Pool Room - What Gets You in the Door?
- Thread starter 9balllvr
- Start date
i play in san diego and ive only been to a couple of pool halls here. the one i keep going back to is the one with the best equipment. so i guess good tables would be first on the list,treating regulars good, music thats not too loud, and something thats sometimes overlooked but enough space. i went to a pool hall in japan that was great. it only had like 6 tables 1 with tight pockets but they had plenty of space and they had great equipment. they also had a cue club. youd pay like 100 ish dollars a month and you could play as much as you wanted for certan hours. it was cool because everyone that came there was a regular and for the most part everyone was on a first name basis. they also had a cool glass case and a lot of the players in the cue club could leave their cue ther for display. the people in japan are a lot more honest though im not sure something like that would work here. man i miss that place
9balllvr said:
Oh, is THAT why you asked? Then here's a recipe for a successful pool hall. The key is to do what virtually no one else is doing.
1. Forego the liquor license. Now you can stay open around the clock, if you wish, and double your table time rates after bar-closing time. You'll also gain a near-monopoly on the under-21 players, who are booted from most booze-serving halls early each evening if they're allowed in at all. They have lots of money, pull in lots of new friends, and take very good care of any place that allows them to hang out until curfew (or a little later).
2. Table mix: half coin-op bar boxes, half timed 9-footers. Also, keep two triple-shimmed Gold Crowns in perfect condition near the front desk. Those are your serious action tables. The top guns will congregate there, putting on an attractive show for all who walk in.
3. Half-price 9-footer time from opening until 6:00 p.m., every day. Coin-ops always cost the same.
4. BCA, APA, VNEA, and in-house leagues and tournaments as many days and nights as you can fill. You want a mix of afternoon and evening events to attract players with various work schedules and biorhythms.
5. Pool clinics by a BCA certified instructor, at least an introduction to pool once a week. People play and pay more when they play better. Add intermediate and advanced clinics as demand grows.
6. No jukebox. Satellite radio, and you control the volume as well as the music mix. "Turn it up? Sorry, I can't hear you."
7. Dining area separate from pool area, even if you only serve microwavable food.
8. Vending machines full of sodas, iced teas, V-8, and other soft drinks. You don't want to waste labor costs pouring or carrying this stuff.
9. Outdoor patio, permanent roof and roll-down plastic windows. Heatable in winter. If your town doesn't ban indoor smoking yet, it will.
10. Three-tier maintenance. Your two top-gun tables are checked daily and always kept in top condition. Half of your other tables get re-covered and leveled about every six months; assign those to your good regular customers. The other half is for the intoxicated and/or clueless ball-bangers, who you will learn to spot as they come in the door. You can let those tables slide longer than the others, although they shouldn't become embarassing.
11. Added after cuechick's comment about smoking... I almost forgot: buy the biggest rooftop exhaust fan that you can afford, and mount it on a vibration-deadening platform to keep things quiet. The kind that Food Network uses on its Iron Chef America set to keep all the smoke and steam out of the camera's view. (I think it even sucks up spilled grains of salt. )
Run it even if people aren't smoking, to clear chalk dust and other crap out of the air. Fresh air helps people stay alert and spending money.
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An owner should select his/her customers. Throw the bad ones out. Cater to the good ones. And know which is which. Do they come in, spend money and attrach others or do they:
Bring their own food in?
Deal in drugs?
Start fights?
Trash the place?
Do they respect you and your business?
Some customers can put you out of business.
Bring their own food in?
Deal in drugs?
Start fights?
Trash the place?
Do they respect you and your business?
Some customers can put you out of business.
Non smoking or at the very least a non smoking section. There are 3 very good rooms I play at but every chance I get I will drive the extra 20 minutes to the farthest one cause it is non-smoking.
I know a lot of players that won't even play at the other two anymore and some of them are smokers, even they prefer the cleaner atmosphere!
I know a lot of players that won't even play at the other two anymore and some of them are smokers, even they prefer the cleaner atmosphere!
9balllvr said:
The basic ingredients of my recipe are in Jason's Billiards II here in Denver. My main embellishments include the dining area, satellite radio, patio, and doubling rates after bar-closing time. You may want to visit Jason's to see how it works and get some ideas.
FYI, Shakespeare's is resurrecting itself at 2620 Walnut St.. I'd say it will open in about 2 weeks, judging by the state of construction the last time I drove by.
Here's a consideration for the aspiring pool hall owner: is it worthwhile to have billiard (no pockets) and snooker tables? The ones I see in pool halls are covered almost all of the time. There are a couple of billiard-only rooms in Denver, mostly patronized by SE Asians, it seems. They don't seem to be busy.
Secaucus Fats
Banned
Here's what I want:
1.) Free off street parking. (Around here parking spaces are extremely hard to find.)
2.) Clean well maintained tables with good high quality worsted cloth (Simonis 860, Gorina Granito Basalt, or Championship Tour Edition), high quality clean and polished Centennial or Aramith Super Pro balls, strong well made racks, plastic bridgeheads on the bridge please, (brass or metal bridge heads tend to damage cue shafts). Sufficient seating and comfortable spectator chairs.
3.) An inviting atmosphere and good decor. The decor doesn't have to be fancy but it should be appealing. Excellent overall cleanliness i.e. carpet should be vacuumed daily, counters should be clean, bathroom should be spotless ( I absolutely hate dirty restroom facilities), and everything should be neat and orderly. I should feel safe and secure while playing--that means no troublemakers, gang bangers, violent or obnoxious drunks or any other type of anti-social element.
