vendetta_revived Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Okay, so it started a few weeks ago when I asked one of my buddies who lived in a different city then about when he is moving to my city (since he had been planning to), because it had been quite sometime that I had smoked hookah with him, he was originally one in our group that introduced us to hookah. What he told me is that he is coming soon and plans to open a hookah lounge here, I took that as a joke but asked him about acquiring permits and stuff, and the capital involved and everything, it turned out that he was quite serious. We talked about it after that back and forth and he then moved to Delhi (where I live). Since then, we have acquired the license for a restaurant that covers 'all that is served within the premises', except liquor of course since we won't be serving it, at least now is such the plan, and we rented a place near a university campus that belonged to someone else running a hookah lounge but had to move to another country. Well it's not furnished at all, and has no equipment. We have bought freezers/refrigerators for the food we will be serving, and the kitchen has large electric coil burners for the coal, vending machines for the soft-drinks, and we are looking to partner up with someone who would be running the restaurant bit, since here, there are no licenses for a hookah lounge in itself, but for restaurants that can serve hookahs, and we don't know anything about running a restaurant. The premise is kind of sectioned into two parts, like an 'L', so it's easier for us to have a separate smoking zone which is required by law, and the restaurant bit can serve food in the smoking zone. We have talked with a wholesaler for our supplies and are getting good prices for Mya Qts which we will have at our lounge, and the tobacco, we will only be serving AF in the lounge as that is the only quality baccy available locally, so I guess we have the supplies figured too. Also, we will be stocking hookahs for people wanting to buy them and make some money that way. Where we are stuck is the furniture, we were hoping that we'd be able to buy from the guy that left that place, but by the time we got there, everything had been sold barring the place itself. Now in my understanding, we should have couches lined up in 'U' shapes so they serve as booths, and some inexpensive tables that look good and not cheap? Should we also invest in bean bags? idk....I have a bean bag at my place for smoking, and I quite like it, but it'd be difficult to utilize the space if we have them there I think? We are also talking about acquiring a liquor license but are still very much undecided, it kind of comes off as risky business to me somehow, may be I am being paranoid eh?'' And considering that we will have only mya qt's at the lounge, should we go for a tradition middle eastern kind of look? or just minimalistic decor that is easy on the eyes? The lounge that me and my friends like going to has a very middle eastern look, but comes off as very stereotypical, as their staff wears red middle eastern clothes, hats and curly toed slippers. :-s but it still has a very soothing ambience. Now we can go that way, or do something different, still undecided on what kind of different though. Also, as of now, this is only a 2 man operation, and considering that the smoking zone has a seating capacity of 50-70 people, how much more of a staff are we looking to hire? I know there are a lot of things to do still and it will take a couple of months to get everything in line, but we have made a start I suppose. I am not even entirely sure why I am posting this topic, I am just looking for some feedback from you guys if we are going in the right direction or not. Please advise from your own experiences if I am forgetting anything important. And oh, I forgot to mention that the place is very properly ventilated, and centrally airconditioned, and we are gonna get air filters. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Mush is your man. Wait for him to chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Oh I certainly hope he does. It was his thread that I read and it helped a great deal! the main reason we decided on mya qts and having them to sell as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorlyfish Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I don't know anything about the logistics, but as far as decor/furniture, I think the middle eastern look is sort of overdone (it is the first theme that comes to mind for anyone I think) but I'm not opposed to it. [url="http://www.providencenara.com/home.html#top"]This is probably the most attractive lounge I've been to[/url], and they have a very warm, modern decor with middle eastern touches/influence... middle eastern style tables in the pic below, for example, and details like beaded curtains. It's a little fancier than most other lounges I've been to - it attracts more of the 21-40ish age range than most of the lounges I've been to that are more like 18-25ish (i.e. college aged kids), and serves mostly alcohol and hookahs but they also have some snacks/light meals. They have basically a long couch running along the longest wall of the place, with ottomans splitting up areas and creating additional seating. There are also some of those taller tables meant for two with tall chairs, they have some seating outside (just metal patio furniture), and when it gets really crowded, people are allowed to smoke at the bar as well. Their website has a 3D tour thing you might want to check out. [img]http://www.providencenara.com/imgs/foodpic.