Pool Hall Survival - A New Concept?

mapman72

mapman72

New member
So I was reading Jay Helfert's thread about pool being as big as ever and he makes some valid points. It started me thinking about the pool room owner and how they could make a better living. I had an idea and wanted to hear what people think of it and if anyone in the country is doing this. So here goes it:

Rather than charge table time, how about charging a monthly fee for unlimited play. Now I'm not talking about a $5 fee which I have seen some pool halls charge to be considered a "club". I'm talking about a different business model. So take out the time machines and charge people $25-$50 a month (depending on the length of the contract) for unlimited play, much like a fitness center would. People could get a certain amount of time to "try out" the hall before deciding to join. From a player's standpoint, I would like this because it's a pain to find the $10-$20 I need to play pool each day I want to practice. I know I spend at least $50 a month on table time, so why not have it set at $50 a month, directly withdrawn from my checking account, and I can play as much as I want. From the owner's standpoint, it's guaranteed money every month, regardless of players' desire or interest.

I know there are some issues with this, like the recreational player who just wants to come in on a friday night here and there, but I think some creative things could be done to overcome that (e.g., "weekend plan").

Curious to hear people's thoughts on this and feel free to do what you do best and flame me :D I just came up with this after noticing my $50 gym fee was withdrawn from my bank account this month and since I just had knee surgery, I probably won't be going at all.
 
I see good and bad. One problem I see is that a serious player is going to spend quite a bit each month. I don't think you can charge a guy $125 per month, even though he spends it, so you really are losing money.

As a former gym owner, I can tell you that their model is based on the customer paying each month and not showing up. This is not going to work with a pool player, because he wants to be there. This is why gyms will offer you a wonderful rate, but lock you up for a year. They know that a very large percentage will show up the first month or so, then won't be seen again. So in reality that month cost them $300.


























Oh and by the way....................get your butt to the gym!
 
There is a business model being employed here in central Ontario that is doing very, very well for pool halls. It's a new breed of billiard establishments and bar that caters to casual players. Sure, you don't see many tournaments at these rooms, but that's because they're owned by people who don't give a damn about billiards.

These room owners are business men who have seen a way to exploit the game for profit. One can argue that this is a poor direction for pool, however I strongly disagree. These halls are making really good money, and are introducing the game to a whole new generation of players.

While us stubborn players resist change, these new room owners are making a fortune. The one pool room in my home did so well in it's first 3 years that it single handedly put 3 other rooms out of business. And this was before the economic crisis. Even today, when money is tight, they're still packing the place. It's a 26 table room in small town, and every single one is full on a friday and saturday night with patrons who are also spending a ton of money on booze. 5 years ago there was one of these, now the franchise is up to 5 locations.

If someone who loved the game were to start a pool hall like this and then slightly modify it to also benefit the serious player, I could easily see the game making a come back here in North America.
 
It is a good idea and some pool halls already have a 'monthly' membership fee.

At Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento the Monthly fee is $85. This is for unlimited play with just a few conditions; unless there is a 'waiting list' for paying customers and if you want to continue to play, you just 'go on time'.
Also, if you are a member and want to gamble, you must go on time.

The is a $20 fine for the member is someone joins them and does not go on time. NO Free rides. HOBO'ing is not permitted.


There are also pool rooms (back east that I know of) that offer special afternoon rates. From noon until 6pm it is as little as $5 per person. Some rooms charge up to $10 per person for the 6 hours. Still a pretty good deal.

Lunch specials are also some good deals. Eat and play pool free for an hour. This normally leads to another hour of PAID time.

For the rooms that keep losing customers from 10 - 11 pm... offer the 2 hour special at a reduced rate for the 'Service industry' employees. Those people that work until 10 or 11 and want to come to a pool hall for a couple of hours. Food, beer & pool package prices. ½ off pool time for these workers that have employee badges. These ppl would be restaurant servers, cooks and hostesses, Movie theater employees, mall store workers and the like.

All you really want to do is increase the traffic in the pool room so that the owner keeps making money and STAYS open.
 
i think it is a good idea but.....

here is a sensable tweak. friday and saturday are the best times for the general pubic to play. we all know that.
so sunday thru thursday do the unlimited membership free pool.
then on friday and saturday members pay half of regular tabletime.
this encourages them to use it more during sunday thru thursday.
and all the time general public can pay table time in full, but sunday thru thursday members are allowed to have the tables first and formost.

sort of a compromising plan. watcha think ?
 
nathandumoulin said:
There is a business model being employed here in central Ontario that is doing very, very well for pool halls. It's a new breed of billiard establishments and bar that caters to casual players. Sure, you don't see many tournaments at these rooms, but that's because they're owned by people who don't give a damn about billiards.

