mcglbilliards
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This has given me a lot to think about. Thank you to everyone for your input and ideas. I will let you know what happens.
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Think it through
I am from a fairly large town in Texas about 100K population , back in 87 there were no less than 10 pool rooms in the town ranging from low end to high end and most were making money . Now 25 years later there are 3 and 2 are barely hanging on. the only thing keeping them afloat is thier alchahol sales.
Sad as it is the days of packed pool rooms on a friday night and a 2 hour wait list for a table are behind us, at least where I am from.
I would take the above advice of really researching the wants and interest of the residents of your area before I jumped off the deep end.
I am from a fairly large town in Texas about 100K population , back in 87 there were no less than 10 pool rooms in the town ranging from low end to high end and most were making money . Now 25 years later there are 3 and 2 are barely hanging on. the only thing keeping them afloat is thier alchahol sales.
Sad as it is the days of packed pool rooms on a friday night and a 2 hour wait list for a table are behind us, at least where I am from.
I would take the above advice of really researching the wants and interest of the residents of your area before I jumped off the deep end.
I know a couple of room owners and they make their money – or at least enough to survive - mostly on alcohol sales, so I would say that having a dry pool room would be a challenge. And having a karaoke night without alcohol would be weird. People need to get a little loose before they start belting out Jumpin Jack Flash.
And I would definitely research how much business the other pool room in Lawton you referred to gets.
Anyway, best of luck.
And I would definitely research how much business the other pool room in Lawton you referred to gets.
Anyway, best of luck.
I'm a customer of several rooms in the Southeastern PA region, from the early 90's to today. In this area, having a liquor license is VERY expensive, and only 1 of the rooms had one. The rest were either completely dry, or BYOB. These rooms were all PACKED with teens (I was one then). They brought in HUGE business, with long waits every night. Every single room was extremely successful, until about 10 years ago, when things really started deteriorating. All the rooms just started dying.
Didn't have anything to do with alcohol or no alcohol, or teen vs non teen, or smoking vs non-smoking. Don't know why, but they just all died.
Didn't have anything to do with alcohol or no alcohol, or teen vs non teen, or smoking vs non-smoking. Don't know why, but they just all died.
You can't rely on the family aspect of it. It's not something that they are going to commit to on week nights. Nice sentiment tho.
Myself, I don' drink much coffee, no pop so given the choice between a hall that serves food and alcohol, and a non alcohol hall, you know where I would be going.
To have half a chance at surviving these days, you have to have to be able to rely on alcohol, food, VLTs etc. You leave any of those out and you aren't giving yourself a fair shake at staying open very long.
You live in a military town. These guys have money as many teens do. When they get a night off, guess what they want to do.
I can fully appreciate your point of wanting to keep it clean, but you have to make up your mind if you want to stay in business or go broke fairly quickly.
It would be like trying to sell bicycle tires but not tubes. People will go where they can buy both at the same time. You have to accommodate everyone whether you like it or not. There are just some things that go hand in hand and when trying to keep a pool hall afloat these days, you have to consider all the money making aspects of it.
Great luck to you tho.
Myself, I don' drink much coffee, no pop so given the choice between a hall that serves food and alcohol, and a non alcohol hall, you know where I would be going.
To have half a chance at surviving these days, you have to have to be able to rely on alcohol, food, VLTs etc. You leave any of those out and you aren't giving yourself a fair shake at staying open very long.
You live in a military town. These guys have money as many teens do. When they get a night off, guess what they want to do.
I can fully appreciate your point of wanting to keep it clean, but you have to make up your mind if you want to stay in business or go broke fairly quickly.
It would be like trying to sell bicycle tires but not tubes. People will go where they can buy both at the same time. You have to accommodate everyone whether you like it or not. There are just some things that go hand in hand and when trying to keep a pool hall afloat these days, you have to consider all the money making aspects of it.
Great luck to you tho.
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Couldn't say it better...
Pool hall is your dream.
Alcohol is the one thing that will offset the losses on the pool room side to keep your dream alive...how you gonna pay the rent, utilities, etc. with a few tables lit up at $6 an hour...employees drawing 40/hr.
every 2 beers you serve nets you same as an hour of profit from a table.
Sit at a bar once and watch the beers fly.
A military town...equals a bunch of pool playing dudes with money looking to drink and play pool. Great setting for a profitable pool hall, one with alcohol that is.
Families don't really come out to play pool. Karaoke is a bust without alcohol...crickets. Even 50+% of pool players will avoid your pool hall on account of no alcohol.
In other words...no alcohol means death of pool hall IMO.
Of course, doing it as a private club would make it possible.