Archer's Place, Marietta Ga...??

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I read yesterday or the day before that Rodney was en route to Johnny Archer's pool room, and that he is, indeed, a partner.

The pool room in Marietta had great opportunity, I think, but it was not being managed correctly. There needed to be more hands-on by Johnny and others in his circle at that time.

Good food is key. This will attract many to play pool and hang there while enjoying a nice meal. I'm not a fan of alcoholic beverages in pool rooms, but I realize this is necessary for profit reasons. I hope they have a variety of non-alcoholic drinks too. e.g., fresh coffee, sweet Southern tea, smoothies. One thing I hope they do is make it a no-smoking place. I think that's pretty much the law in most States of the Union. If there's smoking, then many people, families, and others won't be going there on a regular basis.

I'm not sure of the location, but I know most of the successful pool rooms are located near community colleges and universities, giving young folk a place to hang out. If Johnny and Rodney can get this crowd in the joint, I think it will be successful. Look at Snooker's in Rhode Island, right smack in the middle of over a dozen colleges and universities within a 10-minute drive.

Last but not least, no pool room should go without leagues. They need league nights to keep the pool culture going. I hope this will not be another bar. I'd like to see a "real" pool room come to the fore, but that's just me.
I think for all of us who grew up in smoking pool rooms, the new norm is NON-SMOKING. It's nice not going home smelling like an ash tray. However, if you're able to create an outdoor space for your smokers, that is a great idea. You don't want anyone feeling unwelcome.

Alcohol, Drinks and Food is where the majority of your profit is made. You can also really do well with a retail space, ESPECIALLY if you can get into selling/delivering/installing pool tables in your area. If Johnny can partner with the expert installer in his area that could be lucrative. Also retailing cues and cases at all entry points along with dart stuff. If Johnny devoted himself to this...can you imagine him demonstrating the capabilities of cues at any price point? He would have no problem.

Honestly, if you have a generous retail space you can get creative and sell products OTHER than billiard related odds and ends if you are able to identify the things in which your regular clientele would be interested in purchasing. Good business is about thinking outside of the box. Pool time might cover your paper towel and toilet paper bill for the month (unless you are able to charge high prices without impeding demand).

Good luck to Johnny and Rodney.
 

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Food is a key but you HAVE to have a good hands-on mgr. Whether its Johnny or someone he chooses you need a no-shit drill-seargent style person at the helm. Keep it clean and make sure staff is there on time. I'd also make sure employees DO NOT fk with their phones unless on break. I hate waiting on food and find the damn sever is jacking with their cell.
100% correct. CLEAN, ORGANIZED, with HIGH STANDARDS for your team and for your customers. Yes, absolutely NO CELL PHONES for employees while on duty.
 

onepocketron

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You go to a pool hall for many reasons. What it's called, or who's name it's associated with, is usually a non issue. Other than die hard pool players, most casual players know very little about the pros much less their names. If the staff is polite, the place is clean and organized, rates are reasonable, and food is good.......I would guess you have a chance of success even if it's called Sunflower's Pool Room.
 

Fast Lenny

Faster Than You...
Silver Member
my understanding is that scott frost had 0 percent ownership in the freezers
just his friend lenny used the name and let scott along for the ride until i think they had a falling out. a few years after the pool hall opened.
lenny explained that on her a few years ago it seemed
Not exactly. Scott came to me in 2017 with his vision and a good friend of his who is a very good player in Iowa was backing the project. I was reluctant as I was doing my own thing and it had been over 10 years since I had ran a poolroom which I recall how demanding it was when I was living in NY. This place was to me a monster room on steroids so I know it was going to be on another level. Scott decided to focus more on pool as managing a business is very demanding so he stepped away from it. The owner Jason Chance is a great guy and one of the best bosses I have ever had and super smart businessman. I am very proud to be a part of it and love my job there.

Jason decided to up the ante during the "pandemic" and turn Freezer's which was a nice place into Mill's Modern Social which is probably one of the nicest places to have a night out in Tempe. We still have 22 pool tables, leagues and tournaments along with a waiting list every single Friday and Saturday night for pool but we offer great food, arcade, darts, and other games. We have around 80 TVs showing the major sporting events and doing UFC nights. We are a large space so we can do large parties and events.

The people on weekend nights aren't pool players but just people there having a great time buying food and drinks while playing some pool. MMS is not a pool hall though even though it is probably the nicest place in the country that has pool tables in it. Business currently is better then it has ever been in the 4 years I have been a part of it. Scott still comes in and plays and practices a bit, we are still good friends to this day. Scott and I have had some amazing adventures together that are priceless and our road together has had ups, downs and twist and turns. Glad to see he is still playing well and a top one pocket player.

