Opening a New Pool Hall

Tohian said:

Hi everyone. New member, first post.

I'm thinking about opening a new hall. I realise now isn't the best time to do this, but reading through the posts on older threads, I get the feeling that the general consensus seems to be that as long as there is a good menu (food and alcohol) to go with the pool tables, it should be a viable business. Needless to say, other things that are essential are a clean environment and pool leagues/house tournaments.

Also, it appears to me that throughout the US, many players are putting up with terrible playing conditions (lousy tables and equipment, dirty smokey halls, etc) simply because there isn't somewhere better to play.

Would it be reasonable then to assume that if I were to open up a pool hall to take care of all these "problems", I could potentially pull customers from all these "substandard" halls and make a decent living from it? I know the business will not make me a rich man. It's just that I've loved pool for a long time and want to fulfill my dream of becoming a pool hall owner. At the moment, I'm leaning towards something like Grady's Billiards (Grady Matthews's hall), where serious players come to play, but with good alcohol and good food included. Planning on putting in 9 tables.

Another observation I've made is that while pool is on the decline with the younger generation in the West, the Asian countries seem to be churning out top competitive players in industrial numbers. Philippines and Taiwan come immediately to mind. Does anyone have any intel on what they're doing right in those countries? Are their pool halls any different from those in the states?

Would love to hear your comments. Thanks!

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I do not want to discourage you, and I truly wish you all the luck in the world, but this topic has been dissected and re-dissected multiple times in the Room Owners forum I would read all the posts closely.

I will add the following it may also help in some small way.

1) You must find a formula that will keep you busy throughout the entire year, and that will attract the general public, because renting tables to your A-players will not pay the bills alone. One way to do this is through the sponsorship of Pool Leagues, if they exist in your area and by keeping your room all ages.

2) While selling food, drinks and some form of Alcohol is a great idea and it will supplement your table rental there are still others methods you can use to pay the rent.

3) Another method that is very profitable and will keep you busy all year long is retail sales and repairs. Depending upon the size of your location you offer everything from Pool tables, Cues, Cases and all accessories for sale. In addition you can also offer a cue repair service from your pool room, I think both of these areas are greatly over looked by many room owners and it is a shame because both of these are great sources of revenue. I basically do everything I have outlined above in my Pool Room except for Table sales.

If you would like to talk privately send me a Pm and I will send you my phone number.

Good Luck

Tohian said:

Hi everyone. New member, first post.

I'm thinking about opening a new hall. I realise now isn't the best time to do this, but reading through the posts on older threads, I get the feeling that the general consensus seems to be that as long as there is a good menu (food and alcohol) to go with the pool tables, it should be a viable business. Needless to say, other things that are essential are a clean environment and pool leagues/house tournaments.

Also, it appears to me that throughout the US, many players are putting up with terrible playing conditions (lousy tables and equipment, dirty smokey halls, etc) simply because there isn't somewhere better to play.

Would it be reasonable then to assume that if I were to open up a pool hall to take care of all these "problems", I could potentially pull customers from all these "substandard" halls and make a decent living from it? I know the business will not make me a rich man. It's just that I've loved pool for a long time and want to fulfill my dream of becoming a pool hall owner. At the moment, I'm leaning towards something like Grady's Billiards (Grady Matthews's hall), where serious players come to play, but with good alcohol and good food included. Planning on putting in 9 tables.

Another observation I've made is that while pool is on the decline with the younger generation in the West, the Asian countries seem to be churning out top competitive players in industrial numbers. Philippines and Taiwan come immediately to mind. Does anyone have any intel on what they're doing right in those countries? Are their pool halls any different from those in the states?

Would love to hear your comments. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Have you ever worked in a pool room before? Have you ever spent eight hours behind the counter?

Tohian said:

Hi Paul. What is the suggestion behind that comment? That owning a pool hall is hard work? Believe me, I know that.

I have owned 2 businesses in the past (a restaurant and a health supplement business) and I know that no matter how hard you think running a business may be, the actual running will be EVEN HARDER. And while i have not spent 8 hours behind a counter before, I have spent 12 hours in a research lab with no windows and barely anyone to interact with (I am trained as a scientist) for months on end. I am not afraid of hard work.

I consider myself blessed that I have very sound offshore investments that are earning me on average 11% ROI year on year and I am not relying solely on the pool hall income for survival. Still, I want the hall to do well enough to be self sustaining without having to eat into my reserve funds.

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I spent a number of years around poolrooms when I was young and developed many ideas about what one should be. The first time I ever stepped behind a counter was when I opened my own room! It gave me an entirely new perspective...a perspective I should have had before I opened my doors. I have been in business 31 years.

Good luck in your new venture.

Welcome To The Forum

Tohian said:

Does anyone have any intel on what they're doing right in those countries? Are their pool halls any different from those in the states?

Click to expand...

I was a partner in a pool room in Asia for a while. I mainly helped with funds to open the place.

