How Are The Bars and Coin-Ops Doing?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I can’t drink anymore or play pool for anymore than 30 min at a time so have no reason to go to bars. We hear a lot about poolrooms doing poorly or going under. How are the bars around the country doing compared to 3 or 4 years ago? I would imagine not as many can afford to drink and play pool in bars with the economy and the price of everything going up by the week. I bet a good percentage of the ones that still go to bars don’t play or play less pool now. Johnnyt
 
In Texas (Dallas area specifically) the no-smoking thing has killed a lot of business. Plano, Richardson, and some places in Addison still have indoor smoking.

Most of the places that have full sized tables charge a ridiculous amount per hour to play on them ($12-$15)

There are a few hole in the wall places that i know of that still have some really good specials during certain days. and those are the days i go play. for instance, one place has free pool play on full sized tables all day if you buy food or 2 drinks. so I can play for 4-5 hours on $8.

A lot of the smaller dive bars i go to have the little quarter bar box tables. they get good business on them from what i have seen. i hate the size of quarter tables. but its definitely cheaper than an hourly rate. a casual game while drinking can stretch over a decent period of time. and for the most part, "bar rules" state that if you win, you win the table and dont have to pay to play the next match.
 
Bar Business

No problem in Houston..., business is good, there are still 7 to 8 pool rooms on every side of town and most have in door smoking. The bars that dont allow smoking are doing good too, because most are in areas where somking is banded for all businesses.
 
I don't know so much about bars in SW Ohio. I am a Moose member, however and we have 6 tables in our lodge. On Fridays and Saturdays, all tables are full for most of the evening...from about 6 PM to 9:30 or 10. Its a little slower during the summer months, but still busy. During the week, not so much.

Making smoking illegal in bars has definitely affected the business. Tougher drunk driving laws also affected business (I know that I don't drink and drive...which makes me want to stay home more). I would guess its tough being in the bar business now.

On a side note, I don't see as many bars having tables in them as I used to see. There is one bar down the street and they changed hands a couple of times in the last several years (I guess they aren't doing that well...sort of a hole in the wall). The one bar where we used to go shoot has now placed the tables in an area where they are too close together. If you were shooting from one side, you are almost sitting on the table next to you (guess they don't take pool that serious in that bar). Its a shame, because even the bars that catered to the pool player (they were first and foremost bars, but had several tables) have all closed in our area.
Most other bars are catering to either the specialty beer crowd (sort of like a micro-brewery) or the dinner crowd.

John
 
Bruce...Only #3 has any real bearing. You're always a doomsayer about pool in Arizona...but most of the others from that state who post here talk about all the opportunities, as opposed to b*tching about anything they can.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

CocoboloCowboy said:
Three thing have killed Bars, Sports Bar, and Pool Rooms, and Pool in Arizona.

1. Interlock Law have to do with Drunk driving convictions.

2. No Smoking in Bars, Sports Bar, and Pool Rooms, UNLESS THEY ARE Private Clubs.

3. Recession & NO JOBS.
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Three thing have killed Bars, Sports Bar, and Pool Rooms, and Pool in Arizona.

1. Interlock Law have to do with Drunk driving convictions.

2. No Smoking in Bars, Sports Bar, and Pool Rooms, UNLESS THEY ARE Private Clubs.

3. Recession & NO JOBS.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. 10 years ago it was easy to find a $10-20 games. Now I can hardly find a game for a drink!

In WI
 
Bars around here are doing well. This is a college town though, known for it's party school (Chico State). When I go to the bars the pool tables are generally taken.
 
Scott Lee said:
Bruce...Only #3 has any real bearing. You're always a doomsayer about pool in Arizona...but most of the others from that state who post here talk about all the opportunities, as opposed to b*tching about anything they can.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

He is actually right in this case though. Business after the smoking ban in PHX was pretty horrendous, then we got hit with the economic depression double whammy. Things are still not where they were before, but most of the closures are over because the 'borderline' places are already long gone. I wrote a post about the effects of the smoking ban in AZ awhile back:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2781755#post2781755



Note that is specifically about effects on the 'regular' bar business, not pool halls or clubs, both of which have other things effecting them also. :)

Edit: would like to clarify that I do NOT agree about his list of 3 things "killing" bars, sports bars or pool halls. There will always be bars and sports bars around, the 3 things mentioned have just cut down on the number. Pool is a different story, but is hurt by more than just those 3 things...and besides, pool in AZ is doing much better than pool in many (most?) parts of the country! It sure could be worse!
 
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Baxter said:
Bars around here are doing well. This is a college town though, known for it's party school (Chico State). When I go to the bars the pool tables are generally taken.
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Chico State!!?? That's where I began my big table career, in a place called Team Players. We knew the staff there and they always treated us right. I remember playing in the town lounge, the graduate, the bear, chico billiards and one other dive bar. This was back in the early 90's.

Is Charles still shooting there? I think he was tops back then.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Three thing have killed Bars, Sports Bar, and Pool Rooms, and Pool in Arizona.

1. Interlock Law have to do with Drunk driving convictions.

2. No Smoking in Bars, Sports Bar, and Pool Rooms, UNLESS THEY ARE Private Clubs.

3. Recession & NO JOBS.
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You forgot .....4. People that never go to any pool tournaments. ;)

I'm headed down to Pockets, they have a Tuesday nite tourney on 7ft. Diamonds.

