I've been going to a local room twice a week to play with my dad. Earlier this week we showed up at noon, which is when they had been opening. we find a new sign in the window that says they now open at 3pm Monday through Thursday. It also says we are now required to buy two drinks per person. I know on the days me and my dad were there that there were usually a half dozen tables going. So why not continue to open at noon? And really, are you so greedy that you're going to drive away your customers? Pretty sure I won't be back any time soon. And what's worse? There are now no rooms open before 3pm anywhere within a reasonable distance. I guess I don't get to play with my dad any more.
Another room chasing players away?
- Thread starter d_day
- Start date
Unless your privy to his finances maybe he's not making as much money as you think he is. I doubt he's making these changes just to piss people off.
Just curious how much table time is ?Seems raising table time wouldn't rub people the wrong way as would demanding buying drinks .
They aren't trying to drive players away unless;
They play Rap music or Acid Rock at blast volume.
They make you spot people in a tournament the 5 & out and all the breaks.
Three foul rule does not apply in tournaments.
They can't tell you it's handicapped until all the non-refundable entry fees are in.
Rules and spots are able to be changed at any time.
The "all you can eat" free food during the tournament is just cookies.
Nobody opens because the Dad thought the son would open and the son thought it was Dad's turn.
The $860.00 that was in the 9 ball break pot kitty is taken by the owner and he admits it.
Most of the house cues have no tips at all.
The air conditioning broke and they can't afford to have it fixed.
In the winter, the heat is off at night, so it takes 3 hours after opening to come close to 70.
The roof leaks so bad during a rain, several tables have tarps and garbage cans to catch the water.
The cook will offer to make you a sandwich after he visits the mens room and comes back without washing his hands.
They prohibit play on the 9 foot tables because the bar table league is having a finals match.
They ignore children that run through the poolroom screaming and throwing pool balls. (age 5 and under...parents ignore them as well.)
They allow the Dart League people to set a card table against the 9 foot Brunswick you're playing on, so they can sell 50/50 tickets and display their 6" tall trophies.
The owner fixes pool tables during the day, but never his own. The cloth is 10 years old.
You settle into a quiet 1 hole game and the owner decides he's going to vacuum the carpet around your table and the adjacent tables with their 25 year old machine that sounds like an air raid siren.
Grease and food on the balls? Oh, those kids last night were eating cheeseburgers while playing.
If you think any of the above is fabricated, you're wrong...it's all true. Oh, by the way, the poolroom closed for good.
They play Rap music or Acid Rock at blast volume.
They make you spot people in a tournament the 5 & out and all the breaks.
Three foul rule does not apply in tournaments.
They can't tell you it's handicapped until all the non-refundable entry fees are in.
Rules and spots are able to be changed at any time.
The "all you can eat" free food during the tournament is just cookies.
Nobody opens because the Dad thought the son would open and the son thought it was Dad's turn.
The $860.00 that was in the 9 ball break pot kitty is taken by the owner and he admits it.
Most of the house cues have no tips at all.
The air conditioning broke and they can't afford to have it fixed.
In the winter, the heat is off at night, so it takes 3 hours after opening to come close to 70.
The roof leaks so bad during a rain, several tables have tarps and garbage cans to catch the water.
The cook will offer to make you a sandwich after he visits the mens room and comes back without washing his hands.
They prohibit play on the 9 foot tables because the bar table league is having a finals match.
They ignore children that run through the poolroom screaming and throwing pool balls. (age 5 and under...parents ignore them as well.)
They allow the Dart League people to set a card table against the 9 foot Brunswick you're playing on, so they can sell 50/50 tickets and display their 6" tall trophies.
The owner fixes pool tables during the day, but never his own. The cloth is 10 years old.
You settle into a quiet 1 hole game and the owner decides he's going to vacuum the carpet around your table and the adjacent tables with their 25 year old machine that sounds like an air raid siren.
Grease and food on the balls? Oh, those kids last night were eating cheeseburgers while playing.
If you think any of the above is fabricated, you're wrong...it's all true. Oh, by the way, the poolroom closed for good.
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GREEDY? Ahahahahahahahahaha.
These are some of the last resorts of a room going out of business-A room losing $$ during the day with just players who want free coffee or water. Opening at 3 probably reduces the staff, saving $$ as only one shift is required.
At any rate, people better start spending or the place wont be there at all in a year. Based on your post, the owner doesn't want you back so don't feel bad about leaving.
goddamn rich bastards probably staying at the country club longer wiping their butts with the thousands you spend everyweek
..............