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.providencenara.com/imgs/scene/goodcrowd.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoozle Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) Skip the beanbags. I like the couch down the length of the wall, although I prefer a little more separation between me and the stranger next to me. Booths are cumbersome and inconvenient at a hookah lounge, although I prefer them for restaurants. One of the places I go to has couches that seat 3 people on the wall and comfy chairs arranged around a low table (coffee table) in front of each couch. Edited June 8, 2011 by Skoozle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coyote Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I love beanbags but they probably aren't the best for a restaurant/lounge because its on the floor getting dirty... plus a mouse might think its a great nest. Here are some things I like the most in lounges: -big fat cushy couches -place to stick my pocketbook (like a coffeetable with a shelf) so that I don't have to put it on the floor or in the seat next to me -pillows -footstools -milk stools (these are actually what you sit on in Irish pubs but they are small enough that when its busy you can just pull on up of the table without taking up much room) -Rugs -Tapestrys -Pictures -Board games -Soft lighting I like everything comfortable. I want to be able to relax and read or even doze off alittle if I have been teaching a lot. Don't forget to give people tongs and keep and eye on their coals... thats my pet peeve at lounges; sitting there with no way to manage your heat, then having to wait forever to get another coal. It would be nice to have free water at the table too. What kind of food are you going to have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 @Jordan, is it? : Wow! That looks fancy! I gotta ask, are all the lounges you've been to, that snazzy looking? Because I love how it looks, that wall decor is quite unique and classy I must say. I will have to take this very picture to an interior decorator and see how much that runs me, but the points on couches and ottomans have been noted, I just love how that lounge looks it's just wow!! And I am loving the tables too. Thanks for the tips. I tried the 3d tour on their website but it's not working for me for some reason.......is the entire seating area against one wall? or they have those tall chairs spread in rest of the area? Thanks. [quote name='Skoozle' timestamp='1307553585' post='512079'] Skip the beanbags. I like the couch down the length of the wall, although I prefer a little more separation between me and the stranger next to me. Booths are cumbersome and inconvenient at a hookah lounge, although I prefer them for restaurants. One of the places I go to has couches that seat 3 people on the wall and comfy chairs arranged around a low table (coffee table) in front of each couch. [/quote] Yeah man, I myself was leaning towards couches as I mentioned, I considered beanbags because I myself enjoy smoking on my beanbag more than I do on my couch. I get a bitch-fit if any of my buddies ever sit in it while we are smoking and I get up to do something. So I was thinking on those terms, but as you and others have rightly pointed out, it's not a good idea for a lounge space. Thanks a lot. [quote name='Coyote' timestamp='1307634259' post='512187'] I love beanbags but they probably aren't the best for a restaurant/lounge because its on the floor getting dirty... plus a mouse might think its a great nest. Here are some things I like the most in lounges: -big fat cushy couches -place to stick my pocketbook (like a coffeetable with a shelf) so that I don't have to put it on the floor or in the seat next to me -pillows -footstools -milk stools (these are actually what you sit on in Irish pubs but they are small enough that when its busy you can just pull on up of the table without taking up much room) -Rugs -Tapestrys -Pictures -Board games -Soft lighting I like everything comfortable. I want to be able to relax and read or even doze off alittle if I have been teaching a lot. Don't forget to give people tongs and keep and eye on their coals... thats my pet peeve at lounges; sitting there with no way to manage your heat, then having to wait forever to get another coal. It would be nice to have free water at the table too. What kind of food are you going to have? [/quote] Okay, Fat cushy couches - check. Pillows and cushions - check. milkstools - check. Board games - check. Soft lighting - check. Now the rest of the things. The tables we recently decided on were low oval shaped ones and they all had a shelf for your books and magazines and stuff, but I am absolutely loving the tables in the pictures above and gonna go hunting for same, or at least something similar, don't know if they will have shelves? I will have to see if they do (if I happen to find anything similar here), and decide on looks/functionality. I like footstools, but wouldn't they create clutter? plus in case we do serve alcohol, there's always a chance of someone tipsy getting their foot stuck in one and falling. What do you think? Rugs we are already gonna have, since people will spill drinks, drop food and there may be ash falling down here and there, and we don't want to ruin the flooring with all that. We are also gonna have tapestries, pictures and may be even murals there. What kind of pictures should we have for a lounge though? Like we should pick them out with keeping a single theme in mind or just anything random? Like the picture of 2 dogs