We are going non smoking.

cueandcushion

cueandcushion

Cue & Cushion_STL_MO
Silver Member
Saint Louis County passed a bill to make all businesses except casinos and bars go non smoking by Jan 2011. So at least we have time to prepare for the change. While scary , I do believe our long term survival depends on it. A smokey environment is the number one reason people tell me they have to leave. Allergies, asthma, having kids with them. Most of the public wants a clean place to enjoy themselves. Of Course, hard core smokers who play pool will disagree. Unfortunately, there are not enough hard core smoking pool players to pay the electric bill. Wish us luck. Either way. We have a lot of preparation ahead of us.
 
I have a pro shop inside one of our many pool rooms in Corpus Christi. The city passed a no smoking law that also included all bars. Since the ban, business in the pool hall has dropped almost 40%. Most places, bars and pool halls are building patios for their smoking customers wherever possible. Because we are in a strip center, with no place to build a patio, as soon as the lease runs out, the owners will likely close up the place. Some places that have outdoor bars and facilities have shown an increase in business, but for those that cant expand or build a patio, it may be doom.
 
cueandcushion said:
Saint Louis County passed a bill to make all businesses except casinos and bars go non smoking by Jan 2011. So at least we have time to prepare for the change. While scary , I do believe our long term survival depends on it. A smokey environment is the number one reason people tell me they have to leave. Allergies, asthma, having kids with them. Most of the public wants a clean place to enjoy themselves. Of Course, hard core smokers who play pool will disagree. Unfortunately, there are not enough hard core smoking pool players to pay the electric bill. Wish us luck. Either way. We have a lot of preparation ahead of us.
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Good Luck Craig, my business still hasn`t rebounded from the no smoking law in Pa.

It hurt big time here,

highrun55
 
Good Luck

I sincerely hope you are the one to beat it and be more successful than you are now.

Wags
 
yea many businesses have problems when non-smoking laws take effect.

Personally I cant stand smoke, and I smoked for 14 years
 
Matt_Markley said:
We lost 50% within 3 weeks of going no smoking.
Good luck
Matt
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Just curious. WHY do you think that happened? Less than 25% of Americans smoke. So 100% of ALL smokers wont come into your place now? or 70% of your clientle was smoking and HALF of them wouldnt come back? Just seems like a huge number. Most smokers will go to movies or take airplane rides with no smoking allowed. Why not play pool? Have you stayed in contact with this crowd that didnt come in? Any real specifics of your experience would be of help. City? Law parameters? Former customer demographics? What did you do in advance of the smoking ban? How many months did you prepare and what incentives did you offer to offset the ban? I'd like feedback for future reference. Thanks.
 
Most of my pool players smoke. The rest of the demographics in the country don't matter. Only people that spend money on pool.
Some customers I lost completely to Bars where smoking is still allowed.
Most of my customers just don't come in as often as before and they do not stay as long. (this just affected us ... so it is not the economy)
Then the non-smokers don't have playing partners and they leave also... Right to the place where smoking is allowed even though they don't smoke, because everyone is there.
I hope this winter I will get New non-smoking customers.
We have been around for 20 years and we will figure it out.
Pool rooms don't have a lobby in Harrisburg like the tavern owners,FOP, fire houses, private country clubs etc. All of which can still have smoking in PA.
I hope it works better for you than it did for us.
Thanks
Matt
 
Matt_Markley said:
Most of my pool players smoke. The rest of the demographics in the country don't matter. Only people that spend money on pool.
Some customers I lost completely to Bars where smoking is still allowed.
Most of my customers just don't come in as often as before and they do not stay as long. (this just affected us ... so it is not the economy)
Then the non-smokers don't have playing partners and they leave also... Right to the place where smoking is allowed even though they don't smoke, because everyone is there.
I hope this winter I will get New non-smoking customers.
We have been around for 20 years and we will figure it out.
Pool rooms don't have a lobby in Harrisburg like the tavern owners,FOP, fire houses, private country clubs etc. All of which can still have smoking in PA.
I hope it works better for you than it did for us.
Thanks
Matt
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Good Luck With It Matt, The customers I still have just go outside.

Mickey
 
To Matt Markley:

Be glad at least it is a statewide ban. With our upcoming law change it is only one county. A lot easier for people to switch pool halls. Bars have 5 years to switch over. or have seperate sections if they sell enough food. SOmething like that. Thank you for the info and I know trial and error changes will get you through these hard times. Best of luck.
 
cueandcushion said:
Just curious. WHY do you think that happened? Less than 25% of Americans smoke. So 100% of ALL smokers wont come into your place now? or 70% of your clientle was smoking and HALF of them wouldnt come back? Just seems like a huge number. Most smokers will go to movies or take airplane rides with no smoking allowed. Why not play pool? Have you stayed in contact with this crowd that didnt come in? Any real specifics of your experience would be of help. City? Law parameters? Former customer demographics? What did you do in advance of the smoking ban? How many months did you prepare and what incentives did you offer to offset the ban? I'd like feedback for future reference. Thanks.
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Heres the deal, and it sucks. Bangers assoicate pool with 3 things: Eagles(song Hotel california), number 2 is drinking, and last but notif you not least Smokeing. Its image "Thing) Let your hair down ecxperience. If you take away one of things, you wont have the customers you did from the past. Being PC and pool pool dont mix, not forus players but bangers-they want that "other side of the tracks experienc from time to time-you knoe slumming it at the pool room.


