How Much Will It Cost Me To Open A Hookah Lounge

[ilikemyusername]

forget about guppies, what you need are surgeons, tangs and triggerfish!

[supersubby]

I hate when hookah bars blast club music.

each lounge has different tastes...i jus can't stand alcohol and hookah the two were never ment to be mixed.

[erufiku]

I hate when hookah bars blast club music.

each lounge has different tastes...i jus can't stand alcohol and hookah the two were never ment to be mixed.

To each his/her own. I used to be no-mix but right now a beer + hookah is the weekend special
Cigs in a hookah lounge, that I could not get over...

BTW what does the arabic on your hookah base (sig) say? I'm still learning how to read

[nathan_Choi]

I hate when hookah bars blast club music.

each lounge has different tastes...i jus can't stand alcohol and hookah the two were never ment to be mixed.

I disagree. I think a cold guiness can complement something you're smoking.




That being said, if there's already a ton of hookah bars open there, I wouldn't suggest doing it. Not many people are factoring in lease agreements, filing all the necessary paperwork, the cost of licenses... I'd venture for somewhere like LA you might need around 50k. I know a little Internet Cafe here in my town (50k people, mind you) and the guy that opened it up. I think he put around 60k total into it, but of course that includes the cost of the computers as well.

If anything, come down to where I live.... the nearest hookah lounge is 40 minutes away, by the time I get some capital and come back here after college, there will probably already be one. If not... I'm definitely gonna open one up. Assuming they don't start regulating on such places, which I suspect will be happening very soon now that the hookah and shisha is getting so popular.

[manic007]

I hate when hookah bars blast club music.

each lounge has different tastes...i jus can't stand alcohol and hookah the two were never ment to be mixed.

I tend to agree. From personal experience I've learn't:

alcohol+hookah=headache

(unless I have a pint of water in-hand, but then, morroccan mint tea is so much nicer)

[chromecarz00]

I hate when hookah bars blast club music.

each lounge has different tastes...i jus can't stand alcohol and hookah the two were never ment to be mixed.

To each his/her own. I used to be no-mix but right now a beer + hookah is the weekend special
Cigs in a hookah lounge, that I could not get over...

BTW what does the arabic on your hookah base (sig) say? I'm still learning how to read

if i read correctly, khalil mahmoon... =)
what ethneciity are ya?

[r1v3th3ad]

I've only experienced a few hookah bars.
Here at IUP they have a huge tv that generally plays a music station, half the time the music sucks. The other is just a big, bland place that does open mic night, otherwise, one station is on for music.
I thought it'd be cool to be able to watch something you like(but I also realize most people are locked in conversation and dont give a damn about tv). But mainly, I think music would be ideal. Make it so each one can only go so loud as to not disturb other customers around. I'd day to be able to play my own music choices while I smoke.
Everywhere I've been so far has been rather dull and dry, I thought this could lighten it up a little.

Also, I like a good beer or mixer with the hookah, its just when people are wasted when its a headache IMO

[pyro]

Hey guys, I live in Los Angeles and wanted to open a Hookah lounge on Ventura Blvd. The only thing is, there are soo many around here. We have The Spot, Ramzys, Blue Cafe and many more. What can I do to mine that these lounges dont already do. Also, how much do you think it will cost me to open one up. I can get the money, I just need to know how much to get. thanks for all your help!

I think there should be a hookah lounge where I live. That would be sweet.

[mushrat]

I guess I should chime in. You can do it cheap, you can do it fancy.

Cheap means a bunch of mismatched used couches, some coffee tables, a few tables and chairs, some art ont he walls, a speaker system run through a laptop. fancy...your imagination is the limit.

My place has some benches, not the most comfortable but i splurged on good cushions, 2 tables with chairs, some low tables for the bench seating, an espresso machine, a coke cooler for soda, 2 beer coolers and an totally off the wall beer selection, and over 40 flavours of shisha, oh ya and hot tea. It's a college town so beer sales are brisk, but most people don't get drunk at my place due to my selection. The fact that there are almost no places someone under 21 can go and hang out with friends over 21 and the over 21 year old can still get a beer helps tremendously.


Check the link in my sig if you want to see pictures. The music is piped through a lap top through speakers that were in place when I got the place. I play everything from metallica to led zep, to old 80's, to 70's to a little trance, oh and classic rock in between. Even have some johnny cash. People love the music mix and often comment on hearing old stuff they love and haven't heard in a while.

It's small, its cozy, it's chill, and I have to turn people away most thursday-sat nights becaus ei don't have enough space.

Total cost to open, around $60,000 including 25 grand to buy out the former tenant and to keep the equipment/furnishings.

Don't forget you have to be able to afford to pay your own bills for atleast a year withut taking any money OUT of the business. And don't expect to show an actual profit for a year or longer, if you survive that long. 9-10 new businesses don't make it.