Over there the emphasis is on playing conditions and an environment that is conducive to playing pool as opposed to drinking & music. Overall the tables play better than here, and the rates are higher relative to the cost of living.

You really have to think of the tables as an expense to draw customers who then buy food, drinks, and equipment or repair services. It is hard to make it on table time alone.

I believe every area has a hardcore pool following that will go wherever the best tables are. You then have to offer whatever it is that they will spend money on while they are there.

Tohian said:

Hi Paul. What is the suggestion behind that comment? That owning a pool hall is hard work? Believe me, I know that.

I have owned 2 businesses in the past (a restaurant and a health supplement business) and I know that no matter how hard you think running a business may be, the actual running will be EVEN HARDER. And while i have not spent 8 hours behind a counter before, I have spent 12 hours in a research lab with no windows and barely anyone to interact with (I am trained as a scientist) for months on end. I am not afraid of hard work.

I consider myself blessed that I have very sound offshore investments that are earning me on average 11% ROI year on year and I am not relying solely on the pool hall income for survival. Still, I want the hall to do well enough to be self sustaining without having to eat into my reserve funds.

Click to expand...

Hey Tohian, I signed up specifically to respond to your post and it took a while for me to get posting privilages so sorry this is kind of late. I don't think Paul was being condescending, he was really asking an important question.

I practically lived at a decent sized (20+ tables) pool hall for 3 years in the early 90's. The owner eventually offered me a job. I was rather amazed at how my perspective changed when I was on the other side of the counter. There were decisions that he made out of a lack or foresight and I believe a lack of experience that negatively impacted his bottom line, drastically in one case in particular. There are things that you don't even think of as a customer dreaming about how you would run your own place, that are critical things to consider as an owner.

You have had two businesses which gives you a leg up on those who try opening a pool hall without that experience, but I used to listen to a business guy on the radio and he would always say "If you want to open your own business, and I don't care if it is a franchise where everything is already laid out for you, if you don't go and work for the same type of business for six months first you are setting yourself up for failure". I think there is a ton of wisdom in that advice.

Good luck and I hope you have a successful venture.

manwon said:

i do not want to discourage you, and i truly wish you all the luck in the world, but this topic has been dissected and re-dissected multiple times in the room owners forum i would read all the posts closely.

I will add the following it may also help in some small way.

1) you must find a formula that will keep you busy throughout the entire year, and that will attract the general public, because renting tables to your a-players will not pay the bills alone. One way to do this is through the sponsorship of pool leagues, if they exist in your area and by keeping your room all ages.

2) while selling food, drinks and some form of alcohol is a great idea and it will supplement your table rental there are still others methods you can use to pay the rent.

3) another method that is very profitable and will keep you busy all year long is retail sales and repairs. Depending upon the size of your location you offer everything from pool tables, cues, cases and all accessories for sale. In addition you can also offer a cue repair service from your pool room, i think both of these areas are greatly over looked by many room owners and it is a shame because both of these are great sources of revenue. I basically do everything i have outlined above in my pool room except for table sales.

If you would like to talk privately send me a pm and i will send you my phone number.

Good luck

Click to expand...

great advice.

Tohian said:

Hi everyone. New member, first post.

I'm thinking about opening a new hall. I realise now isn't the best time to do this, but reading through the posts on older threads, I get the feeling that the general consensus seems to be that as long as there is a good menu (food and alcohol) to go with the pool tables, it should be a viable business. Needless to say, other things that are essential are a clean environment and pool leagues/house tournaments.

Also, it appears to me that throughout the US, many players are putting up with terrible playing conditions (lousy tables and equipment, dirty smokey halls, etc) simply because there isn't somewhere better to play.

Would it be reasonable then to assume that if I were to open up a pool hall to take care of all these "problems", I could potentially pull customers from all these "substandard" halls and make a decent living from it? I know the business will not make me a rich man. It's just that I've loved pool for a long time and want to fulfill my dream of becoming a pool hall owner. At the moment, I'm leaning towards something like Grady's Billiards (Grady Matthews's hall), where serious players come to play, but with good alcohol and good food included. Planning on putting in 9 tables.

Another observation I've made is that while pool is on the decline with the younger generation in the West, the Asian countries seem to be churning out top competitive players in industrial numbers. Philippines and Taiwan come immediately to mind. Does anyone have any intel on what they're doing right in those countries? Are their pool halls any different from those in the states?

Would love to hear your comments. Thanks!

Click to expand...

this is the greatest time ever to open a room!!!!

im a very sucessful biz man and with the cheap rents, and used equipment out there from rooms that closed , you can open up for 50 cents on the dollar or less than 3 years ago.

3 years ago:
when rents were $2.25/Ft and NNN charges the landlord made all the $$$, then buying tables for $4,000 installed w/light. And if you got a space that was gray(no TI work done) it would cost a pile to open and where would you be now??? in a bad spot, thats where.


