Bar Billiards Ltd Tables

[Chris_Sav]

I know they are sending out letters to low income pubs again in the last few weeks

So far over Christmas my league has lost one veniue and another has had one of the 'Pay up or we will take it away' letters.

Anyone else heard this?

Sav

[Colemanator]

I thought that all venues now payed a figure every month and that BB did not go round emptying coin boxes?

Yes, I think that's the preferred 'new' arrangement by B-B Ltd, Colemanator, and I think I've heard a figure of sixty pounds mentioned somewhere.
I don't think there's that many venues left that can make much of a profit against that - our club (South Park - a relatively recent venue) certainly don't.
Most of the B-B Ltd hirings are probably still subject to the 'old' arrangement.

[Q]

sav said:

I know they are sending out letters to low income pubs again in the last few weeks

So far over Christmas my league has lost one veniue and another has had one of the 'Pay up or we will take it away' letters.

Anyone else heard this?

Sav

Surely this is the ideal opportunity for Sav's Tables PLC to install tables into local venues ;)

And let the common proletariat loose on Sav's cherished and championship-standard maintained tables ? ;D Perish the thought. ;)

[Chris_Sav]

Re Bar Billiards Ltd

Several of our low income tables were protected last year because they were part of a deal with pub chains where the pubs also had pool tables etc. These tables are now being targetted.

Re table hire, I'm not going any further down that road, rather the opposite.

Sav.

[Colemanator]

A table is 12 quid a week + vat, so you have to have 15 games per week to break even, but take into consideration that if a table takes six quid on a match night and nothing else all week but the 10 players have spent £50 that evening then it may be just worth it, if there is only one team then it's once a fortnight, that's not worth it, a few stragglers may have a game in the week etc etc. pubs have to provide things for customers to get them through the door and BB is just one of those things. IMO, the best thing to do is to buy a table have it put in a pub and let the landlord have the cash from the box, that's what i wanted to do at the Courthouse, and may still do yet.

[Chris_Sav]

tommo said:

And let the common proletariat loose on Sav's cherished and championship-standard maintained tables ? ;D Perish the thought. ;)

The one pub table I was talked into putting one of my tables in takes a fortune as everyone in the league that still plays socially go there as the table is far better than any other in a pub.

However you still get calls because someone has banged a £1 with a burr on it through the slot in the top and then wonders why the mech has jammed. I actually saw one person whacking a coin with an ashtray last year!!

Now my Post Office is finishing on Monday I want freedom of choice with my life and having to rush down a pub is not on the menu any more.

Sav.

[Chris_Sav]

chimp said:

A table is 12 quid a week + vat, so you have to have 15 games per week to break even, but take into consideration that if a table takes six quid on a match night and nothing else all week but the 10 players have spent £50 that evening then it may be just worth it, if there is only one team then it's once a fortnight, that's not worth it, a few stragglers may have a game in the week etc etc. pubs have to provide things for customers to get them through the door and BB is just one of those things. IMO, the best thing to do is to buy a table have it put in a pub and let the landlord have the cash from the box, that's what i wanted to do at the Courthouse, and may still do yet.

Excellent summary Ian,

The problem is that most landlords cannot see that for every pound a player puts in the table on match night, something like £20 goes over the bar, more if the players use the pub socially.

The Fitz in our league refused to pay, lost their table, lost their team and a large portion of their weekend trade as well.

The only future we have is for teams to buy tables and there be more people around like Steve Mariner and myself who know how to maintain them.

Sav.

sav said:

The only future we have is for teams to buy tables and there be more people around like Steve Mariner and myself who know how to maintain them.
Sav.

Yes, teams rather than venues to buy tables as appropriate. Venues that are flavour of the month can later become disenchanted with having a table (new people taking over etc) and next thing you know the table has been sold privately.
But three or four people clubbing together to invest in a table could work. And if they're cute about it the table could pay for itself within a couple of years.

Unless you adopt the philanthropic approach of Ros or the Colemanator and are prepared to instal your table in a pub on a permanent loan basis without any view to profit-making.

[Ros]

New venues are charged £14 per week by Tarrats, not sure if that includes vat or not. Teams that move *might* be able to take their table with them and retain the old arrangement of a split on the take, we managed to do this when we moved to the Victory (Our last league venue)

tommo said:

sav said:

The only future we have is for teams to buy tables and there be more people around like Steve Mariner and myself who know how to maintain them.
Sav.

Yes, teams rather than venues to buy tables as appropriate. Venues that are flavour of the month can later become disenchanted with having a table (new people taking over etc) and next thing you know the table has been sold privately.
But three or four people clubbing together to invest in a table could work. And if they're cute about it the table could pay for itself within a couple of years.

Unless you adopt the philanthropic approach of Ros or the Colemanator and are prepared to instal your table in a pub on a permanent loan basis without any view to profit-making.

We could not have managed without the help of many people, including Steve Mariner (who re-clothed the table and gave loads of helpful advice) Sav, who was very helpful on several phone calls, Richard Wooten and Marcus Chipman. (Also Roy Wells who helped us move at short notice when our team mate with the van was on holiday)

Whilst it is my table, it was bought for the team - and the whole team has helped to make this happen and to maintain the table. :)

The chance of having the table came up by accident. I wasn't being philanthropic, I just thought our team (including me) deserved a chance of playing and practising on a decent table for a change. That has been vindicated by our better results so far this year.

It should not be forgotten that Richard and Marcus run a number of tables in Sussex, including one in Mid-Sussex: the CKRBL. All these tables are on a percentage of the take basis.

[Colemanator]

sav said:

I want freedom of choice with my life and having to rush down a pub is not on the menu any more.

Sav.

Are you sure :-/