Many rooms will change their hours during the summer time due to a slight decline in business and is a common practice really. This is a chance for them to cut back on some overhead and get projects done that may be on the to do list. As for the purchase requirement, unless stated as part of a promotional, like free pool tuesdays or of the like. I would say that was not a smart idea on the owners part.
Many rooms will change their hours during the summer time due to a slight decline in business and is a common practice really. This is a chance for them to cut back on some overhead and get projects done that may be on the to do list. As for the purchase requirement, unless stated as part of a promotional, like free pool tuesdays or of the like. I would say that was not a smart idea on the owners part.
You obviously love to play pool and are frustrated you won't get to do it in the time/manner in which you've enjoyed in the past. However, I would venture to guess that the guy who owns the place has figured the cost of opening at Noon (with 6 tables going as you stated) vs opening at 3pm (and losing that business) and has come to the conclusion he is better off not opening until noon.
Not related to you, but the amount of people I come across who thinks their mere presence is somehow making the owner money is astounding. Not having anything to drink or eat and paying their 5 quarters for the match that night, does not make an owner any money.
Don't forget a pool hall is a business. In order to stay in business it needs to attract customers that can pay the bills. Opening at 3pm means they can't justify their justify operating costs to open at noon. Also the two drink minimum tells me they can't afford to go after any customer that can't afford to pay two drinks.
The golden days of opening the doors, the customers will come in and pack the place are gone. Poolhalls now have to identify segments of their clientele, and come up with incentives like leagues, tournaments, drink specials (if they have a liquor license).
You may hate to hear the fact, but you're just one type of customer. League players (a dirty term on AZ), Bangers, and social dates are examples of other types of customers pool hall can attract. On a Friday or Saturday night, I've seen couples on dates spend as much as the player who comes in everyday but don't order anything but coffee or water.
If you have a local poolhall that lets you play at an obscene discount, say $5-15 all day, until 6pm, realize it's likely a loss leader to keep the place from looking empty.
The golden days of opening the doors, the customers will come in and pack the place are gone. Poolhalls now have to identify segments of their clientele, and come up with incentives like leagues, tournaments, drink specials (if they have a liquor license).
You may hate to hear the fact, but you're just one type of customer. League players (a dirty term on AZ), Bangers, and social dates are examples of other types of customers pool hall can attract. On a Friday or Saturday night, I've seen couples on dates spend as much as the player who comes in everyday but don't order anything but coffee or water.
If you have a local poolhall that lets you play at an obscene discount, say $5-15 all day, until 6pm, realize it's likely a loss leader to keep the place from looking empty.
Out room doesn't open till 4pm during the week and noon on the weekends. It's constantly busy but can't justify being open earlier than that. The Owner has it figured out, he's no dummy and I can understand his decision completely. It doesn't bother me at all since I work during the day and usually don't make it there till 7pm anyways.
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It's funny cause me as a poolplayer and me (if I owned a bar) would be completely opposite. I'd own nothing but barboxes and have APA league as much as possible. From my experiences, BCA players (I'm not privy to TAP, VNEA, NAPA) tend to be more serious about the game and drink less. A lot of the gamblers don't drink or eat anything either.
Where an APA team will have 2,3,4,5's and, in general, mostly out for a good time. They'll have appetizers and several drinks. This is someones livelihood and I would never be so arrogant as to tell someone else what's best for them and/or their business.
Could always move to Asia 
In general though, economics and financial decisions aside, times change and what we get comfortable with changes/mutates/disappears. Our local "best bar in the world", "amazing hangout" and of course the pool hall that suits the hours and the way that we want to play - well - they shut down/move on/become a "coffee shop" or gimmicky fast "gourmet" food place or similar place that people with a different outlook than us like to frequent. Which at the end of the day probably does boil down to economics, financial implications and.....business.
Could always move to Asia - where it also wont last forever. But flights and relocation and securing an income in a foreign land can add up to a hefty whack of $$$$ so it might be a better business decision to start 3 hours later, buy two drinks and play less often - in other words you could collude with them to keep the place open.
In general though, economics and financial decisions aside, times change and what we get comfortable with changes/mutates/disappears. Our local "best bar in the world", "amazing hangout" and of course the pool hall that suits the hours and the way that we want to play - well - they shut down/move on/become a "coffee shop" or gimmicky fast "gourmet" food place or similar place that people with a different outlook than us like to frequent. Which at the end of the day probably does boil down to economics, financial implications and.....business.
Could always move to Asia - where it also wont last forever. But flights and relocation and securing an income in a foreign land can add up to a hefty whack of $$$$ so it might be a better business decision to start 3 hours later, buy two drinks and play less often - in other words you could collude with them to keep the place open.