Today:

rents are $1.00-$1.50/FT and you can but good used tables for less that $1000 ea(I have bought and sold 50 tables in the past 18 months). If you shop around you might find a space with carpet, lighting(in suspended cieling. Tradsmen will work for 50%-60% of what they would have 4 years ago and are glad to have a job, so opening is 50% cheaper than 3 years ago. That sounds like a GREAT time to open.


If i didnt have so many balls in the air(to much going on) now is the best time I have seen to open a room,,,,,,Ever.


you wont get rich but you'll make a nice living. If you can get poker machines-you'll really do good.

Fatboy said:

this is the greatest time ever to open a room!!!!

im a very sucessful biz man and with the cheap rents, and used equipment out there from rooms that closed , you can open up for 50 cents on the dollar or less than 3 years ago.

3 years ago:
when rents were $2.25/Ft and NNN charges the landlord made all the $$$, then buying tables for $4,000 installed w/light. And if you got a space that was gray(no TI work done) it would cost a pile to open and where would you be now??? in a bad spot, thats where.


Today:

rents are $1.00-$1.50/FT and you can but good used tables for less that $1000 ea(I have bought and sold 50 tables in the past 18 months). If you shop around you might find a space with carpet, lighting(in suspended cieling. Tradsmen will work for 50%-60% of what they would have 4 years ago and are glad to have a job, so opening is 50% cheaper than 3 years ago. That sounds like a GREAT time to open.


If i didnt have so many balls in the air(to much going on) now is the best time I have seen to open a room,,,,,,Ever.


you wont get rich but you'll make a nice living. If you can get poker machines-you'll really do good.

Click to expand...

Some times doing what you want to do is more important than wealth. Nice living in today world would be nice.

Hi
I have to say that I am not a business owner(in fact I'm only 19) so you may not consider my respond valuable,but I decided to post it anyway. =)
It is my dream to open a pool hall one of these days.And I think it's a great idea!
In my opinion you should make a decision: what kind of pool hall do you want?
Do you want one of these halls you described above? Or do you want a pool hall where people would come to play some POOL (and not to get drunk and get into the fist fight)?
For me I've made my decision a couple years ago:

A friend of mine owns a Pool Hall (back in Russia).The moment I saw it first I knew exactly how my pool hall would look like! He had only 4 tables ( all Russian Pyramid 12-foot tables).They were beautifully maintained and looked like they were brand new.Each table had a set of the most expensive Aramith balls.The cues in the hall were of a very good quality and well maintained too.He was doing cue repairs himself.
The Pool Hall had a very nice bar made of solid wood.The bar offered a large variety of drinks and snacks(for a reasonable price). My friend was also an official dealer or custom made cues and he was selling them in his hall as well.
Oh,forgot to mention. The pool hall had and extra room with and extra table( small 7-footer) where parents could leave their kids so they could play and watch TV!
And you know what?Maybe It doesn't sound like a business that could bring you a lot of money,but believe me or not on Friday's,Saturday's and Sunday's it was so busy that you could hardly get a reservation to play(unless you booked a table a couple days ago).
And I think his key to success was that he was able to make everybody feel like they were at home( at least I was feeling that way).

I wrote this on rec.sport.billiards about 7-8 years ago when I still owned my pool room. Good luck, but make sure you think it through completely.

The evolution of a poolroom from an owners perspective.

1. I want a real pool room A players room. We'll have tournaments and action games. I'll use Simonis cloth to go on Diamond Pro tables. No bar, just soft drinks and snacks. No tv, no jukebox, and no radio. Just pool.

2. Ok, Ok, we will put in a couple of tv's a radio and a jukebox. The regulars go other places when there are big games on.

3. You know, things are a little tight and the landlord is being a pain in the
ass because he wants his rent. Most of the regulars are laid off and they have been playing cribbage instead of pool. I was thinking, maybe I could drum up more business if I added beer, wine and a grill.

4. Oh man, we had a great party last night. The big company down the street had a sales meeting then came here. I had to cancel the tournament because they needed all the tables.There were only 8 players for the tournament anyway.

5. I get so many requests, I think I'm just going to add full liquor.

6. Karaoke night!

7. Recover the tables? Why? Tell them to shoot around the holes.

Bob Campbell

hi: If you are interested in opening a new pool hall, I have built one that is for sale, never opened, absolutely beautiful. Contact me for details. carlhungness@verizon.net

Good luck. I certainly hope that you are successful. Honestly, if I had the money to open up a room like you are describing I would not sink it into a pool room. It's a tough business.

From what I have seen (very little mind you) the new rooms start out well enough because people are drawn to "the new place". But maintaining that momentum for long periods of time is difficult.

Just in case you go through with this just keep in mind that Bryan makes a damned fine bologna but stay away from those chiken Vienna Sausages. Ramen Noodles are pretty much all the same regardless of brand so just buy what's on sale.:wink: