Help Me Understand!! Pool Hall????

billiardshot

billiardshot

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In some posts/threads you read where old Pool Room are closing their doors. But then we read where Pro Players are opening New Room:confused: If the Pool Room business is bad now. Why are the Players opening New Rooms???

Jeanette Lee, Archer and Davenport, Grady [ Happy Birthday today]just to mention a few.
 
I've been in many pool rooms where the owner didnt know sh*t about pool as well so they ran it wrong and didnt keep it up etc.

Obviously those named people do know a lot about pool rooms so perhaps they know they can do it right and make the $?
 
We had a local hall close in December. They are pool fanatics but lousy businessmen. Open for a few years and losing money the whole time from what I've been told. Wrong location brought in the wrong crowd pretty much chasing all the people who'd frequent the place. What seemed to be the biggest factor was that they didn't have many tournaments or even try to get leagues in there. They had 20 tables and only 2 league teams. No promotion of the place seemed to just kill their business. I read today that there are more pool players than there are golfers...seems like these people must play somewhere.
We have one hall in the area that is way overpriced compared to the others and they cater to a very young crowd. No alcohol and lousy food. I don't go there because if the expense but they are doing great because of the promotion.
Pool halls will come and go because people lose interest in going to them. There has to be a reason to draw people and that's all there is to it.
 
Players open pool rooms because they think they can do it better and right. Along with a love for the game and working a business that they think they will love. Its just harder than it looks to continue to bring business in and find the happy medium between the regular customers and your players.

Pool players that open pool rooms end up playing less. Bowlers that purchase bowling alleys end up bowling less. Both of these statements are true for the few individuals that I have known that have taken on these ventures.
 
billiardshot said:
In some posts/threads you read where old Pool Room are closing their doors. But then we read where Pro Players are opening New Room:confused: If the Pool Room business is bad now. Why are the Players opening New Rooms???

Jeanette Lee, Archer and Davenport, Grady [ Happy Birthday today]just to mention a few.
Click to expand...

The victory of optimism over objectivity?

Any of the above may be a success due to rep and
connections - but, in general, opening a room today
is pure folly. If your state enacts a smoking ban - you are dead.

Dale
 
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About half of the pros that opened poolrooms that I've been in over the last 50 years set-up and run to bring the pro players in. We all know that there aren't enough of them to build a business around. Some have managers run them for them and are hardly ever there themselves. Others think that all they have to do is throw some 9 footers in, put their name on a sign and they will come.

The ones that make it are the ones that find a good location with low rent, treat people good and all the same, have a nice bar and kitchen, keep the place and tables maintained and clean(including the bathrooms). A place where you can bring your girl or wife or women will feel OK coming in themselves. They also have APA, run specials, teach pool for free or a very reasonable rate. They run the place as a business and are there many hours a week. Johnnyt
 
We Need A Bat Signal In The Night Sky..... imo

Johnnyt said:
About half of the pros that opened poolrooms that I've been in over the last 50 years set-up and run to bring the pro players in. We all know that there aren't enough of them to build a business around. Some have managers run them for them and are hardly ever there themselves. Others think that all they have to do is throw some 9 footers in, put their name on a sign and they will come.

The ones that make it are the ones that find a good location with low rent, treat people good and all the same, have a nice bar and kitchen, keep the place and tables maintained and clean(including the bathrooms). A place where you can bring your girl or wife or women will feel OK coming in themselves. They also have APA, run specials, teach pool for free or a very reasonable rate. They run the place as a business and are there many hours a week. Johnnyt
Click to expand...



Yes, and sometimes successful poolrooms with all of the features mentioned above are sold to someone new and THEY decide to bring in midget wrestling, Foxy Boxing and a porno dwarf as an 'attraction'. Come the first of the New Year and the phone goes unanswered, the doors are locked, the building is in darkness and the 'new venture' is kaput after only 4-5 months...... Oy-Vey !
Doug
( call me sentimental, but I miss 'the good old days'................of 2006 ) :)
 
Another deciding factor in a Pro players pool room succeeding would be that a fair amount of his/her customers are gonna be the dedicated amatuer who will frequent the Pro's room/hall just on the chance that maybe they will get into a game with famous professional, possibly getting some free advice (i.e. "free lesson"), and in general, get to "hobnob" with some noted players. People that take an active interest in a sporting genre like to be around the best of the best in that particular genre.

