Do-Over... Starting a Pool Hall Fresh - WWYD?

PickPocket

PickPocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For Conversation sake... Lets say you had a blank check to build a Pool Hall and set it up ANYWAY you want it, any town or location, any size. It would need to make money and sustain itself, it would need to promote the sport and host Med-Large tournament events. Past that, your call. Booze, no Booze, Smoking or Non.. ETC

I personally would like to see a Split Hall / Bar, that could both support professional events, Leagues & have a Non-Bar side to encourage Youth & Family type play with Specific support for those events and Junior leagues. (No Arcades, nothing but pool tables on both sides.)

have a Private "Green Room" - 2 tables TOP NOTCH Best Equipment, Cameras set up for viewer events with streaming etc.. could also be reserved for a Hefty FLAT RATE nightly.

Mix of table sizes 7ft, 9ft, & Snooker. Mix of table manufactures also, say like 4 Diamonds, 4 Brunswick's etc..

I would also like to have an ON-SITE Pro Shop w/Cue Builder Pro for repairs 2-3 times a week or FT.
Centrally located near a freeway and not far from a major airport.

Food - I would go typical American Grill/Pub style with occasional Smoked BBQ pit specials.
Also I'd include room for a full Coffee Shop.

Room Hours 7am - 3am?
 
claymont said:
In this day and age, the only thing you're going to gain from owning a poolroom is red ink in your bank account:rolleyes:
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Fair... Guess that is why every room is closing, and there are few and far between "New" rooms opening. So.. can it be fixed? what would that take?
Will ALL places to play pool be reduced to bars only eventually? What is a current example of a Pool Hall being successful?
 
What is do isn’t my idea of a great pool room, it’s only about making $.

Stuff as many bar boxes in as possible, promote draft beer(higher margin than bottles) full bar, video poker machines(legal ones) and run it many hours a week as possible (within the law for alcohol). Food would be what ever can be deep fried or microwaved. This is the last type of pool room I’d want to go to, but it’s also the most profitable move there is.

The old days of big tables, good food, player area, pit or arena table are long gone if your interested in making money. If you want to build your hang out or have fun then that’s the play.
 
Until 3 am?

I’ve never played past Midnight and maybe past 11 pm a dozen times in 50 years. I’m in bed most nights by 10:30.

Except in a big city are pool halls busy at 1am? Who is playing at 1 am? Guys I know get up at 6 am to work or, like me, are retired and early to bed.

Anyways, the ideas are more like ‘another bar’ rather than a pool hall…main focus on drinking, not billiards. Within 2 months, tables would be removed to make room for more seating and a band to play…maybe a coin operated table left in a corner.

There’s two nice pool halls I can cycle to. Both have a variety of tables but mostly 9’ and a couple of Snooker tables. A couple of stools at a bar but limited. The halls are geared for billiards. If they had primarily drinking crowd neither I nor my billiard playing friends would go. I don’t want to hear clattering of glasses, loud music, and a hundred half drunk people chatting. As I said…the billiard tables would be empty and soon removed.
 
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How about 24 Hours a day with Diamonds and Gold Crowns?
parkavenuebilliards.com

Park Avenue Billiards

pool and billiards hall with full kitchen and bar.
parkavenuebilliards.com parkavenuebilliards.com

This is a bit further than I like to drive. I don't like to cross the ditch (intercoastal) if I don't have to....
 
Blank check? I would have to go with my idea that I've laid out here before, the problem is the city i live in annoys anyone who tries to open up a business.

Anyways, I would do a 10 9 footers, and four 7 footers. I live in a big enough city and there are people who are always looking for places to play. There are independent leagues right now and I have a few regional tours who im sure would not mind a new place to be a host.

rest of the area would be arcade and pinball machines and a dedicated gaming area as I know plenty of the esports community who are looking for places to hold events.

for food? I would not do booze but would have 4-6 vending machines of snacks and drinks, problem is that NY requires you to have food which i think is BS but thats the goofy laws.
 
LWW said:
Who gets up to go to the poolroom by 7:00 AM?
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nobody since there are none open that time of day, but I think there is potential in the off hours. There are plenty of golfers who go to their club very early, play cards, have breakfast, drink coffee, etc,,, but don't even consider actually playing golf till 9 or 10 after the sun is up good and the dew is dry. I think there are plenty of retired types who would do the same thing at a pool hall, not to mention guys who actually have jobs but get rained out of work or too much snow or whatever, and if the place gets a rep for actually having a decent menu and good food it's a fair bet there would be a decent breakfast and lunch business. There is no money in renting pool table time, but good food, everybody likes that. You could also, since you're open and can't sell alcohol, have youth hours, leagues or whatever in those non alcohol hours. All those youths grow up and I'd bet by the time they do guess where there favorite place is to shoot a few racks and down a few brewskis. The room I frequent has pretty much nothing to eat and so there are people always leaving because they get hungry and go somewhere to eat. They were playing pool and buying drinks before they got hungry, then the stopped and went elsewhere to spend money. With good food many of them will continue table rent, buying drinks, and buy food as well, all of which keeps them spending more money longer. I don't know that you could even make a go of it without alcohol, but good food to me seems to be just as important to making a profit.
 
Positively Ralf said:
Blank check? I would have to go with my idea that I've laid out here before, the problem is the city i live in annoys anyone who tries to open up a business.

Anyways, I would do a 10 9 footers, and four 7 footers. I live in a big enough city and there are people who are always looking for places to play. There are independent leagues right now and I have a few regional tours who im sure would not mind a new place to be a host.

rest of the area would be arcade and pinball machines and a dedicated gaming area as I know plenty of the esports community who are looking for places to hold events.

for food? I would not do booze but would have 4-6 vending machines of snacks and drinks, problem is that NY requires you to have food which i think is BS but thats the goofy laws.
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I’d say a minimum of 8 9-footers and a separate area with a minimum of 8 7-footers. That would leave a maximum of options for leagues, tournaments, etc. If you have room for more tables, I would lean towards adding additional 7s.

It varies in different areas of the country, but I find in our area a lot of recreational players prefer playing on the 9 foot tables for the challenge, even though their skill level is more suited for the smaller tables.
 
Geosnookery said:
Until 3 am?

I’ve never played past Midnight and maybe past 11 pm a dozen times in 50 years. I’m in bed most nights by 10:30.

Except in a big city are pool halls busy at 1am? Who is playing at 1 am? Guys I know get up at 6 am to work or, like me, are retired and early to bed.

Anyways, the ideas are more like ‘another bar’ rather than a pool hall…main focus on drinking, not billiards. Within 2 months, tables would be removed to make room for more seating and a band to play…maybe a coin operated table left in a corner.

There’s two nice pool halls I can cycle to. Both have a variety of tables but mostly 9’ and a couple of Snooker tables. A couple of stools at a bar but limited. The halls are geared for billiards. If they had primarily drinking crowd neither I nor my billiard playing friends would go. I don’t want to hear clattering of glasses, loud music, and a hundred half drunk people chatting. As I said…the billiard tables would be empty and soon removed.
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the majority of action happened in CHI after midnight...truly was the graveyard shift
 
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