IMO, Pool is one its on its way to a bye gone era in Amerca, Its shame, I dont go to the same p00l rooms amd I see the the same faces I dd 20 yesrs aago, same guyd (me included) .


between the internet, video gsms MMA,and how longe it take to plsy a little pool, pool dosent have a chsnce-unledd er get a good movire...if they could $$ on poool flick it eould been done sisce 86.shitter in pool is in the shitted as of now/

tjae somleing ban is the kiss if death for pool drinking, smokeing amd play all got together for the banger and other as well, take one spoke out of a 3 spoke wheel and you have big proboem.

i wish everyone the best
 
highrun55 said:
Good Luck Craig, my business still hasn`t rebounded from the no smoking law in Pa.

It hurt big time here,

highrun55
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I'm very sorry to hear that, I lost a biz once due to a Law/Rule change and it stings. Funny thing is it really wasnt made into law because of my biz, I just happened to fall under it, we appealed. No luck with that. I'm not really buying this "Land of the free" BS any longer.

Pool rooms are a tough grind as it is, take away smoking is like taking away gas at a car race, it just dosent work. There should be exemptions for the smoking law-Bars, pool rooms, bowling centers etc. Those places should promote smoking.
 
cueandcushion said:
Just curious. WHY do you think that happened? Less than 25% of Americans smoke. So 100% of ALL smokers wont come into your place now? or 70% of your clientle was smoking and HALF of them wouldnt come back? Just seems like a huge number. Most smokers will go to movies or take airplane rides with no smoking allowed. Why not play pool? Have you stayed in contact with this crowd that didnt come in? Any real specifics of your experience would be of help. City? Law parameters? Former customer demographics? What did you do in advance of the smoking ban? How many months did you prepare and what incentives did you offer to offset the ban? I'd like feedback for future reference. Thanks.
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Before the smoking ban hit my pool room I used to take a survey every night at the same time. Sixty percent of the customers smoked, an 90% of the tables had a smoker. I lost 40% of my business after the smoking ban. Someone took the town to court and the ban was rescinded for 6 weeks. I got back all of my business. When the ban was made permanent, it was down 40% again. Yes, you still have the hard core players that smoke that will go outside, but you lose the casual customer that is just out to relax.

I wish you luck. I know from your posts that you understand your business and your customers, but this will have a devastating effect on your revenue.

Bob
 
Fatboy said:
I'm very sorry to hear that, I lost a biz once due to a Law/Rule change and it stings. Funny thing is it really wasnt made into law because of my biz, I just happened to fall under it, we appealed. No luck with that. I'm not really buying this "Land of the free" BS any longer.

Pool rooms are a tough grind as it is, take away smoking is like taking away gas at a car race, it just dosent work. There should be exemptions for the smoking law-Bars, pool rooms, bowling centers etc. Those places should promote smoking.
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I totally agree. In the land of "a right to choose" why can't you choose to enter a place of business that allows the use of a legal and highly taxed product? In the end, it had the affect of "protecting" those people that didn't go into my business to begin with.

Bob
 
Our business is primarily a retail store. 90% of our income is retail. So the alcohol angle or the food angle or the private club angle does NOT apply to us and never can. So if we lost 50% off our smokers it would translate into a 2.5% loss of overall income. Assuming 50% of our customers smoke which I think is a high number. It will just shift our priorities if the pool hall is being a drain on the other part of the business.
 
cueandcushion said:
Our business is primarily a retail store. 90% of our income is retail. So the alcohol angle or the food angle or the private club angle does NOT apply to us and never can. So if we lost 50% off our smokers it would translate into a 2.5% loss of overall income. Assuming 50% of our customers smoke which I think is a high number. It will just shift our priorities if the pool hall is being a drain on the other part of the business.
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Also factor in that you will gain many, non smoking, customers like myself.

Just last evening a friend and myself went to a smoking room rather than play at his home, I lasted exactly one hour before I had to leave. And I'm not alone, I know many players that cannot remain in a smoke filled room for longer than 15 minutes.

Granted, the room did not go out of business because I left, but there are many new customers to pick up by being a non-smoking room. The smokers can still go outside. IMO.

Jim
 
smoking shortens the longivity of your lifeyhood why not give it up and live alot longer. over 50% of all heart problems are related to smoking and second hand smoke. go outside if you must smoke.make designated smoking areas
 
Michigan No Smoking State

Well Michigan has passed a no smoking ban including pool halls and excepting casinos (MGM/Greektown/Motorcity)and all the Indian Res. Casinos.So now we will see how many pool rooms are left in this cash strapped town. This state has so many no it all's! Lets see what happens when I suggest taking away one of there freedoms!!!
 
The smoking law law hit us in 2006. It was a steady decline for about a year but seems to have leveled off at 45-50%. We opened in 1993 and in the good times we had 3 full-time and 2 part-time on the payroll. Now we have 1 full-time, 1 part-time. We have had to make many adjustments to our budget and none of them are good, unlike our government I cannot spend more than I take in.

Mark Smith
Beezers Billiards
Mark Smith Custom Cues
Russellville, Ar 72802
479-970-0056
 
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