"can a poolroom make it without liquor? Can pool pay the rent?"
Short answer is yes. One needs low rent, limited if any employees and a loyal clientele.
Alcohol is just another profit center. I made my money in the car business and one cannot make it there without multiple profit centers; new sales, used sales, parts, bodyshop and service.
The same is true here. If you want to make more money and chase a geometrically larger nut, you can add booze, cue repair, put 10k into stick inventory, sell tables, and , why not, add strippers and pole dancers?
It is just about how much aggrevation one can stand. Myself, I like small and manageable and have no need to try and impress anyone with how much money I can make. Besides that, I do not know any bar owner that would not love to sell out with or without pool tables.