Chris has? We are not decided on food yet, because as I mentioned before, there is no tobacco permit here but a restaurant permit that allows you to serve hookahs, and the people involved in this project don't know anything about running a restaurant so we are gonna bring in people who do and they will take care of the food bit.....I was a bit skeptical about this plan earlier on, but upon further research I found out that many many lounges all over India are working on the very same lines.....now I do also need suggestions on what kind of people to partner with? I am thinking fast food, because I myself never eat a full on meal when I smoke but I do love me a sandwich, or some popcorn chicken, and that is what most lounges serve here anyway. So yeah, that is most probably the kind of food we will be serving. Thanks for all your suggestions people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmccoy90 Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 IKEA. Cheap, stylish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorlyfish Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 [quote name='vendetta_revived' timestamp='1307640091' post='512191'] @Jordan, is it? : Wow! That looks fancy! I gotta ask, are all the lounges you've been to, that snazzy looking? Because I love how it looks, that wall decor is quite unique and classy I must say. I will have to take this very picture to an interior decorator and see how much that runs me, but the points on couches and ottomans have been noted, I just love how that lounge looks it's just wow!! And I am loving the tables too. Thanks for the tips. I tried the 3d tour on their website but it's not working for me for some reason.......is the entire seating area against one wall? or they have those tall chairs spread in rest of the area? Thanks. [/quote] Nope, this is the snazziest. It's a really attractive place. I agree, I love the wall, but I swear it'd be a lot easier to make than you think it would be. You can tell up close it's just pieces of different sized boards all painted the same color and rotated different ways and attached to the wall somehow (not sure how to be honest) -- they also have lamp shades made in the same way that are very cool - hanging pendant lights with piece-y shades - you can see them in the background in the bottom pic. You could probably find these scraps for free or next to nothing, or find cheap lumber to cut up and paint with house paint yourself. It'd definitely be a project - maybe grab a couple friends to help out cutting and painting and buy them dinner - but like I said I don't think it'd be so difficult, just time-consuming. You'd just have to figure out how they attach to the wall (obviously if you want to attach wood to wood you can use wood glue, but dunno about wood-to-wall - screws?) Someone at Home Depot/Lowes/whatever might be able to help you with that. The long couch with the ottomans is the main area of seating (and this is where they seem to seat people first unless they ask to sit elsewhere), and that is the only area with that type of seating. It takes up about half the lounge, with the bar taking up the other half. There are bar tables (tall tables with tall stools) that seat 2, outdoor seating, a "VIP room" (not sure if this was mentioned - I haven't been in there, but it's basically just a room for a larger party that has to be reserved I believe, although once when I was there they just stuck this annoying couple who wouldn't stop making out in there so nobody would have to watch them ), and I've been there once when it was really crowded and I sat at the bar and was allowed to smoke there. The bartenders tended my hookahs as well as my glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorlyfish Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 [quote name='vendetta_revived' timestamp='1307640091' post='512191'] What kind of pictures should we have for a lounge though? Like we should pick them out with keeping a single theme in mind or just anything random? Like the picture of 2 dogs Chris has? [/quote] Sorry for double post, just saw this as well. Local art, if you can. I don't know what Delhi's art scene is like, but here in the states a lot of furniture stores and coffee shops hang student art or rising artists' work (recent graduates or just amateur artists) with a little price tag under it - free art for them, exposure and the chance to sell for them. Some places might even charge a percentage of the sale price (maybe 10%?) for the exposure, but especially as you're first starting out I'd do it for free. Advertise online or near college campuses that have art programs or something - I would note that you wouldn't take objectionable pieces (having weird fetus paintings on your walls or something might scare off some customers), and set some kind of time limit on them so you get rotating art - 4 or 6 months maybe? - which gives people (another) reason to come back, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besos Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) Everything seems to be covered. Here's a picture of the lounge I work at... [img]http://www.metroactive.com/bar-clubs/2010/images/Tangerine.jpg[/img] & let me tell you this... DO NO USE WHITE. Our decor is one of a kind and white makes it more lively and what not... but it's a pain to maintain. The couches needs consistent wiping/scrubbing and we have burnt marks from the coal. Tiled floors is a must, obviously. Night Owl Lounge in Seattle, WA has carpet. Ew. People have said that it looked like IKEA threw up on us. Hahaha, The only things from