Need some pool hall statistics

beachbum949

Registered
I'm working on projection numbers for a pool hall, and I need some statistics from current pool hall owners: (1) what's the average percentage of your tables that are rented in a day. For example: you have 10 tables and you're open 10 hours for a total of 100 hours per day. How many of those 100 hours would you say are rented on average? (2) How many players/customers per table on average? (3) Besides the table rental fees, what does your average customer spend on drinks (full liquor or beer and wine)? (4) What's the average amount of rental time per table? I'd appreciate any insights.
 

Hot Pockets

Registered
Full Bar - Based on well drinks at $4.50 I would plan on each head bringing $15.00

Beer only - about $8

Depending on the area your tables should average 7 hrs a day each, 1/2 that for a Snooker table.

If you are in a "Recreational area" those numbers should be good, if you are in a "Player" area, the dollar amount goes down. Players dont drink!

A successful room caters to the 24 to 34 year old party group and starts in house leagues and "NO A Player" Tourneys to keep the locals active.

Just my .02
 

a1712

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Full Bar - Based on well drinks at $4.50 I would plan on each head bringing $15.00

Beer only - about $8

Depending on the area your tables should average 7 hrs a day each, 1/2 that for a Snooker table.

If you are in a "Recreational area" those numbers should be good, if you are in a "Player" area, the dollar amount goes down. Players dont drink!

A successful room caters to the 24 to 34 year old party group and starts in house leagues and "NO A Player" Tourneys to keep the locals active.

Just my .02

You own a Room? Brian.
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
I was told a long time ago by a very successful room owner this. Take all your tables X your hourly rate, multiply that by the hours your open each day to come up with a number. What ever that number is, if your able to get 20% of that total amount on average each day, you'll do ok.
 

Hot Pockets

Registered
Coincidentally named
Hot Pockets Billiards in Palm Desert (Palm Springs Area)
Jay Helfert was running tourney's at Hard Times in Belflower (Great Guy to know)
Rick Lansburg was selling cues out of the trunk of a Rivera

And someone taught Tom Cruise how to make three balls in a row and The Color of Money rebuilt the industry!!!!
 

BrownDawg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was told a long time ago by a very successful room owner this. Take all your tables X your hourly rate, multiply that by the hours your open each day to come up with a number. What ever that number is, if your able to get 20% of that total amount on average each day, you'll do ok.

This is probably close to the truth.
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
There's some truth to this. There was a good surge after that movie came out.

Having worked for the BCA for a couple years when it moved to CO, the stats we had....showed a player increase from 30-40 million, as was shown in table and equipment sales also. Once the thrill of that movie waned, and then computers came along that 10 mill increase disappeared, took about 10 years + to begin the downslide back to where it was before the movie.
 

beachbum949

Registered
Full Bar - Based on well drinks at $4.50 I would plan on each head bringing $15.00

Beer only - about $8

Depending on the area your tables should average 7 hrs a day each, 1/2 that for a Snooker table.

If you are in a "Recreational area" those numbers should be good, if you are in a "Player" area, the dollar amount goes down. Players dont drink!

A successful room caters to the 24 to 34 year old party group and starts in house leagues and "NO A Player" Tourneys to keep the locals active.

Just my .02


Great info. Really appreciate it. I totally agree about Players not drinking, and I definitely want to go after the 24 - 34 market. Tell me what you think of the way I'm projecting table rentals:

Open hours - 76 per week. 8 tables. 76 x 8 = 608 available table hours per week (87 per day). 87 x 45% rented average = 39 rental hours per day.

So, I'm basically projecting 45% table occupancy in year one. Next question is: how many players did you average per table and how long did they play?

You sound like you know the business well. Thanks in advance.
 

beachbum949

Registered
I was told a long time ago by a very successful room owner this. Take all your tables X your hourly rate, multiply that by the hours your open each day to come up with a number. What ever that number is, if your able to get 20% of that total amount on average each day, you'll do ok.

Thanks for that. Sounds like a pretty low percentage, but I'll take it into account.
 

a1712

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A local Tavern Owner just opened a new dedicated Room w/10 Diamond Bar Boxes and 2-9' Diamonds, he also has a large Pro Shop. He has been extremely disappointed in the amount of business he is doing. The 3 times I have been shooting in the evenings, there wasn't anybody there, I prob. shot 4 hours each time I was there. Brian.
 

beachbum949

Registered
A local Tavern Owner just opened a new dedicated Room w/10 Diamond Bar Boxes and 2-9' Diamonds, he also has a large Pro Shop. He has been extremely disappointed in the amount of business he is doing. The 3 times I have been shooting in the evenings, there wasn't anybody there, I prob. shot 4 hours each time I was there. Brian.

So he expanded his bar to add tables? Is it at the same location? Why do you think he's doing so poorly? Is it the market he's in? Location? I assume his tavern was doing well before or he wouldn't have added a pool room.
 

a1712

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So he expanded his bar to add tables? Is it at the same location? Why do you think he's doing so poorly? Is it the market he's in? Location? I assume his tavern was doing well before or he wouldn't have added a pool room.

It is located next to his Tavern and he put an indoor passage way to be able to go from the Bar to the Room. He is getting an extension of his Liquor License to be able to serve in the Room. The place is super nice, no smoking, tables all well maintained, and he's getting great turnouts for Tourneys. But 60 people at a Tourney once a month don't pay the bills. I have a Tavern less than a mile away, we have 3 Diamond Bar Boxes. Thank God I don't have to rely on Pool to pay the bills, we'd be out of business and we have 14 pool teams. Brian.
 

Hot Pockets

Registered
Great info. Really appreciate it. I totally agree about Players not drinking, and I definitely want to go after the 24 - 34 market. Tell me what you think of the way I'm projecting table rentals:

Open hours - 76 per week. 8 tables. 76 x 8 = 608 available table hours per week (87 per day). 87 x 45% rented average = 39 rental hours per day.

So, I'm basically projecting 45% table occupancy in year one. Next question is: how many players did you average per table and how long did they play?

You sound like you know the business well. Thanks in advance.

Speaking from my room, The table rental was nothing to count on. I say that because I has regular groups that would frequent the room. When they did, they drank allot. I would Comp most, sometimes all of the table time. This kept them coming back ALLOT!! Comp $25 in table time, $125 Bar tab. Get the picture!

That said - I rented the tables at 2 prices (1-2 players) and (3 - or more)

Plan on the lower number at 35%.
Tables flip about every 2 hours
You will average 3 players per table
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Back in 1989 when i opened my first pool room the national average for pool table rental time was 5.5 hours a day, after about 3 months i was close to that with some tables getting about 12 hrs a day while others were only getting about 2 hrs a day.
 

SirShootalot

Registered
Area? City? State?

Brian (a1712)
What City / State is the location in?
Trying to determine demographics as well as pool rooms do very different in diverse areas of the country.
 
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