Buisness Plan

[boingo]

Many room owners do not realize the value of a daytime golf game in their pool room. Once they get going the regulars will be there from morning til dinner time.

In the 50's/60's/70's many of the rooms in CA had 5 x 10 or 6 x 12 snooker tables with daily golf games. They are few and far between now. I have to drive two hours from Sacramento to the South Bay to play on a 6 x 12. The room owners who took the tables out cite the amount of space they took up but did not try to promote the game and get it going when the tables were there.

California Billiard Club in Mountain View, CA has three 6 x 12 Riley's. Two are set up for snooker with the bi-directional snooker cloth and the other table has Simonis for the golf players. There is a huge Oriental and East Indian population in the area (Silicon Valley) that likes to play snooker.

The main push now is for league play and even adding more bar tables and taking regulation tables out. While that makes sense to increase the evening business, I wish there was a room with an active golf game a little closer to me. I would be there almost every day.

As an oldtimer, in my mind a pool room is not a pool room without a snooker and billiard table in it.

In the South Bay during the late 90's Campbell Billiards had one 5x10 which the owner later replaced with a 6x12. The fellow who owned it at the time spent his mornings playing the golf courses in the area and the rest of the day at his pool hall. The 6x12 was there for his enjoyment, it made no business sense since it was unused much of the time. Sadly, He sold the room and it closed two or three years later.

In Los Angeles during the 80's it was not uncommon for a room to have a 5x10 but they were often unused, at least in the evenings. I remember one Mexican place in Inglewood called Los Dos Hermanos which had mostly three cushion tables. That was the place where I first saw "french pool" played.
There was a Vietnamese place in the central San Fernando valley which had some billiard tables and snooker tables.

As for running a pool hall as a business, may I ask whether you have run a business before? I don't mean a profitable hobby, I mean supporting your family and maybe a couple employees for more than a couple years? If you've been able to do it before you'll be able to do it again. If you're looking at going into retirement and making your first attempt at a small business be very careful, that is not the time to lose your savings.

Should you give it a shot I wish you the very best. Let us know your location, I'd like to play your room if I get a chance.

 

[vapros]

Boingo, what are you calling french pool? In south Louisiana it's rotation - 61.

 

[Don Smith]

Hey Doc,

Do you think it would be a good idea to have a food menu including sushi and tacos for the japs and wetbacks, so they could enjoy a Dixie New Year.

 

[Island Drive]

Words to the Wise

Words to the Wise

Does anyone out there have a buisness plan for opening a pool hall? I am retireing soon and have really thought about opening a place... simple, food, pool, bar...

B

Buy a prexisting business....DON'T start from scratch in this economy, you will find the answers you seek once open. It doesn't have to be a real pool room, but a similar structure that has the room and can be easily converted. And remember, you'll find out your weaknesses and strengths quickly, and most important have an exit plan if you DON'T succeed, both are Very important.

 

[boingo]

Boingo, what are you calling french pool? In south Louisiana it's rotation - 61.

The game was started with the balls located against the rails where the diamonds are. They were shooting in rotation, I'm not sure how they scored it
but it seemed to be based on ball number.

I admit that I would like to run a pool room in retirement but I might change my mind once reality set in My pool skills are modest but I have supported myself and others through a small business for some years so I can do the numbers and I don't see how the owners can afford to open the doors and turn on the lights where we are in California.

 

[wgcp]

boingo

boingo

When i retire, because i tithed 10 percent to myself, since chopping cotton as a child (9), I do not need the money to survive... I wanted to do it to keep me in the pool world, and that we don't really have a place that is interested in pool, yes leagues and all...I would just like it to break even and have a fun place for everyone... As far as experience, none really, but desire and dedication to on my part is not lacking... I guess 36 years in the Army might qualify me a little on the management part...

I am very interested in having a 10 foot or larger snooker table, I ain't worth a damn at golf, but do like 2 and 6 partner games with liability included on a snooker table, and a billiard table...along with as many one pocket tournaments as i can schedule..

Not for you Boingo, but as far as the comment about who all can play, i am from mississippi also... and have known Doc for a long time... He is the one of the finest gentleman the coast has... you shouldn't cast stones when it seems to me you have made more reference to racial slurs than him... personally opening a pool hall it doesn't make any difference to me as to who, what, or where you are from, as long as you are in the place to play and act accordingly... just saying... from a guy American by birth and Southern by the Grace of God...