I speak to Rodney regularly and Johnny from time to time. I wish my friends the best with their project which I think will be a success. I am here for council if they ever need it and will give them some advice from my experiences in a few rooms I was a part of. Just don't count on making all of your money on pool and pool players. Don't label it as a pool hall, you can add that to the name but say Archer's Sports Bar and Billiards would suffice so to speak. You need good food and give people other option besides pool to do in your place. One important part is negotiating a good lease that doesn't rob you of your profits each month. I believe GA is still very affordable compared to other places in the country. Hire on dedicated and honest people to run it if you can't be on site. Your employees are the face of the business and responsible for giving an experience that keeps people returning. Make sure you review rating on Google is tip top. Plenty of other stuff but you get the idea.
 

cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I rode by Archers new location several days ago and they have done a lot more work inside. I look forward to seeing it when he gets it open. I heard he is going with all Gold Crowns. Even going to have some of the new Gold Crown bar tables. I just hope it is non smoking and runs some even race tournaments.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I rode by Archers new location several days ago and they have done a lot more work inside. I look forward to seeing it when he gets it open. I heard he is going with all Gold Crowns. Even going to have some of the new Gold Crown bar tables. I just hope it is non smoking and runs some even race tournaments.
Wow, sounds like quite a change from the way he neglected what once was such an awesome pool room in Marietta. I hope he’s learned from his experience, and that someone is able to find dedicated and qualified managers and employees to run the place the way it should be run. These days that is far from a given.

Regardless of what he calls it, what kind of tables they may have, and whether or not Johnny wants this to become a ‘players’ room, the main $ revenue is not going to come from the serious pool players. It will come from the recreational ball bangers, social players, league players, and mainly from the food and alcohol sales from those people, some of which may never play on the pool tables.

If the atmosphere, the quality, and the value of the food, drink and overall experience is satisfying, they will return!
 
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maha

from way back when
Silver Member
few businesses make it without a good business person running it.
a pool room run by a great player is nothing without a business person making the decisions.

just like a race car driver doesnt make a car dealership

or a top pro golfer running a course.
 

buckshotshoey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I rode by Archers new location several days ago and they have done a lot more work inside. I look forward to seeing it when he gets it open. I heard he is going with all Gold Crowns. Even going to have some of the new Gold Crown bar tables. I just hope it is non smoking and runs some even race tournaments.
Gold Crown bar tables?
 

ThinSlice

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member

Paul Schofield

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Food is a key but you HAVE to have a good hands-on mgr. Whether its Johnny or someone he chooses you need a no-shit drill-seargent style person at the helm. Keep it clean and make sure staff is there on time. I'd also make sure employees DO NOT fk with their phones unless on break. I hate waiting on food and find the damn sever is jacking with their cell.
You would be out of business in no time. The problem is not managing employees. It is keeping them. There is an employee shortage. I know of many businesses that are running at limited hours or are closed altogether because they are unable to maintain a staff. Employers have wound up having to eat the cell phone issue. Bad service is the way of the world right now.
 

buckshotshoey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You would be out of business in no time. The problem is not managing employees. It is keeping them. There is an employee shortage. I know of many businesses that are running at limited hours or are closed altogether because they are unable to maintain a staff. Employers have wound up having to eat the cell phone issue. Bad service is the way of the world right now.
If this country would stop incentivizing NOT working, the problem would disappear in a Flash.
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
Not exactly. Scott came to me in 2017 with his vision and a good friend of his who is a very good player in Iowa was backing the project. I was reluctant as I was doing my own thing and it had been over 10 years since I had ran a poolroom which I recall how demanding it was when I was living in NY. This place was to me a monster room on steroids so I know it was going to be on another level. Scott decided to focus more on pool as managing a business is very demanding so he stepped away from it. The owner Jason Chance is a great guy and one of the best bosses I have ever had and super smart businessman. I am very proud to be a part of it and love my job there.

Jason decided to up the ante during the "pandemic" and turn Freezer's which was a nice place into Mill's Modern Social which is probably one of the nicest places to have a night out in Tempe. We still have 22 pool tables, leagues and tournaments along with a waiting list every single Friday and Saturday night for pool but we offer great food, arcade, darts, and other games. We have around 80 TVs showing the major sporting events and doing UFC nights. We are a large space so we can do large parties and events.

The people on weekend nights aren't pool players but just people there having a great time buying food and drinks while playing some pool. MMS is not a pool hall though even though it is probably the nicest place in the country that has pool tables in it. Business currently is better then it has ever been in the 4 years I have been a part of it. Scott still comes in and plays and practices a bit, we are still good friends to this day. Scott and I have had some amazing adventures together that are priceless and our road together has had ups, downs and twist and turns. Glad to see he is still playing well and a top one pocket player.