My .02

[ForeverYoungENT]

good luck. the valley is over saturated as is.

if you have to come to a message board for a business plan, you may not be ready for this endeavor.

lol bro I didnt come here for a business plan. I havnt started my research yet. im using this forum as an allie to help me get a couple of ideas together..ill let you know when i open it, make sure you stop by so we can talk about how much people from this forum helped ;]

thanks alot for all your help guys

[r1v3th3ad]

so...

what are you thinking about doing for your place?
what is your ideal setup?

[supersubby]

I hate when hookah bars blast club music.

each lounge has different tastes...i jus can't stand alcohol and hookah the two were never ment to be mixed.

To each his/her own. I used to be no-mix but right now a beer + hookah is the weekend special
Cigs in a hookah lounge, that I could not get over...

BTW what does the arabic on your hookah base (sig) say? I'm still learning how to read

yea its khalil mamoon. im indian but i can speak arabic... im more of a traditional smoker so for me alcahol and hookah were never ment to be mixed so im kind of stuck on that..

but yeah cits in a hookah lounge piss me off or when morons light the cigs off of the coal..assholes...


as for furniture deff go to ikea and get the couches there with a few sofa covers. every few months rotate the covers to change the look up a bit so it dosn't get boring to the eye...

[Steemax]

an arm and a leg, god forbid you dont succeed though. you will definitley need a reef aquarium with a carbon filter in line with the air intake for the protein skimmer to keep the nicotine out of the water, and if you really want it to look badass youll need 14,000k mh's with several t5 ho actinics. i'd say a decent reef, (350 gallons or more) with lighting, stocked, ought to cost around $10,000

rofl i remember back when i had a 75G Reef tank, man was it a head che to keep up with, don't get me wrong, my tank was very succesful, but I didn't have enough time to give it the attention it needs. Such beautiful corals, and fish.

[Voski]

so are you still gonna open it on ventura?

[Virgil]

Live music FTW

[Sariél]

If you want to open it in SoCal, that doubles your highest expectations on real estate costs.
If you want to open it on Ventura Blvd, take that # and double it again...

[ForeverYoungENT]

here are my ideal locations. I already have a realtor looking into these places. Glendale, Burbank, Hollywood, North Hollywood, Granada Hills, Encino. Later on, Im gonna move toward Orange County. I dont know If i want to open it on ventura...Brand blvd maybe? I want the perfect location because thats a big factor.

Once a month i'm going to have a popular band/rapper/group perform. Also once a week I'm going to have LAKERS NIGHT where it would be like happy hour, cheap drinks + hookas. I know my place is gonna be full just because of the friend base me and and my partner have. I just want them to be comfortable. Also, is there such thing as non-tobacco hookah for my minors?

[JillyIsJustKidding]

Yeah I wouldn't recommend opening on Ventura at all...Way too much competition and I agree to what Neil said.

I've been to the spot too and It was at 2am...The place was PACKED like crazy.

You should open up somewhere where you can get a lot of business, but there aren't any hookah shops in the area. That way, you can can get more customers.

[ForeverYoungENT]

lol i know MOST of the people at the spot. like I said, I'm not worried about customers. I just wana do something different then the other places.

[Scoop]

lol i know MOST of the people at the spot. like I said, I'm not worried about customers. I just wana do something different then the other places.

hookah strip club. im down

[ForeverYoungENT]

lol!

[Venzor]

lol i know MOST of the people at the spot. like I said, I'm not worried about customers. I just wana do something different then the other places.

hookah strip club. im down

No joke, that's what we need more of. Maybe I can talk Neil into it when I move to Vegas

[mushrat]

Focus people..this person is asking for real help and advice. If all you can add is bs, best let those with something to contribute do the posting eh?

[ganesha]

I've been thinking that opening in a place with several other hookah bars/lounges and being successful is possible. It would take a lot more work though imo. You would have to ask the question, what can I do at my establishment that is different then the others and will bring people there?? At the other places close by, are they always busy??? Are people constantly waiting for a place to sit or are these places empty? If the demand is greater than the supply then I think you could be successful. At these other places how is the service? Are the prices fair? Make a business model and figure out what you would have to do to stay above water money wise. (Example, figure out all your expenses. Try different price points for services and figure out how many customers you would have to have each week to stay even.) There'e a lot of of factor's to consider. I believe Mushrat said in an earlier post that you shouldn't expect to turn a profit for about a year or more. All this depends on your initial investment of course. I guess what it comes down to is doing your homework before you jump into the the project.

[nitrousconsumed]

lol i know MOST of the people at the spot. like I said, I'm not worried about customers. I just wana do something different then the other places.

hookah strip club. im down

its been done. at least in vegas.
see: baby dolls
by far cheapest sessions in town: 10/bowl.