The Elbow Room
Ten years ago, Justin Carter, showed Howard Graham his business plan for a new pool bar concept called The Elbow Room. At that time, Howard asked a lot of probing questions and was appropriately sceptical about the chances of success.
The idea was a simple one - to provide a stylish, yet relaxed place to play pool – creating an environment far different from the dingy back room of a pub, where your only opportunity for pool enjoyment was to try and beat the local ‘meathead’ in a winner stays on format.
Justin had come up with the idea in the course of a lost weekend in LA, which involved a few frames with Kiefer Sutherland (a good potter but hopeless on the safety). However, having no experience of the bar business himself, he came back to London and swiftly made contact with manager Patrick Chessells, designer Paul Daly and music producer, Arthur Baker. Unfortunately none of them had any experience of running bars either, but they somehow managed to find a site in Westbourne Grove and the first Elbow Room opened in 1995. An idea that was good enough to win ‘Bar of the Year’ at the London Restaurant Awards in 1996.
West Londoners now had an innovative environment to enjoy pool, and there was clearly demand in other parts of the country – with Elbow Rooms opening up in two major cities; Leeds and Bristol, and more sites in other areas of London; Islington and Shoreditch.
The Elbow Room celebrated its 10th birthday in 2005. And over a decade later, if you want to play pool in the UK, there’s still nowhere quite like The Elbow Room. A unique hybrid of bar, club and pool hall - a formula generating a turnover in excess of £6 million!
The Elbow Room has a fine reputation, and has mopped up a plethora of restaurant, bar and club awards over the years – from Bar of the Year, London Restaurant Awards, Best Use of Technology, Best Bar, Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards, Best Late Licensed Venue and Best Branded Concept!
The secret of their success…
Whilst the business has a healthy turnover, the Elbow Room is still very much a small business. It is still owned by the original shareholders, with Justin Carter still at the helm, and the key staff that started out with the management team, have grown their roles, to meet the demands of a growing business – for example; the first manager of the Westbourne Grove site is now the Operations Director - so dedication and loyalty provides a core strength within the business.
New ideas…
It’s a startling statistic to think that over 2 million frames of pool have now been fought out on the Elbow Room’s tables – however, the team does not rest on their laurels, with passion and energy still clearly in full throttle. The team continues to pour fresh ideas into the business, introducing new DJs, new games and new mating rituals!
Ping pong has been introduced into the clubs – providing even more fun with green tables and balls.
And not forgetting a key activity within the ‘bar/club’ environment – meeting new people! There’s now the opportunity for ‘pool dating’ – speed dating with balls!
It appears that whatever, you are looking for –The Elbow Rooms offer you a whole range of solutions – be it a quiet night of pool with a mate, the opportunity to meet your intended, the chance to try out Ping Pong, a wild party for the masses, or simply a drink.
For more information about The Elbow Rooms visit www.theelbowroom.co.uk or call: 0207 833 4392.
Westbury provides a range of business development and consultancy services. To discuss any business ideas you may have, don’t hesitate to contact Howard Graham - simply call 0207 553 7120.