I speak to Rodney regularly and Johnny from time to time. I wish my friends the best with their project which I think will be a success. I am here for council if they ever need it and will give them some advice from my experiences in a few rooms I was a part of. Just don't count on making all of your money on pool and pool players. Don't label it as a pool hall, you can add that to the name but say Archer's Sports Bar and Billiards would suffice so to speak. You need good food and give people other option besides pool to do in your place. One important part is negotiating a good lease that doesn't rob you of your profits each month. I believe GA is still very affordable compared to other places in the country. Hire on dedicated and honest people to run it if you can't be on site. Your employees are the face of the business and responsible for giving an experience that keeps people returning. Make sure you review rating on Google is tip top. Plenty of other stuff but you get the idea.
A lot of good advice in this post. Lenny knows what works. I can't tell you how often I've seen people play darts, foosball or video games while they wait for a pool table or a dining table. The options Lenny is talking about are not only vital but they are all money makers. My one foosball table might bring in $200 a week, the jukebox even more and a dozen cool video games brought in well over a grand. You don't make your money off any one thing, but off a combination of many things/options. And don't let anyone tell you that you can't make any money renting pool tables. My last place had 18 tables and when we were humming at night all of them were full. On a typical week day we might have all tables going for four or five hours a night plus a lot of play in the afternoon and early evening. On the weekends (Fri.-Sun.) we might be full six to eight hours a night. At $10/hr. you do the math. All I can tell you is that I liked counting the register at closing time. I didn't have liquor, only beer and wine, but we would go through case after case of Corona and Bud and need more the next day. Jay's Sports Bar at Hollywood Park was a sole proprietor operation (me) that only encompassed 7,000 square feet. What I would call a medium size poolroom. But that little business paid off my house and a couple of nice rental properties.

I'd rather have a few good people working for me than a bunch of mediocre workers. One very important thing that I always stressed to my staff was to not keep people waiting when they came to the counter for service. Even if you're busy acknowledge their presence and let them know you'll be with them shortly. People hate to be ignored! If you keep them waiting too long they will leave and never come back.
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
In LA it’s impossible to open a room now and find any success. If it was possible I’m bored enough to do it.

But with $3/sf in rent and no machines it’s not possible to make it in the pool room biz here. There just isn’t enough players to support any room.

Buying a building isn’t a plan either as you can just lease it out and do better than opening a room in the space.
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
Your right. And there never was, and there never will be, anywhere.
Never say never Paul. My concept that could work in a city like Los Angeles which has a large population of serious pool players, would be a private club with only four to eight tables. It would be an environment conducive to serious players; great equipment, lots of space around each table, good seating and an upscale atmosphere. The members would pay monthly dues that would allow them to play at any time on an open table. It would be primarily a night time business, maybe open at 4 or 6 PM and staying open until 2 or 4 AM. I envision soft ambient lighting, nice background music and serve only coffee or tea to members (and maybe their guests who would pay to enter). If there was any food, the menu would look like Starbucks with only pastries and such. One hundred members at $100/month would be 10K a month in income. Add in food and drink sales for another 5K a month and you could turn a profit. Such a club could be operated by one employee, two at the most (one being the owner). With two hundred members (which is doable imo) you have a winner. There could also be a membership fee to join, just like any other private club. You would only need 2,500 square feet of space for a club of this size, maybe less. It could be located in the upstairs of a warehouse, where I see rentals currently at $1-1.50 per square foot. Okay, call me crazy, but every time I've followed my instincts I've been lucky so far. ;)
 

Paul Schofield

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Never say never Paul. My concept that could work in a city like Los Angeles which has a large population of serious pool players, would be a private club with only four to eight tables. It would be an environment conducive to serious players; great equipment, lots of space around each table, good seating and an upscale atmosphere. The members would pay monthly dues that would allow them to play at any time on an open table. It would be primarily a night time business, maybe open at 4 or 6 PM and staying open until 2 or 4 AM. I envision soft ambient lighting, nice background music and serve only coffee or tea to members (and maybe their guests who would pay to enter). If there was any food, the menu would look like Starbucks with only pastries and such. One hundred members at $100/month would be 10K a month in income. Add in food and drink sales for another 5K a month and you could turn a profit. Such a club could be operated by one employee, two at the most (one being the owner). With two hundred members (which is doable imo) you have a winner. There could also be a membership fee to join, just like any other private club. You would only need 2,500 square feet of space for a club of this size, maybe less. It could be located in the upstairs of a warehouse, where I see rentals currently at $1-1.50 per square foot. Okay, call me crazy, but every time I've followed my instincts I've been lucky so far. ;)
I can only hope you're right. I would very much like to see it. Every time someone has a fresh idea, I say go for it. Wins are only made if you take a chance. Anything to further our sport.
 
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Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
All due respect Jay, I just don’t see that happening in LA. I have the always respected your business decisions & trust has always been 100% with us. I’d like to be wrong on this one, but I just don’t see it working in LA.

If you can find a spot and the numbers make sense you know how to find me. It would be great to have a spot.

I had 33% of a card room about 4 years ago for a while, we couldn’t crack the nut there. I got out even, but the other 2 guys went down with the ship. It was licensed as a “Social Club” it was 200 yards from the Beverly Center. 2nd floor of a nice center like Erin builds on the corners-

I thought about putting a couple barboxes in it, but didn’t make sense. We had 3 different card games and other action. Did $12,000/mo the nut was $15k. Didn’t work out.
Best
Fatboy :)
 
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