IKEA are the lamps and tables which we customized withe lights. Edited June 12, 2011 by besos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Wow! Never saw these replies, the thread got pushed back by the time I logged on I suppose! [quote name='kmccoy90' timestamp='1307668410' post='512234'] IKEA. Cheap, stylish. [/quote] [quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1307670001' post='512239'] Nope, this is the snazziest. It's a really attractive place. I agree, I love the wall, but I swear it'd be a lot easier to make than you think it would be. You can tell up close it's just pieces of different sized boards all painted the same color and rotated different ways and attached to the wall somehow (not sure how to be honest) -- they also have lamp shades made in the same way that are very cool - hanging pendant lights with piece-y shades - you can see them in the background in the bottom pic. You could probably find these scraps for free or next to nothing, or find cheap lumber to cut up and paint with house paint yourself. It'd definitely be a project - maybe grab a couple friends to help out cutting and painting and buy them dinner - but like I said I don't think it'd be so difficult, just time-consuming. You'd just have to figure out how they attach to the wall (obviously if you want to attach wood to wood you can use wood glue, but dunno about wood-to-wall - screws?) Someone at Home Depot/Lowes/whatever might be able to help you with that. The long couch with the ottomans is the main area of seating (and this is where they seem to seat people first unless they ask to sit elsewhere), and that is the only area with that type of seating. It takes up about half the lounge, with the bar taking up the other half. There are bar tables (tall tables with tall stools) that seat 2, outdoor seating, a "VIP room" (not sure if this was mentioned - I haven't been in there, but it's basically just a room for a larger party that has to be reserved I believe, although once when I was there they just stuck this annoying couple who wouldn't stop making out in there so nobody would have to watch them ), and I've been there once when it was really crowded and I sat at the bar and was allowed to smoke there. The bartenders tended my hookahs as well as my glass. [/quote] [quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1307670472' post='512240'] Sorry for double post, just saw this as well. Local art, if you can. I don't know what Delhi's art scene is like, but here in the states a lot of furniture stores and coffee shops hang student art or rising artists' work (recent graduates or just amateur artists) with a little price tag under it - free art for them, exposure and the chance to sell for them. Some places might even charge a percentage of the sale price (maybe 10%?) for the exposure, but especially as you're first starting out I'd do it for free. Advertise online or near college campuses that have art programs or something - I would note that you wouldn't take objectionable pieces (having weird fetus paintings on your walls or something might scare off some customers), and set some kind of time limit on them so you get rotating art - 4 or 6 months maybe? - which gives people (another) reason to come back, too. [/quote] First - We don't got no lowes/ikea/walmart down here in India. Mixed economy and a strict govt. I see your point, it could be done sure...just looks a bit difficult. The planks that are flat on the wall could be fixed by screws, and then the ones that are horizantly or vertically perpendicular to the wall can be glued/screwed on the sides and tops of the flat ones. I am surely gonna try and do that wall, loving the pendant lights too and the beaded curtains.....gives the place a subtle middle eastern look without going overboard and brings an earthy feeling to the whole place. Don't think the VIP room is possible, I've never seen one in the lounges here and I don't have the space for one, but I could let people book the entire lounge for parties......may not bring as much money as a regular night (may or may not I don't know how successful this venture will be. ) but will sure be a way to get return customers, socialize with them on a more personal level, and since none of the lounges here do it, it could be something exclusive to mine! Also, I like the idea of letting people smoke at the bar. Thanks Jordan! These are all excellent tips! including the ones about local art. I'd have never thought of that! [quote name='besos' timestamp='1307876136' post='512405'] Everything seems to be covered. Here's a picture of the lounge I work at... [img]http://www.metroactive.com/bar-clubs/2010/images/Tangerine.jpg[/img] & let me tell you this... DO NO USE WHITE. Our decor is one of a kind and white makes it more lively and what not... but it's a pain to maintain. The couches needs consistent wiping/scrubbing and we have burnt marks from the coal. Tiled floors is a must, obviously. Night Owl Lounge in Seattle, WA has carpet. Ew. People have said that it looked like IKEA threw up on us. Hahaha, The only things from IKEA are the lamps and tables which we customized withe lights. [/quote] Hahahaha! Yeah we're not doing white! The pictured lounge looks really good mate! But it kind of looks like a night club (no offense), may be it's this picture, please correct me if I am wrong. I am staying away from the nightclub cum lounge scene.....I want me a nice, easy on the eyes place where people can relax and not pump up. Thanks a lot for the tip on the carpet. I am confused now though, It could prove to be a major headache to have