Opening a billiard hall is a business venture full of opportunities. However, without understanding the ins and outs in advance, various “pitfalls” can make your journey extremely arduous. As a source manufacturer of billiard tables with years of experience in billiard table production and industry observation, I’ll sort out the essential “pitfalls” to avoid when opening a billiard hall from aspects like location selection, equipment procurement, and operation, helping you take fewer detours.
1. Location Selection: Don’t Be Misled by Superficial “Bustle”
Many people choose a location by only focusing on busy business districts or streets with high foot traffic. But foot traffic doesn’t equal the number of people who will actually consume at a billiard hall. If the surrounding area is full of fast – paced office workers who are too busy to play billiards, even if the location is prominent, it’ll be hard to attract customers. Also, don’t ignore “hidden costs”. For example, the old urban area may seem to have low rent, but the surrounding residents have weak consumption power and there are few parking spaces. Players won’t want to come back if they can’t find a place to park. Although a new development zone has good planning, the occupancy rate is low and supporting facilities are incomplete, so it’s very difficult to build up business in the early stage.
It is recommended to give priority to “gathering places with a billiard atmosphere”, such as streets with concentrated old billiard halls (to leverage the existing customer sources) and areas around universities/factories (where there are many young consumers). At the same time, check the number of parking spaces and traffic convenience in the surrounding area. Don’t let players be “stumped” before they even enter the door.
2. Billiard Table Procurement: Don’t Be Greedy for Cheap and Step on “Hardware Landmines”
Billiard tables are the core of a billiard hall, and “low – price traps” are most common during procurement. Some manufacturers use low – quality slates (with poor flatness, making the balls roll crookedly), cheap table cloth (pilling and shedding after just a few uses, affecting the shooting feel), and fragile cushions (with uneven rebound, making scoring rely on “luck”). It may seem like you’re saving money, but in reality, the player experience will be poor and the reputation of the billiard hall will collapse directly.
When procuring, you should recognize “three points”: First, choose a qualified brand manufacturer. For example, SPKI has focused on this for 23 years and has strict standards from slate grinding to table cloth fitting. Second, inspect the goods on – site. Use a level to measure the flatness of the slate, use the cue ball to test the rebound of the cushions, and feel the smoothness of the table cloth. The Spike billiard table manufacturer has its own exhibition hall and supports on – site inspections. Third, don’t be superstitious about the “import gimmick”. Domestic high – quality billiard tables (such as Chinese – style billiard tables) have high cost – effectiveness and can fully meet the needs of public billiard halls. There’s no need to spend money on expensive “foreign products”.
3. Operation: Don’t Let “Extensive Management” Drag Down the Business
Thinking that you can just wait for money to roll in once the billiard hall is opened? That’s a big mistake! The “pitfalls” in operation are more hidden one by one.
Pricing Chaos
Either blindly follow the pricing of surrounding billiard halls. When others raise prices, you do too, and players will feel it’s “not worth it”. Or you offer low – price promotions to attract customers, only to find that the costs can’t be covered. And when you want to raise prices later, you’ll offend old customers. It is recommended to set layered prices according to time periods (peak/non – peak) and table types (ordinary/high – end). Flexibly adjust using “member recharge discounts” and “package group buying” to make players feel “it’s worth the money”.
Lack of Service
If no one cleans the billiard hall, the table cloth is full of soot, and the cue sticks are placed randomly, the player experience will plummet. It should be noted that high – quality service is “invisible customer acquisition”. Regularly cleaning the billiard tables, having tools for replacing cue tip skins ready, and arranging special personnel to teach new players basic rules can greatly enhance the reputation.
Single – dimensional Marketing
Only relying on posting posters at the door and advertising on Moments can’t reach new customers at all. You can carry out “cross – border cooperation” with surrounding bars and board game stores and launch “billiard + drinks” packages. Hold “member monthly competitions” and “newbie challenge competitions” to gather popularity with events. You can also post “wonderful shooting moments” and “daily life of the billiard hall” on short – video platforms for low – cost customer acquisition.
4. Compliance and Cost: Don’t Ignore “Invisible Risks”
Business licenses, fire protection approvals, health permits… If these certificates are not completed, the business may be “halted” at any time. Especially for fire protection, a billiard hall is a place with a concentration of people. The evacuation channels must be unblocked and fire protection facilities must be complete. Don’t wait until after opening to be ordered to rectify, which will cause heavy losses.
There are also “pitfalls” in cost control. Thinking that buying a few more billiard tables can make more money, but ignoring “per – square – meter efficiency”. Reasonably plan the layout of the billiard hall, set aside rest areas and viewing areas, and make the space “lively” to increase the overall revenue. At the same time, don’t waste water and electricity costs. Use energy – saving LED lights and turn off unnecessary lighting at regular intervals, which can save a lot of money in the long run.
Every step of opening a billiard hall hides “pitfalls”. But as long as you do your homework in advance – choose the right location, buy good equipment, operate meticulously, and save money in compliance – you can avoid these “minefields”. Remember, a billiard hall doesn’t just compete on hardware, but also on “dedicated operation”. Put the player experience first, and the business will be prosperous for a long time! If you need billiard tables for opening a billiard hall, you can contact us. SPKI Billiard Table Source Factory is committed to providing you with the highest – quality products and services.