
 
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Black-Balled

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Anybody not smart enough to avoid hand eating while playing pool is a boner fied risk, for sure.

Thass nasty, bebby.
 
cardiac kid

cardiac kid

Super Senior Member
Silver Member
Can only speak for East Ridge Billiards in Rochester. The room allows players to eat, drink and play without restriction. Except of course no bottles, glasses or food plates on the tables. With very few exceptions, our customers follow our request. If you offer food to your customers, how can you object to them eating and playing? After all, it's entertainment for them at their expense. And yes, all twenty tables are covered in Simonis 860.

Lyn
 
fastone371

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
I often eat while shooting in league because of work I dont have time to eat between work and the start of pool. I try to time it as best I can so I can eat between games but it doesnt always work. I go thru a lot of napkins and I also have hand wipes and a couple of pool towels in my case. I can not imagine eating ribs while playing though. My wife makes fantastic ribs, the bones slide right out when done but somehow I still need a shower when I am done eating a meal of BBQ ribs.
 
JC

JC

Coos Cues
Last time I heard, Monk isn't a pool player. Kind of limits your market to regular humans.

Let people act like people and they will bring much prosperity to you.

Personally I never eat finger food with my bridge hand. I know this for a fact as I leave my shooting glove on. So you could watch me eating french fries and think the cloth is going to get greasy and get all red in the face and gripe at me and I wouldn't argue with you but all you would really accomplish is that I likely wouldn't return.

I value a friendly environment over pristine cloth but that's just me.

JC
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
PhilosopherKing said:
Most pool rooms handle it by being grateful to have customers who spend the money that keeps them in business.

You'll miss them when they're gone.

I wouldn't go to a gym that makes me stop and shower every time I break a sweat.
Click to expand...
Like I said, most of our customers appreciate and respect this rule, so they'll have clean tables/cloth to play on for as long as possible. We are as polite and respectful as we can possibly be when we first explain this policy, and even again to those that need a second reminder.

Selfish attitudes like you just described, that act like it's such an imposition / inconvenience to stop playing while they eat, are the ones that tick me off. Yes, I know it's a business and we need as many customers as we can get these days, but perhaps you/they might see it differently if they were your tables and it cost you $400+ per table every time you have to get them re-covered - not because of the wear and tear but due to the unsightly grease / food stains on them.
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
slide13 said:
I've never played at a room that didn't allow eating and playing at the same time. That happens all the time around here. During league, during tournament, etc.

Now personally I would have zero problem with this. I will not play and eat at the same time, one exception might be eating some chili or something that is done purely with a spoon...but even then, I prefer to focus on playing and just stop for 10 minutes to eat.

I'm super crazy about having greasy hands though, hate it. If I can eat things with a knife and fork I will (you should see me eat ribs....I'm a pro at ribs with a knife and fork). If I it's something where I need to use my hands I'll eat and then quickly excuse myself to go wash my hands.

So yeah, I'd be totally fine with that but I don't think it would go over well at most places I've played at. So I'm not really surprised you're having trouble with the enforcement of it. I think the best solution would be not serving food to the pool tables. Have regular tables, a counter around the playing area, and the bar where you can eat. No food in the pool area.
Click to expand...
That is indeed our rule - no food allowed in the pool area. Problem is the lower counters where people sit and eat border the pool playing area, so they can easily sneak the food between shots while they are playing.
 
PhilosopherKing

PhilosopherKing

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChrisinNC said:
Like I said, most of our customers appreciate and respect this rule, so they'll have clean tables/cloth to play on for as long as possible. We are as polite and respectful as we can possibly be when we first explain this policy, and even again to those that need a second reminder.

Selfish attitudes like you just described, that act like it's such an imposition / inconvenience to stop playing while they eat, are the ones that tick me off. Yes, I know it's a business and we need as many customers as we can get these days, but perhaps you/they might see it differently if they were your tables and it cost you $400+ per table every time you have to get them re-covered - not because of the wear and tear but due to the unsightly grease / food stains on them.
Click to expand...
I don't know what to say other than:

some people want to have their cake and eat it too.

some people want to order their cake and eat it too.
 
easy-e

easy-e

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChrisinNC said:
That is indeed our rule - no food allowed in the pool area. Problem is the lower counters where people sit and eat border the pool playing area, so they can easily sneak the food between shots while they are playing.
Click to expand...

I wish you luck, I think we need more pool balls around. But I’d always prefer to play where I could eat and play if I wanted to. I think most of your customers wouldn’t make a mess, so it feels like you are “punishing” them because of a few bad apples.
 
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