a carpet, I mean people bloody spill! My partner was saying the same thing and we might just do away with the carpet and just have a tiled floor, as that would be tons easier to get spanking clean! Thanks. @Topic : Have you ever been to a lounge that doesn't serve hookahs on a table? Actually my buddy is all about the tradition, he is one of the "if you're doing something, do it fucking right" kind of guys. I myself like the tradition as well and we are considering serving the hookahs on the floor itself - it has a plus point of having more space on the table, and lesser risk of breaking anything if it topples over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajon Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Another idea for the floors could be concrete flooring. My dad ripped out the carpet we had at our condo and left only the concrete. I forget if he sandblasted it or just added the flooring finish to it, but it looks very nice and simple. This is all assuming you have concrete floors, if not then disregard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Everything here has concrete floors! Only quality wood floorings I've come across here were in like really high end musical shops! So that is definitely an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorlyfish Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Concrete sounds good to me. I agree that carpet's gonna get messy (and burnt) fast. There are concrete stains available too, so don't think you necessarily have to stick to grey. (Here are some color swatches from one brand: http://www.dowdrestoration.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dowd.concreteStain-4-834x1024.jpg) The VIP lounge is not used very often to my knowledge, actually. Your thoughts on allowing rental of the whole lounge are good though - I do think it'll be a good chance to strengthen relationships with customers, both new and old As far as hookahs on the table/not - as you can see from the second photo I posted of Nara, they do put the smaller hookahs on the tables (and bar) - but I think this is more due to the fact that there isn't really anywhere else to put them. Space is tight around the tables. If you sit outside where there is more room to walk around, I think they do put them on the ground. I've been to other lounges where we've tried to move the hookah from the ground to the metal table - I now know this is improper in some regards, but when sharing a pipe with a large group it was difficult to get the hose from one side of the table to the other vs. the middle of the table to everyone. Anyway, waiters would come by and make us move it back to the ground. So, it seems to be kind of your call. If you have taller hookahs and have room for them without risk of them getting knocked around, I say put them on the floor. Seems a bit odd to put a QT or something of similar size on the floor and not the table/bar, but maybe that's just me... also seems like you might get people running into them, since they're short and not really in the line of sight of a customer if they're on the floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hassouni Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 The best I've been to have been in Lebanon, where they are just cafes that happen to offer smokes. People go there just as much for the drinks and food - imagine you were designing a really cool hangout spot and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 [quote name='Coyote' timestamp='1307634259' post='512187'] Don't forget to give people tongs and keep and eye on their coals... thats my pet peeve at lounges; sitting there with no way to manage your heat, then having to wait forever to get another coal. It would be nice to have free water at the table too. What kind of food are you going to have? [/quote] I forgot to address this. Free water will definitely on the table. About the tongs, I am not so sure, I mean it's a pet peeve of mine as well and I get annoyed when a lounge doesn't give me tongs (I mostly take my own though if it's been already decided by our group that we are going to a lounge), but thinking from their point of view, far too many times I've seen customers with no know how acting all cool and messing with the coals....the douches in a lot of the groups will push the coals in the center and then give the waiters crap about their session not lasting long or if it starts getting harsh. In my personal experience, most (not all) people visiting these lounges don't know crap about heat management, some of them are smart and prefer that the people at the lounge manage everything for them....but a lot of them will want to manage it themselves and they don't know how to. I guess we will provide the tongs in the beginning and tell the customers that we will be keeping an eye on their hookahs and they don't have to mess with their coals unless everyone is busy, and tell them to not push coals in the center in the beginning of their session, and see how it goes. [quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1308234847' post='512839'] Concrete sounds good to me. I agree that carpet's gonna get messy (and burnt) fast. There are concrete stains available too, so don't think you necessarily have to stick to grey. (Here are some color swatches from one brand: [url="http://www.dowdrestoration.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dowd.concreteStain-4-834x1024.jpg"]http://www.dowdresto...