ambuletzd2h Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Today I was at my local tobacco shop and it's a pretty big shop. Anyways they have a really big basement and theyre looking into turning it into a lounge and he asked me if I would manage it and set it all up! He is looking for a new distributor and asked if I would help him with everything (all he sells is HH) so yeah I wanna get tangiers, af, etc. I'm just wondering with this new project I'm about to take on if I can get some help about how everything is ran and all those goodies!ThanksNick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victim026 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Well you've got lots to figure out now, what kind of hookahs your going to use, baccy your going to use, accessories you need, pricing structure, how many customers you plan on seeing over the first few months to buy supplies according, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momatik Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 (edited) http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=11575That should help you plenty.Good luck Edited January 9, 2009 by momatik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zyram Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I have a local shop that has me running their "hookah nights" Last one I ran for them was on Halloween, next one coming up on the 29th of this month. I plan to be much better prepared this time, I need to take the hookah's early and figure out how each smokes the best. I like it though, they give me lots of freebies and tons of discounts on whatever I buy there. Good luck with this! Keep us up to date I am actually hoping the same thing happens for me with this shop.-Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freezerburn456 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I help manage/work as specialist at one of the largest hookah bars in Dallas. There are a few key issues that you have to keep in mind if you are going to be managing a lounge:1) Tobacco license: If it is a tobacco shop they should have that taken care of.2) Suppliers: If you are looking for a good one stop shop for hookahs and tobacco i can recomend a few for you. I'm not familiar with getting large quantities of tangiers, but I could point you to a place that sells starbuzz, layalina, al waha, and al faker for very reasonable prices. I could also get you in contact with a company to supply hookahs. They sell high quality stems, bases, hoses, and pretty much everything else in the hookah hardware department.3) Cost: Are you going to charge a flat fee to let people in? Or, not charge an entry and charge more for the hookah. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. My lounge doesnt charge an entry, but charge $20 for a starbuzz hookah and $10 for house tobacco (AF, layaline...etc). That makes it easier, and creates less headaches. We dont have to mark who has payed and dont have to deal with people giving themselves marks or bands from other people. The next option is to charge a flat admission at the door. One lounge that I know of that does this gives everone under 21 an X and 21+ a wristband (like at most clubs). Then at the end of the night they take $5 off the cost of the hookah. Not per person, but in total. The menu price is $20 so you end up getting charged $15. That way is nice because it guarantees that everyone gets carded. After you break the 100 customers a night mark it gets very difficult to verify who is of age due to the sheer volume of people coming in and out. We rely on people working the door to do that most nights.4) Prep area: Where will you store you hookahs, clean them, and prepare them? We have an area blocked off from traffic thats about 18'x15' for the prep of hookahs. We store the tobacco that we use (full set of starbuzz, and about 40 house flavors), about 115 hookahs (all used about 3 times through a weekend night), 150 houses, 200 heads (we premake the most popular flavors), and backup stems and bases. I dont know how busy you plan on being, but that is barely enough for a night with 500 customers. Also remember that you will need easy access to the tobacco. We keep ours in drawers that are pretty airtight. 5) Staff: Unless you plan on waiting on and making hookahs for everyone yourself (which is damn near impossible for me past 7 or 8 tables) you will need to hire waitresses. One thing that has worked out well for us is the specialist system. There is one specialist per night and he makes all the hookahs and is in charge of them. I would recomend that being someone that is very knowledgible about hookah, and knows how to mix flavors well. We have the waitresses take the order, bring it to the specialist, he makes the hookah, the waitress takes it to the customer, and then is in charge of the coals for the night. 6) Drink: You have to decide whether you will be a BYOB or no alcohol establishment. I have never managed a BYOB place so I dont know what the paperwork for it is. If you are going to be having a largely under 21 customer base then I would strongly recomend the dry route. This is also where the wristbands at the door come into play.I hope this helped clear things up a bit. Management is lots of fun, but it is also a headache dealing with idiots. Shoot me a message if you have any questions and I would be glad to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no longer welcome Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 two things i would do, cut way back on the HH and don;t go too strong on the Tangiers, after all it's not for everybody. For a lounge Iwould choose AF and make your own "exotic" mixes, and not pay SB prices. AF is great for a lounge, and inexpensive. Tangiers will make most people pass out, although I would keep some on the menu for people who know what tangiers is and you could introduce it to those who are interested in taking the next step in hookah smoking. Seriously think about expanding beyond just HH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSl0th Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 as for the wrist band idea, adding the date/time of entry to the band can help alot. especially if they give a band to a minor and they say look i have one. just check, check, and check id's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinite Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 QUOTE (HookahJohn @ Jan 9 2009, 12:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>two things i would do, cut way back on the HH and don;t go too strong on the Tangiers, after all it's not for everybody. For a lounge Iwould choose AF and make your own "exotic" mixes, and not pay SB prices. AF is great for a lounge, and inexpensive. Tangiers will make most people pass out, although I would keep some on the menu for people who know what tangiers is and you could introduce it to those who are interested in taking the next step in hookah smoking. Seriously think about expanding beyond just HH.Good advice here. Some people just don't like HH, but most people can find a few AF flavors to enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldog_916 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Nakhla would be my suggestion for a tobacco you carry. It's great on the budget and huge on the flavor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoop Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 make sure teh basement is well ventilated otherwise youll be having lots of problem with CO burnoff from charcoal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inino Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 bulk style coals, lit outside and brought in from time to time to load everyone up. they are most cost efficient and least chemicals.reasonable prices per bowl2-3 people per hookahI cant stress this last one enough: CLEAN HOOKAHS AND WELL PACKED BOWLSother than that good luck and have some fun, play some cool music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambuletzd2h Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 thanks everyone for all the advice!I agree with hookah john also, I hate hh so im trying to get better stuff ...atleast if this does go down to serve. as for the tobacco im def going with AF, Nahkla, and I'm thinking lucid Tangiers.I know hes planning on putting in a ventialation system in ...sorry for the spellingI also dont think its gonna be PACKED every weekend considering I'm in kinda a smaller town, its nice because its not like its just gonna be a hookah bar and it not being packed wont really hurt them money wise, they just want one to make some extra cash and to get everyone in the town to come as a chill place (because there isnt shit to do here really)and last I have a few people in mind who would work part time as far as running everything with me, and I know they know what there doing because we smoke in my basement almost every night!...freezerburn if you come back to this thread PM me about the distributor stuff if you get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternalSoil Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 as far as getting tangiers, just get a hold of Eric. Strait from the source! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambuletzd2h Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 im hoping he will see this and maybe i can talk to him about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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