These room owners are business men who have seen a way to exploit the game for profit. One can argue that this is a poor direction for pool, however I strongly disagree. These halls are making really good money, and are introducing the game to a whole new generation of players.

Whils stubborn players resist change, these new room owners are making a fortune.e u The one pool room in my home did so well in it's first 3 years that it single handedly put 3 other rooms out of business. And this was before the economic crisis. Even today, when money is tight, they're still packing the place. It's a 26 table room in small town, and every single one is full on a friday and saturday night with patrons who are also spending a ton of money on booze. 5 years ago there was one of these, now the franchise is up to 5 locations.

If someone who loved the game were to start a pool hall like this and then slightly modify it to also benefit the serious player, I could easily see the game making a come back here in North America.
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate more on how they are doing it?
 
oldzilla said:
i think it is a good idea but.....

here is a sensable tweak. friday and saturday are the best times for the general pubic to play. we all know that.
so sunday thru thursday do the unlimited membership free pool.
then on friday and saturday members pay half of regular tabletime.
this encourages them to use it more during sunday thru thursday.
and all the time general public can pay table time in full, but sunday thru thursday members are allowed to have the tables first and formost.

sort of a compromising plan. watcha think ?
Click to expand...

Not bad at all.
 
mapman72 said:
So I was reading Jay Helfert's thread about pool being as big as ever and he makes some valid points. It started me thinking about the pool room owner and how they could make a better living. I had an idea and wanted to hear what people think of it and if anyone in the country is doing this. So here goes it:

Rather than charge table time, how about charging a monthly fee for unlimited play. Now I'm not talking about a $5 fee which I have seen some pool halls charge to be considered a "club". I'm talking about a different business model. So take out the time machines and charge people $25-$50 a month (depending on the length of the contract) for unlimited play, much like a fitness center would. People could get a certain amount of time to "try out" the hall before deciding to join. From a player's standpoint, I would like this because it's a pain to find the $10-$20 I need to play pool each day I want to practice. I know I spend at least $50 a month on table time, so why not have it set at $50 a month, directly withdrawn from my checking account, and I can play as much as I want. From the owner's standpoint, it's guaranteed money every month, regardless of players' desire or interest.

I know there are some issues with this, like the recreational player who just wants to come in on a friday night here and there, but I think some creative things could be done to overcome that (e.g., "weekend plan").

Curious to hear people's thoughts on this and feel free to do what you do best and flame me :D I just came up with this after noticing my $50 gym fee was withdrawn from my bank account this month and since I just had knee surgery, I probably won't be going at all.
Click to expand...



This concept has been around for many many years. Pete Fusco in NE Philly had this monthly and weekly fee for a long time..at least 10 years that I know of. This is a special he runs for those who want it. Others prefer to pay by the hour. Its NOT a new idea. Best of rolls to ya
 
mapman72 said:
So I was reading Jay Helfert's thread about pool being as big as ever and he makes some valid points. It started me thinking about the pool room owner and how they could make a better living. I had an idea and wanted to hear what people think of it and if anyone in the country is doing this. So here goes it:

Rather than charge table time, how about charging a monthly fee for unlimited play. Now I'm not talking about a $5 fee which I have seen some pool halls charge to be considered a "club". I'm talking about a different business model. So take out the time machines and charge people $25-$50 a month (depending on the length of the contract) for unlimited play, much like a fitness center would. People could get a certain amount of time to "try out" the hall before deciding to join. From a player's standpoint, I would like this because it's a pain to find the $10-$20 I need to play pool each day I want to practice. I know I spend at least $50 a month on table time, so why not have it set at $50 a month, directly withdrawn from my checking account, and I can play as much as I want. From the owner's standpoint, it's guaranteed money every month, regardless of players' desire or interest.

I know there are some issues with this, like the recreational player who just wants to come in on a friday night here and there, but I think some creative things could be done to overcome that (e.g., "weekend plan").

Curious to hear people's thoughts on this and feel free to do what you do best and flame me :D I just came up with this after noticing my $50 gym fee was withdrawn from my bank account this month and since I just had knee surgery, I probably won't be going at all.
Click to expand...



This concept has been around for many many years. Pete Fusco in NE Philly had this monthly and weekly fee for a long time..at least 10 years that I know of. This is a special he runs for those who want it. Its in the $45/week or $150/mo range. Others prefer to pay by the hour. Its NOT a new idea. Best of rolls to ya
 
When I owned my pool room I had $100 a year- membership fee. Then you paid 1/2 price (no Friday or Sat night). I pushed it and pushed it and had like 5 members which eventually became 1.

