How to get the room owner to clean the tables...

I

Irish634

Whatever
Silver Member
Hi everyone,

I am sure this has been brought up before, but I figured I'd post for some fresh answers.

The pool room I play in is the only one in a 40 mile radius, so the owner has the "market cornered" so to speak in the area.

The problem is the tables are filthy... As an example after one game, yes one game, of 9 ball, my bridge hand will be blue and I constantly have to wipe down my cues.

I would like some opinions on how to get the owner to see the light and put in a regular cleaning schedule. Any thoughts and comments are welcome.

Thank you.
Craig
 
Invite him around back to have a discussion about table maintenance with you & your .45 and that should be about all you'd need....or....bring in your own DirtDevil and some of Hodge's spray foam and make a big scene about how filthy the tables are as you clean one before you play on it. Make sure to rent it first or some wiseguy will surely rent it right as you finish cleaning it.;) :D :D :D
 
Do others feel as you do? If so, encourage them to raise the same point with the owner. Until the owner sees this as somethng that's very important to their good customers, don't expect any action.
 
I myself do the cleaning of the table.I go to the counter and ask for a towel made wet with hot water,wring it. I then wipe the table of all the baby powder ( Looks like a snow storm) left by the lunatic player.I then return the towel to the counter and thank them for letting me clean the table.
 
They also need to clean the balls on a regular basis, this is improtant to keeping not only the tables clean. But cuts down big on the wear of the cloth. In my Tuesday night league last week, I actually took the balls up to the front to have them cleaned. I have noticed they are are very slack on cleaning them at that room and it is such a nice room, it is shame.

I recently played in a tournament in Janet Atwell's room in Bristol, Tennesse. Her tables and balls are meticulously maintained and after over a year of use the cloth looked like it had just been installed that week.
 
sjm said:
Do others feel as you do? If so, encourage them to raise the same point with the owner. Until the owner sees this as somethng that's very important to their good customers, don't expect any action.
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This seems like a very good approach.

I will add this: Having recovered many hundreds of table I know how saturated the cloth can become with chalk dust if they are not vacuumed.

Chalk dust contains very fine sand which works its way into and through the cloth - it is very abrasive and it follows that it would cause the cloth to wear out faster.
 
The place I used to shoot pool at, HAD nice tables. They refelted them RED, and then everyone used blue chalk. The tables ended a shade between cigarette smoke and purple. The only time I know thay were cleaned is when one team shot there for league, and one of the guys brought his own Dirt Devil vacuum. But other than that, we would complain and tell him, but he didn't really care. He is also a pool player (go figure).

From what I understand, word had gotten to him that people stopped going, becasue of his crappy tables. He has also refelted them to a new blue felt, but I still haven't been back.

brian
www.nittanyleather.com
 
clean tables

is the owner handcap ?? i own a room with 12tables, and i have a clean up guy that comes in 5 days week and cleans my whole room, and he does a good job, sugges to him of hiring a young man to help him clean the table every other day, and i bought a ball polisher a clean the balls a least twice week . this room owner is evedent not a player, as i my self dont like to play on dirts tables. STICK:D :D :D :D
 
Thanks for some good answers. Kevin, I'll need to borrow your .45, I don't think my shotgun will fit in my case. LOL. Yes I do believe most of the customers share the same feeling as I do, so thanks for the one that suggested rounding up the regulars. I like that idea.

Keep them coming if there are any other ideas.

Thank you,
Craig
 
Clean tables

I have been cleaning tables for many years. Very few room owners seem to care as much as I. I have very good cues and cases and do not need to get them in worse condition than necessary. And, nothing is worse than grimy hands and a sticky cue in just a few minutes.
 
vagabond said:
I myself do the cleaning of the table.I go to the counter and ask for a towel made wet with hot water,wring it. I then wipe the table of all the baby powder ( Looks like a snow storm) left by the lunatic player.I then return the towel to the counter and thank them for letting me clean the table.
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I agree that this is the best and most polite way to bring the matter to the attention of the owner/employee.
Even if after cleaning the tables yourself several times, the owner/employee doesn't catch on and start cleaning the tables himself, it only takes a couple of minutes to do. Over time as you build a better relationship with the owner/employee, you can joke about wanting a discount on table time for the time you've spent cleaning the tables before actually being able to play. Eventually they'll catch on. If they don't, their business won't attract players and the conditions will only continue to go downhill along with the establishment.
dave
 
vagabond said:
I myself do the cleaning of the table.I go to the counter and ask for a towel made wet with hot water,wring it. I then wipe the table of all the baby powder ( Looks like a snow storm) left by the lunatic player.I then return the towel to the counter and thank them for letting me clean the table.
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I do the same. I also have seen the room give someone free time to keep the tables clean.
 
i would ask for their brush and do it myself.also ask for a rag or paper towels clean the table and balls to my own satisfaction.. IF they don't have one and i was a regular i would buy a good brush about $20.00 or so and maybe get a can of Quick Clean which lasts a LONG time..it takes about 3 minutes of time to clean a table.then it won't bother you the whole time you are there...
 