B

P.S. I think this is my first time to flame about something but some of the comments made about people I know just burns my ***...

 

[tylerdurden]

If I was you, no matter how much it may go against what you want, do a jukebox and video games section, and a pool section. Hopefully with a sound barrier. Focus on the video games section as your actual money maker. Who knows, maybe beer too.

 

[fred bentivegna]

Bille, I have a 45 page, extremely profession Business plan that was to be used to open a 50 table pool room with food and liquor, about 10 years ago. Mayor Daley and the City of Chgo put a damper on it when they declared war on all public places of amusement.

The city was posturing to put a Casino in the city itself and wanted no other distractions. The windup was no Casino and no pool hall. Unbelievably you have a better chance of opening up a whorehouse in Chicago as you do a pool room.

Beard

I can send it to you in an email zip file once I figure out how to do that, and of course once I have your email address.

 

[NH Steve]

Here in New England many rooms have closed, but a few remain. One of the most successful rooms (maybe not just in New England) appears to be Snookers in Providence RI. But they are also a big sports bar, with a booming business in food and drinks and even some private party hosting, so they definitely do not rely just on pool. The pool tables are in two rooms, one being the main tournament room with I believe 10 tables. The tourney room is nicely separated from the general hub-bub of the bar & has an elevated tourney director's desk w/PA system. It also has a small secondary bar in the corner (not always open), with some rail seating at that end of the room. There is another multipurpose room with overflow tables.

Their website: http://www.snookersri.com/
They were a BD "best new room" winner about ten years ago.

They are a big ambitious room, but maybe some of the ideas can work scaled back, too...

 

[wgcp]

steve

steve

Great looking room but way too preppy for me... i am going to go to a smaller scale with some of the same but we don't have the population here to open a huge room like that...

B

P.S my personal email is bfmiller@cableone.net, thought you had this freddy...

 

[jalapus logan]

Bille, I have a 45 page, extremely profession Business plan that was to be used to open a 50 table pool room with food and liquor, about 10 years ago. Mayor Daley and the City of Chgo put a damper on it when they declared war on all public places of amusement.

The city was posturing to put a Casino in the city itself and wanted no other distractions. The windup was no Casino and no pool hall. Unbelievably you have a better chance of opening up a whorehouse in Chicago as you do a pool room.

Beard

I can send it to you in an email zip file once I figure out how to do that, and of course once I have your email address.

You can share this online via dropbox for free. It's pretty handy and can handle larger files that email can't handle. Just FYI.

I once inquired about opening up an "upscale billiards room" - didn't want to scare the landlord away. That didn't work. Within 1 minute, he told me that he "didn't want people pissing on his property". The place sat vacant for two years earning nothing. It's now a liquor store. Funny how that works.

Good luck to all who attempt this endeavor.

- JL

 

[usblues]

You can be...

You can be...

....sure the above posters who recommend adding alcohol to the mix never owned a place that did.Big headaches are not conducive to playing pool.If your looking for another place to play owning a hall is not necessarily the only way to go.Playing pool and running a business dont usually go together.Think a few steps ahead like playing chess or 1P.Good luck,James

 

[wgcp]

James

James

i think alot like you but it may be a necessary evil...

B

 

[usblues]

I totally...

I totally...

...understand your situation and hope you have a vision soon like Sitting Bull did back in 1876,cheers,James

 

[Jimmy B]

You can share this online via dropbox for free. It's pretty handy and can handle larger files that email can't handle. Just FYI.

I once inquired about opening up an "upscale billiards room" - didn't want to scare the landlord away. That didn't work. Within 1 minute, he told me that he "didn't want people pissing on his property". The place sat vacant for two years earning nothing. It's now a liquor store. Funny how that works.

Good luck to all who attempt this endeavor.

- JL

Me too. I kept calling a guy who owned a shopping center complex one time. I knew he use to play one pocket when he was young. To be honest, I only wanted to open because in that area of town, I knew it would be a great poker machine location. When I finally got him on the phone, he was nice but said no way. He only wanted some retail type business. It also sat vacant for a long time, so then he let some guy who turned out to be a crook, open up some kind of work out gym place. He sold a bunch of long term expensive memberships, and then promptly closed up and took off. I think he was a pool player also.