Unless they sell beer and food....most towns have laws/rules about the percentage of beer sold vs other billed items. Where I am it is a 60/40 split, where your beer can't exceed 40% of your total income. If you think about it like this it may put it into perspective....how many beers do most people drink per hour? How much is table time for an hour? Now what percentage of the patrons drink beer? If you get others to drink a 2 drink min that normally just drink water/coffee your percentages will turn around assuming they are charged for a soda product.
The days of no pinball, just pool, this is Ames mister are long gone. You can't survive on one type of clientele from a pool subculture. You need to attract customers from the mainstream. In order to survive, most pool halls have to sell liquor, and very good quality food.
Not surprised
The pool hall I used to frequent has Video poker and line games. Many a times I would be the only one in the room that was actually playing pool.
But the 6 Video poker machines were always full. The owner could really care less about the pool players. He has a steady line of people playing his machines.
Once in awhile I would stop playing pool to watch a crack head put his/her money in the machine and just pound the keys and make strange noises.
Kinda miss that entertainment.
Don
The pool hall I used to frequent has Video poker and line games. Many a times I would be the only one in the room that was actually playing pool.
But the 6 Video poker machines were always full. The owner could really care less about the pool players. He has a steady line of people playing his machines.
Once in awhile I would stop playing pool to watch a crack head put his/her money in the machine and just pound the keys and make strange noises.
Kinda miss that entertainment.
Don
Never heard such a thing. Though it may be true in your neck of the woods, it certainly does not apply to "most" towns. Very strange law indeed.
The pool hall I used to frequent has Video poker and line games. Many a times I would be the only one in the room that was actually playing pool.
But the 6 Video poker machines were always full. The owner could really care less about the pool players. He has a steady line of people playing his machines.
Once in awhile I would stop playing pool to watch a crack head put his/her money in the machine and just pound the keys and make strange noises.
Kinda miss that entertainment.
Don
Don,
As I stated on a different thread yesterday, if it weren't for the video poker machines, all the pool rooms in Vegas would be closed. What does that say about the state of our beloved game?
One Rochester room opens at Noon. The other when ever someone gets there. Usually between Four and Five in the afternoon. My favorite room in Buffalo opens at Four between May and October. Noon the rest of the year. Not an unusual scenario. Demanding customers buy several drink just to play pool is questionable and short sighted in my opinion.
Lyn
I guess I'm very fortunate. My room opens at noon every day and serves no food or booze but you can BYOB. Two others about a half hour drive for me open at noon also. There is another room about 45 minutes drive for me that opens at 9am every day. Two of these rooms are having problems staying open though. All of these rooms have multiple 9 foot Gold Crowns. After reading this thread I feel like I live in pool nirvana.
The room closest to me opens at 4pm daily and pool is free till 7pm. APA leagues play nightly and he's closed on Sunday. Beer, soda pop, hamburgers and pub food (not bad really) and setups if you BYOB.
They have 9 Valley BB's and one 9ft Gandy. Cloth is good, tables are good... but given the 7ft/9ft table ratio, you can see who is being catered to.
Just a little down the road, bout 1.5 miles is the reck - lots of beat up Valleys on one side , and a full room of 9 footers on the other. Unfortunately... the place is in a state of disrepair and the tables ain't that great. Very cool back in the day though.
3 miles from there is the Fox & Hound... full bar, good food and 6 9ft Diamonds, in good repair. Nice tables, but serious pool is not the point of the business.
Over on Summer Ave is Highpocket's - it's still a pool hall, but even it's had changes over the years.
Several others still around that have a definable "pool" culture - one's about a mile from where I work, "The Rack" on Lamar. Other's exist in memories, like "Hotpockets" and quite a few others. Some find a semi comfortable, workable compromise and survive, some don't.
Times change, businesses evolve to meet the demands of the customers they can attract.
They have 9 Valley BB's and one 9ft Gandy. Cloth is good, tables are good... but given the 7ft/9ft table ratio, you can see who is being catered to.
Just a little down the road, bout 1.5 miles is the reck - lots of beat up Valleys on one side , and a full room of 9 footers on the other. Unfortunately... the place is in a state of disrepair and the tables ain't that great. Very cool back in the day though.
3 miles from there is the Fox & Hound... full bar, good food and 6 9ft Diamonds, in good repair. Nice tables, but serious pool is not the point of the business.
Over on Summer Ave is Highpocket's - it's still a pool hall, but even it's had changes over the years.
Several others still around that have a definable "pool" culture - one's about a mile from where I work, "The Rack" on Lamar. Other's exist in memories, like "Hotpockets" and quite a few others. Some find a semi comfortable, workable compromise and survive, some don't.
Times change, businesses evolve to meet the demands of the customers they can attract.