Maniac
 
pool rooms

It's sad but in todays pool hall you have to cater to a different customer. Your not going to pay the bills and keep the lights on catering to pool players. For one there arent enough of them to make a profit. We all wish it could be like the old days but with expense of todays market its impossible to do. So you had better cater to the nits that cant make 3 balls in a row and probably never will. But have a good job and the ability to spend money in your joint.
 
an ideal place would be ......set up right so you have room to play
have both 9 footers and 7 footers
food , beer and wine ( real food ) ...
adults running the show
hospitality professionals as employees
 
Pros have a built in advantage with their name that the average Joe does not

most pool halls fail due to dumb owners, they lack education on basic business theory, they lack even the most rudimentary business plan, and most don't know squat about the game
 
I often see owners hire cheap help who don't care if the customers are happy or not. Kids who don't want to work. They just want to get out from behind the counter and play free pool. They give the friends free time and the owners go broke. I think if you want to own a pool hall then you must be willing to run it. Leagues are the life line of any pool hall. It's the same with bowling. There is just not enough walk in business to keep a pool hall alive. Alcohol is a must for financial success. It costs about a quarter for a three dollar beer. Cheap time to cover expenses and the profit will come from the drinks.
 
75% of people don't smoke

pdcue said:
The victory of optimism over objectivity?

Any of the above may be a success due to rep and
connections - but, in general, opening a room today
is pure folly. If your state enacts a smoking ban - you are dead.

Dale
Click to expand...

And you are wrong. "Dead Wrong."
 
I think poolroom management has gotten increasingly difficult. No longer can someone find a big open space, sign a lease, get a bunch of tables and expect customers to file in. There are a lot of other things involved now.

The property boom in New York City is well documented. Liquor laws have eased up while smoking laws have been administered. It's a whole new animal now and you need savvy, intelligent and responsible owners who are capable of building a clientele and keeping it. All the while, home entertainment is better than ever before. You have to compel people to come out and play

The entire night industry is suffering. Pool isn't just competing with bowling and disco-techs. It's competing with PlayStation III, Wii and the internet. It's competing with online poker and match.com. Think of every single reason to go play pool and there's a new alternative and frequently, that alternative has greater economic value.


The current owners are much more involved than ever before. Live music, corporate events, party management, in-house leagues are some of the new ideas. In sum, it's more complex and someone who recognizes the current complexities can be very successful. Those that failed to recognize the change are gone or soon will be.
 
pdcue said:
If your state enacts a smoking ban - you are dead.

Dale
Click to expand...

A true pool player only plays in rooms with smoke so thick that he couldn't find his pecker if it wasn't in his hand.
 
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Scaramouche said:
A true pool player only plays in rooms with smoke so thick that he couldn't find his pecker....... if it wasn't in his hand.
Click to expand...


I agree and I can find it there the entire time that I'm online....
Doug
( I know, I know, TMI ) :)
 
FYI, Archer and Davenport didn't open a new room - they bought an existing room. I play there two, three times a week - and pretty much nothing has changed there since it changed hands. :P

(Edit: One nice change coming up though - saw a flyer posted that Davenport is going to start doing free clinics on Friday evenings, 8pm, starting tomorrow, if any locals are interested.)
 
Obviously just because restuarants are the number 1 failing buisness that doesnt stop restaurants from popping up all over the place. Just because someone failed, doesnt mean someone else has to. And I dont know about the "you need alcohol" argument. Legendary pool hall Hard Times in Bellflower, CA (by me) is alcohol free and its been there for some time along with attracting the areas (and some of the worlds) best players. In California regarding smoking, its a non-issue anymore. For me one of the reasons pool halls fail is because they are uninviting. If you made them less like a speak easy people might want to show up more.
 
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