 

[Richard S]

Colonel Bille, I have often wondered about how to have a pool room for serious players. There would have to be a mechanism for excluding the ball-bangers and beer garden type customers. My speculations have included membership clubs, age limits, maybe even an interview process. I have seen some really well done rooms open, then get taken down by bad elements who abuse the equipment and exhibit bad behavior. We have all had conversations about how to separate the serious players from the ball bangers and screamers but I never remember coming up with a workable solution.

We need to get together again.

173rd richie

 

[lll]

bille
go to azb to the talk to a room owner forum
http://forums.azbilliards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=51
they should be able to give you good advice
just sayin

 

[Scrzbill]

Funny you should ask. I have been looking at a place in Port Angeles, Washington. The building is now a church. Perfect building for space, has a kitchen, extra space upstairs for bar tables, even a rental house on the property for a little added income. My wife is being forced to take retirement so i look at it as an opportunity. My greatest concern about owning a room is the nut for rent. If I own the building, my nut is a lot smaller. If I am working, less overhead. What does it look like on paper. What are the number of tables for beak even, profit. Damage, refelt, lights, plumbing. As far as alcohol, if you can get it, do it. You probably can pick up some tables in good condition pretty cheap. Make a deal with someone for games. Go to retirement homes andf set up a plan to have leagues during the day for us old geezers. Have classes for schools with discounts. Monthly memberships. I recommend a good financial advisor.

 

[Richard S]

Pool Room Business Plan / Observations

The rooms the people in my age group remember were full of colorful characters, gambling, drinking, cigarette smoke, and events that combined to great memories. We met and learned from old-timers who we’ll remember forever. Now we are the old-timers. From what I’ve seen, and I hate to admit it, there are not nearly as many young people getting interested in pool. I could be wrong about this because I don’t circulate as much as I used to.

Who is your market and where do they live?

I have been in Poplarville for over ten years and cannot think of one person who has a serious or passionate interest in pocket billiards. This includes Poplarville and the surrounding rural area that has a population of approximately 6 to 7 thousand people (3000 in the town limits). It follows that you would do well to estimate the number of potential customers you could expect to frequent your place.

Observations of Active Rooms

All of these are from the Metropolitan New Orleans area: Buffalo’s has the owner and one bartender on duty most of the time. Buffalo himself is really a friendly and engaging guy and seems to be working around the joint continuously. He has increased the size of the room and the number of tables which are mostly well maintained nine-foot Diamonds. He runs a couple of regularly scheduled tournaments that are well attended. During most days the place is practically deserted but it seems to attract mostly serious players when more people come in later in the afternoon and evening.

Poker Machines

I have had other room owners and bar/lounge owners tell me several years ago that if it were not for the poker machines, they would go out of business. One guy in particular told me that the poker machines paid all of his nut!

Weak Customers

I’d come in once in a while and try to spend a few dollars of my old age pension money; however, 70 year old hearse loads are not an especially viable customer demographic.

 

[Island Drive]

Funny you should ask. I have been looking at a place in Port Angeles, Washington. The building is now a church. Perfect building for space, has a kitchen, extra space upstairs for bar tables, even a rental house on the property for a little added income. My wife is being forced to take retirement so i look at it as an opportunity. My greatest concern about owning a room is the nut for rent. If I own the building, my nut is a lot smaller. If I am working, less overhead. What does it look like on paper. What are the number of tables for beak even, profit. Damage, refelt, lights, plumbing. As far as alcohol, if you can get it, do it. You probably can pick up some tables in good condition pretty cheap. Make a deal with someone for games. Go to retirement homes andf set up a plan to have leagues during the day for us old geezers. Have classes for schools with discounts. Monthly memberships. I recommend a good financial advisor.

Last time I was in Port Angeles (is it under water yet?) late seventies, I was sitting at the pool LATE at night with Mike Massey, he was playin' his guitar and singing for a bunch of pool players.
Another very effective way to advertise a new business is a Billboard on a major hwy Close to your location.