The guy at my homeroom that cleans the tables is in a wheelchair and takes quite a bit of pride in how clean the tables are. He usually spends 2-3 hours every day vacuuming and wiping off all 20 tables. Each set of balls is also cleaned on a daily basis. I think it has a lot to do not only with the room owner but the employees taking some pride in where they work.
 
shag_fu said:
The guy at my homeroom that cleans the tables is in a wheelchair and takes quite a bit of pride in how clean the tables are. He usually spends 2-3 hours every day vacuuming and wiping off all 20 tables. Each set of balls is also cleaned on a daily basis. I think it has a lot to do not only with the room owner but the employees taking some pride in where they work.
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Actually you just brought up a great idea you don't hear much of,that is to employ a handicap person..table cleaning and running a floor vac would be great for people in a chair..i too have noticed over the years the great pride handicapped people take in doing their jobs ..they feel a sense of great pride in their job..
 
cuejoey said:
Actually you just brought up a great idea you don't hear much of,that is to employ a handicap person..table cleaning and running a floor vac would be great for people in a chair..i too have noticed over the years the great pride handicapped people take in doing their jobs ..they feel a sense of great pride in their job..
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I think this is a good idea. My grandfather has had polio since 15 and from personal experience it makes him feel better about himself in doing tasks on his own(even if to you and I they seem simple).
 
My rooms tables are done four times a week...I have a retired man with a heart condition that does them...It has prolonged cloth life by a couple of months....I give him a check once a month and free table time .....do the math and you will see what your savin in table repair..Terry
 
Irish634 said:
Hi everyone,

I am sure this has been brought up before, but I figured I'd post for some fresh answers.

The pool room I play in is the only one in a 40 mile radius, so the owner has the "market cornered" so to speak in the area.

The problem is the tables are filthy... As an example after one game, yes one game, of 9 ball, my bridge hand will be blue and I constantly have to wipe down my cues.

I would like some opinions on how to get the owner to see the light and put in a regular cleaning schedule. Any thoughts and comments are welcome.

Thank you.
Craig
Click to expand...

Take a dump between the side pockets, when the owner objects, just tell them that the table looked, smelled and felt just like the Restroom.:eek: :eek: :D

Seriously though, if this is the only place you have to play and it bothers you, and the owner will do nothing to correct the problem, I think that you only have two choices.

1) Do not go back, ever!!!!!!!!!!!

2) Buy a table brush, and at least brush the table before you play. Also ask the owner if they will allow you wipe the table down with a damp cloth.
I completely understand the problems you are facing, but you really have no other choices, if the owner will not comply with your requests.

Have a good day!!!
 
The answer defends

Irish634 said:
Hi everyone,

I am sure this has been brought up before, but I figured I'd post for some fresh answers.

The pool room I play in is the only one in a 40 mile radius, so the owner has the "market cornered" so to speak in the area.

The problem is the tables are filthy... As an example after one game, yes one game, of 9 ball, my bridge hand will be blue and I constantly have to wipe down my cues.

I would like some opinions on how to get the owner to see the light and put in a regular cleaning schedule. Any thoughts and comments are welcome.

Thank you.
Craig
Click to expand...

Is the place a bar catering to pool players or a bar that just happened to have pool tables?

If it's the later then good luck.
 
few choices.

You have a few choices.
Leave and never go back.
Clean them yourself.
Pay the owner to clean them.

Hate to say it but owners do get really burned out dealing with the day to day chores of running a room. I know if I have worked 65 hours that week and dealt with a unending string of complaints. I just shut down. :mad: I do get in those moods where I don't give a sh*t. Then I get into a better mood and clean for 4 days straight. It comes in waves. If his main customer base is people that DONT care about the cloth; its a bit harder to get them to clean it. If a table needs cleaning and I don't feel like doing it...I tell the player to clean it and give him free pool time. Problem solved. Good luck!
 
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