Pool players are the most frugal (I'm being kind) people I have ever met. The same customers that would go down to Foxwoods three nights a week and gamble away $2-3 or 500 dollars a night, would be the same guy that would get a coffee at 11pm instead of a water because he paid for the "bottomless cup" at noon time. (I charged a $1 and a customer could drink all the coffee they wanted).

Flat fee will never work. I tried a business plan for a Members Only room and the numbers fall far short of what you need.
 
Jointed Cue Billiards in Sacramento also has a monthly membership fee, with a similar rule to Hard Times in that you must stop playing OR start paying time if there is a 'waiting list' for paying customers.

This makes the membership an absolutely terrific deal for the afternoon retiree crowd- many of whom are on a fixed income and can really appreciate and use the membership deal. Especially considering these guys worked their whole lives and are often old military servicemen, I think they deserve a little club deal for their daily afternoons, and it's great for the poolrooms who give them a place to spend the little money they have got during normally dead hours. However, by evenings and especially on weekends, the membership is fairly useless as waiting lists start up- this sucks hardcore if you work M-F, 9-5...

Hard Times is alone with all of the other rules. Like the "member who wants to gamble" rule. I've long argued that since gambling on pool is technically illegal here, so is the rule, but that's a very nitpicky thing, I totally admit. The real reason I hate this rule is that it causes arguments among players right off the bat.

I would try to gamble with a member, who would argue that he didn't have to pay ANY time, but then the room is sticking me either for two player time OR I'm keeping quiet about gambling and paying single player time while my member opponent is paying nothing on time. (So now I'm gambling more than my opponent is, and I'd better win our first set just to have some table time paid.) OR I alert the member to the "you must pay if you're gambling" rule, and he'll say he'd just rather not gamble, then, as he believes that at $85/mo, he's already paid enough in table time. It's ridiculous, and eventually there were just too many arguments to allow members and nonmembers to gamble with each other.
 
mapman72 said:
So I was reading Jay Helfert's thread about pool being as big as ever and he makes some valid points. It started me thinking about the pool room owner and how they could make a better living. I had an idea and wanted to hear what people think of it and if anyone in the country is doing this. So here goes it:

Rather than charge table time, how about charging a monthly fee for unlimited play. Now I'm not talking about a $5 fee which I have seen some pool halls charge to be considered a "club". I'm talking about a different business model. So take out the time machines and charge people $25-$50 a month (depending on the length of the contract) for unlimited play, much like a fitness center would. People could get a certain amount of time to "try out" the hall before deciding to join. From a player's standpoint, I would like this because it's a pain to find the $10-$20 I need to play pool each day I want to practice. I know I spend at least $50 a month on table time, so why not have it set at $50 a month, directly withdrawn from my checking account, and I can play as much as I want. From the owner's standpoint, it's guaranteed money every month, regardless of players' desire or interest.

I know there are some issues with this, like the recreational player who just wants to come in on a friday night here and there, but I think some creative things could be done to overcome that (e.g., "weekend plan").

Curious to hear people's thoughts on this and feel free to do what you do best and flame me :D I just came up with this after noticing my $50 gym fee was withdrawn from my bank account this month and since I just had knee surgery, I probably won't be going at all.
Click to expand...

The brutal truth is that even most poolrooms that have made good
money in the past, have made most of it from "casual' players.
IMHO - tho your idea has its merits, it is geared mostly towards
'serious' players who play on a regular basis. Unless you are
located in a very large population center, there just aren't enough
of these guys to sustain a poolroom. Sadly, to me at least, most
of them now play league pool, in bars, on coin-ops.

Dale<longing for the good ol' days>
 
Is the wooden rack still open?

nathandumoulin said:
There is a business model being employed here in central Ontario that is doing very, very well for pool halls. It's a new breed of billiard establishments and bar that caters to casual players. Sure, you don't see many tournaments at these rooms, but that's because they're owned by people who don't give a damn about billiards.

These room owners are business men who have seen a way to exploit the game for profit. One can argue that this is a poor direction for pool, however I strongly disagree. These halls are making really good money, and are introducing the game to a whole new generation of players.

While us stubborn players resist change, these new room owners are making a fortune. The one pool room in my home did so well in it's first 3 years that it single handedly put 3 other rooms out of business. And this was before the economic crisis. Even today, when money is tight, they're still packing the place. It's a 26 table room in small town, and every single one is full on a friday and saturday night with patrons who are also spending a ton of money on booze. 5 years ago there was one of these, now the franchise is up to 5 locations.

If someone who loved the game were to start a pool hall like this and then slightly modify it to also benefit the serious player, I could easily see the game making a come back here in North America.
Click to expand...

It has been a few years since I lived in Brampton but is the Wooden Rack still open?
 
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