very true.
Hollywood Billiards- The End???
- Thread starter atthecat
- Start date
very true.
The end?
If he owns it, those two are the same thing as long as he's there. After 20 years of running a room and watching many come and go, and many more than that talk about why they come and go, I can pretty much guarantee that it's not fate. It's also not fate that he's in the position to make whatever decision he pleases with a business he owns, even if we'd rather he didn't. It sounds like he may have decided to let someone else take a shot at it. I hope so, and I hope that person has an interest in good pool.
If he owns it, those two are the same thing as long as he's there. After 20 years of running a room and watching many come and go, and many more than that talk about why they come and go, I can pretty much guarantee that it's not fate. It's also not fate that he's in the position to make whatever decision he pleases with a business he owns, even if we'd rather he didn't. It sounds like he may have decided to let someone else take a shot at it. I hope so, and I hope that person has an interest in good pool.
What he decided to do was run his business into the ground. First he ran all the regulars out of his pool room and wondered why he didn't have any business. Then he took some partners and turned his pool room into a swanky night-club that failed within two years. You are right about one thing, it was his decision to make and hopefully at least he is pleased with the results.
Thanks
Kevin
Surprise surprise.
I used to go there and spend $70 - $100 one night a week shooting pool and drinking.
The changes they needed were not major. For example, their food was 1970's. Their beer and wine list were almost non existant. Coffee and cokes were bar prices ($3 each) and their well drinks were like a cheap banquet. His staff were really great I thought.
This place is in a populous, youthful location, is huge and has it's own parking lot, etc etc . For the most part, the equipment was decent until the red era.
Everything was there except Robert Irvine*
* He's the guy on Restaurant Inpossible, a series that makes over failing restaurants.
I used to go there and spend $70 - $100 one night a week shooting pool and drinking.
The changes they needed were not major. For example, their food was 1970's. Their beer and wine list were almost non existant. Coffee and cokes were bar prices ($3 each) and their well drinks were like a cheap banquet. His staff were really great I thought.
This place is in a populous, youthful location, is huge and has it's own parking lot, etc etc . For the most part, the equipment was decent until the red era.
Everything was there except Robert Irvine*
* He's the guy on Restaurant Inpossible, a series that makes over failing restaurants.
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I went there 5 nights a week and ate there maybe 6 times a month, tipped the wait staff like crazy and introduced people to the place almost as fast as Jeff could run them out.
I'm not saying I was paying the nut, but I was a pretty decent customer. One night Jeff took me aside to point to a party in one of his private rooms and took time out of his very busy life to explain that as customers, my one dollar was like a dime of theirs. I could understand him thinking that way but for the life of me I couldn't find a reason in the world that he would feel it was a benefit to himself as an owner/operator, to tell me how little he valued my business (not that his lack of value placed on individual customers wasn't clearly apparent in his every action).
That's just one reason why businesses fail. Most businesses need a base of repeat customers (like us) to to cover the basic overhead, so they can concentrate on booking more higher volume, larger profit sales. Then when they book a big function, that's all extra profit. Also, commercial customers are far more likely to cancel and cut functions in a bad business environment.
Anyway, it's sad to have lost the place. Maybe someone will come up with a better business plan and a pool room again.
Me, I'm way willing to pay premium prices for a premier environment. Maybe there's not enough of me types in LA to float it, maybe there is, I just wouldn't judge the efficacy of a plan against Jeff Bey's lack of success because I think he just did so many things wrong.
For awhile FatBoy and Jay were going to open a room, I was really looking forward to that. Every once in a while Ernie and Teddy scout locations, could you imagine the space that would please a guy like Ernie? Those tables would be NICE, I'll tell you that.
Thanks
Kevin
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