4.) Good food and snacks. I don't need haute cuisine, just decent burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot wings, and the like.
5.) No super loud music blasting all day long. I don't mind music at all I just don't want it so loud that my ears bleed.
6.) Friendly and welcoming staff.
7.) A fairly well equipped pro shop.
1.) Free off street parking. (Around here parking spaces are extremely hard to find.)
2.) Clean well maintained tables with good high quality worsted cloth (Simonis 860, Gorina Granito Basalt, or Championship Tour Edition), high quality clean and polished Centennial or Aramith Super Pro balls, strong well made racks, plastic bridgeheads on the bridge please, (brass or metal bridge heads tend to damage cue shafts). Sufficient seating and comfortable spectator chairs.
3.) An inviting atmosphere and good decor. The decor doesn't have to be fancy but it should be appealing. Excellent overall cleanliness i.e. carpet should be vacuumed daily, counters should be clean, bathroom should be spotless ( I absolutely hate dirty restroom facilities), and everything should be neat and orderly. I should feel safe and secure while playing--that means no troublemakers, gang bangers, violent or obnoxious drunks or any other type of anti-social element.
4.) Good food and snacks. I don't need haute cuisine, just decent burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot wings, and the like.
5.) No super loud music blasting all day long. I don't mind music at all I just don't want it so loud that my ears bleed.
6.) Friendly and welcoming staff.
7.) A fairly well equipped pro shop.
1pocketfanatic
Registered
over the last 4 years i have been to many rooms around the south and it seems the ones that attract the more serious crowd and not your social crowd are the ones with good weekly tournaments and good tables. i think most players are going to play at ones room if it has excellent tables regardless of price as long as it is not to out of line. also like mentioned earlier by someone having something other than pool really promotes the room. i was at memphis last weekend and they were having poker tournaments every night of the week and doing well it seemed like. just my 2 cents.
Dhakala said:
thanks, but I left colorado over a year ago for the east coast - I am sad to hear that Shakespeares is moving because the building is what I thought gave it some of its charm. since I still have family and friends there, who knows, maybe I will take a trip and check out the two....
What makes me choose one room from another?
1st is how they clean they keep thier equipment IE tables/balls.
2nd is a combination of stuff like how friendly is the crowd, quality of service, and being able to find action.
all of the pool halls in my area you can find action, but the big difference is the quality of the equipment and how clean it is.
1st is how they clean they keep thier equipment IE tables/balls.
2nd is a combination of stuff like how friendly is the crowd, quality of service, and being able to find action.
all of the pool halls in my area you can find action, but the big difference is the quality of the equipment and how clean it is.
what gets me in the door, where I choose to play.
Within walking distance or where the bus goes.
Cheap, good prices.
Lots of players.
I don't like dirty places and I won't go to a 'no smoking' place.
Thats it.
If I like the people that work there, the managers and if theyll play me.
If theyre too good, at some places I think about going there but go where its on my level.
Theres different moods for pool.
I don't want to play determined players when I'm on a fun mode.
And I like to play serious players when I'm like that too.
So I change where I go or who I go with then.
If they have a cold beer quick I rate that as a plus .
Within walking distance or where the bus goes.
Cheap, good prices.
Lots of players.
I don't like dirty places and I won't go to a 'no smoking' place.
Thats it.
If I like the people that work there, the managers and if theyll play me.
If theyre too good, at some places I think about going there but go where its on my level.
Theres different moods for pool.
I don't want to play determined players when I'm on a fun mode.
And I like to play serious players when I'm like that too.
So I change where I go or who I go with then.
If they have a cold beer quick I rate that as a plus .
Perhaps ...
a good related question, in the Room Owners section, would be "Why don't room owners correct their deficiencies after knowing what the average Pool player wants?".
I mean, the room owners are there to make money, right? If they pretty well have a consenus of what their Pool players want (notice I didn't say patrons, but Pool players, after all, the main purpose of a Pool room is for playing Pool), THEN WHY THE HECK DO THEY NOT DO SOMETHING TO CORRECT THE THINGS ABOUT THEIR PLACE THAT HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THEIR CUSTOMERS. I mean, I sure would, and I would do it in a timely manner.
After all, correcting those problem areas would be an investment in your business.
a good related question, in the Room Owners section, would be "Why don't room owners correct their deficiencies after knowing what the average Pool player wants?".
I mean, the room owners are there to make money, right? If they pretty well have a consenus of what their Pool players want (notice I didn't say patrons, but Pool players, after all, the main purpose of a Pool room is for playing Pool), THEN WHY THE HECK DO THEY NOT DO SOMETHING TO CORRECT THE THINGS ABOUT THEIR PLACE THAT HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THEIR CUSTOMERS. I mean, I sure would, and I would do it in a timely manner.
After all, correcting those problem areas would be an investment in your business.
Snapshot9 said:
it is funny that you should ask the questions you have as I have wondered the very same thing - I would assume it is the old theory of don't fix it unless it is broken - for instance, if a table is usable, why resurface it if you don't "have to".....it is an expense when (in some people's eyes) is not essential. to me, I guess Field of Dreams has always had me thinking, build it and they will come.....in this instance, maintain it and they will.