Some of te bars have added outdoor smoking areas, so the smoking law has not affected them as much.

I think it's just the economy in general, people have less cash on hand to spend. They had to make cuts somewhere, usually that falls under entertainment. Pool is entertainment.......
 
Scott Lee said:
Only #3 has any real bearing.
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And, even it may have significantly less bearing than most give it.

"The economy is down" has become a universal catch all statement. Implications and assumptions are made, based on nothing more than a generic, blanket statement.

The problem here is that pool has long been tied with the hospitality industry (food and drink). That segment in most markets has been drastically over-saturated for far longer than the most recent occurrence of the blanket statement 'the economy is down'.
 
My good friend owns two very successful Bars in San Francisco, one on Potrero Hill and one in the Haight Ashbury. Both have (3) 4'x6' Coin Tables @ $1.50 per game. He told me recently that he makes around $500.00 per table per week (and he owns all the tables.) He also sells one-hella-vu-lotta-booze at both joints.

That said, I would say Coin-op Tables are doing GREAT in San Francisco.
 
Johnnyt said:
I can’t drink anymore or play pool for anymore than 30 min at a time so have no reason to go to bars. We hear a lot about poolrooms doing poorly or going under. How are the bars around the country doing compared to 3 or 4 years ago? I would imagine not as many can afford to drink and play pool in bars with the economy and the price of everything going up by the week. I bet a good percentage of the ones that still go to bars don’t play or play less pool now. Johnnyt
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If a bar has a pool table people will always play. Pool is not a fad.
 
ghost ball said:
Chico State!!?? That's where I began my big table career, in a place called Team Players. We knew the staff there and they always treated us right. I remember playing in the town lounge, the graduate, the bear, chico billiards and one other dive bar. This was back in the early 90's.

Is Charles still shooting there? I think he was tops back then.
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Yes he is, I play him all the time. Recently took some money off him on his birthday. He thought he could re-live his golden days and give me the 7 out and the breaks. LOL. Sadly though he's lost almost all vision in one of his eyes, but he still is one of the best players around here, even with one eye.

Team Players is now The Downlo, my home room. 10 9' Diamond Professional tables. My dad used to manage Chico Billiards in the 80's. That room is long gone. Town Lounge is for sale. I play in a free weekly tournament at The Bear for "Bear Bucks". The other dive bar was probably The Oasis. They actually have a snooker table tucked away in the back that I play on regularly. It's the same snooker table that used to be at Chico Billiards.
 
Scott Lee said:
Bruce...Only #3 has any real bearing. You're always a doomsayer about pool in Arizona...but most of the others from that state who post here talk about all the opportunities, as opposed to b*tching about anything they can.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...


You know Scott the one thing is I live in the Valley of the Sun, and talk to local people who are in the service industry, restaurant owner, bar owners, a guy who covers pool tables for a living. All who say business is down. BTW the guy who cover Pool table for a living told me 60 days or so ago, we lost 100 Bars that had Pool tables in Maricopa County in the last year. Because of the 3 reason I listed.

Hell the Sunday Arizona Republics Help Wanted ads are about 1.5 Pages at best. They use to be an entire section of the Newspaper call Employment Ads, not just a page and a half.

I drive down the street, see business boarded up, and closed. Maybe you should get on the phone and talk to the people how the No Smoking & DUI Laws and Mandatory Interlock Devices, and Jail time have effect people drink patterns.

You can look at a Gas Gauge and see it on HALF, I see it as 1/2 MT, you may see it as 1/2 FULL. but the same amount of gas in in the tank no matter who read it.

Maybe you should move to Arizona and open a Pool Bar, and show us how to make a ton of money with all you knowledge of the industry.

Think of me as the Oncologist who is honest, and will tell your KEMO I am recommending will only keep you alive a little longer, the Kemo will make you sick as a Dog, but it is good for my bottom line.

But Mr. Patient if I was in your shoes I would make a bucket list, quit your job, work on your bucket list, as you will be dead in 180 days + or _ in my honest professional opinion.
 
They must be doing pretty good in Clarksville, TN there are 4 bars with (8) 7' diamonds in them and 3 of the 4 have at least 1 9 footer we only have one room without alcohol besides this.
 
Str8PoolPlayer said:
My good friend owns two very successful Bars in San Francisco, one on Potrero Hill and one in the Haight Ashbury. Both have (3) 4'x6' Coin Tables @ $1.50 per game. He told me recently that he makes around $500.00 per table per week (and he owns all the tables.) He also sells one-hella-vu-lotta-booze at both joints.

That said, I would say Coin-op Tables are doing GREAT in San Francisco.
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NO SMOKING in bars in San Francisco. Some people here just can't figure out how it's possible that your friend hasn't gone out of business with NO SMOKING. Maybe they should start wondering if your friend is doing well because there's NO SMOKING.
 
smoking is allowed in the ones here and most tables are 50 cents and one place has free pool on Wed nights with $2 longnecks
 
Bars in NEPA are doing well. Cheap money games can be found in a few pool halls. At most bars people will play for a beer, no money games, but free beer all night is good!
 
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