-4-834x1024.jpg[/url]) The VIP lounge is not used very often to my knowledge, actually. Your thoughts on allowing rental of the whole lounge are good though - I do think it'll be a good chance to strengthen relationships with customers, both new and old As far as hookahs on the table/not - as you can see from the second photo I posted of Nara, they do put the smaller hookahs on the tables (and bar) - but I think this is more due to the fact that there isn't really anywhere else to put them. Space is tight around the tables. If you sit outside where there is more room to walk around, I think they do put them on the ground. I've been to other lounges where we've tried to move the hookah from the ground to the metal table - I now know this is improper in some regards, but when sharing a pipe with a large group it was difficult to get the hose from one side of the table to the other vs. the middle of the table to everyone. Anyway, waiters would come by and make us move it back to the ground. So, it seems to be kind of your call. If you have taller hookahs and have room for them without risk of them getting knocked around, I say put them on the floor. Seems a bit odd to put a QT or something of similar size on the floor and not the table/bar, but maybe that's just me... also seems like you might get people running into them, since they're short and not really in the line of sight of a customer if they're on the floor. [/quote] You know I am actually considering having a white marble flooring. It's cheap here and marble has anyway all sorts of patterns in it and can easily get away with burn marks here and there. They are very easy to clean as well. Good points on the little hookahs being on the ground, and sharing it. It will definitely be impossible for people to share a hookah on the floor. I came across a place that sells MZs here (never thought i'd see em in India), and we might snag 10 of those and have them on the ground for groups of 2 or so people. That should keep my tradition crazy buddy in line. [quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1308235454' post='512840'] The best I've been to have been in Lebanon, where they are just cafes that happen to offer smokes. People go there just as much for the drinks and food - imagine you were designing a really cool hangout spot and go from there. [/quote] Oh man! You know when we decided we are going ahead with this lounge idea, I spent one entire night reading your reviews on all the awesome places in beirut that you've been to! They were all full of good tips for us. Thanks a lot. And since I mentioned that all lounges here are more like restaurants that serve hookahs, that is what we are going for! Our place would be for people coming for 1.) Primarily smoking. 2.) People coming for just food and drinks and then wanting a smoke. There are not many lounges in Delhi actually, that's a good thing because there is not much competition, and a bad thing because there are not many people looking for hookah lounges (I mean, I wouldn't really know but that is my slightly educated guess), so we are hoping that people coming for food and drinks be intrigued by the hookahs and try them. But it will definitely be a cool hang out zone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @topic : I read this from a thread on this very forum about a lounge that may be never got into fruition so I am perplexed whether they did it or not, but is having free wifi there a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hassouni Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 DO NOT use a concrete floor. Your bases will break faster than you can clean them up. And for the love of God, don't put them on the table. I would go for wood, though I think even tile is better than concrete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 [quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1308268577' post='512854'] DO NOT use a concrete floor. Your bases will break faster than you can clean them up. And for the love of God, don't put them on the table. I would go for wood, though I think even tile is better than concrete. [/quote] Thanks for the tip. As I mentioned, I've rarely ever come across wooden flooring. Gonna have to consult a builder and see if I can get a quality job for my buck, and I understand how it's wrong to put the hookahs on tables, but as Jordan mentioned, won't it be difficult to share em if they are on the floor? Like if there's a group of 4 people and they order 1 hookah, it seems to me that it will be literally impossible to get the hose going around without someone tugging at it and toppling the hookah over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bawhee Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 You get around the sharing problem by having a decently long hose The place I go to has some kind of rule that you always get the hookah on the ground and it doesnt really cause any inconvenience, I promise . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 The problem is that I've never seen a decent hose around here, and I've been to practically EVERY goddamn shop that sells hookah and accessories. Every lounge here has only mya hoses, as they are as close to "quality" as it gets around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorlyfish Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 We didn't have an issue sharing with 4 people... I'm talking 6-8+ people at a long table with the pipe at one end. It's a little awkward to have to lean way over to reach the hose if you're at the opposite end. Granted, hopefully you're selling more than one hookah per 6 people. Have you thought about limiting # of people/hookah? You could even use this awkwardness to your advantage, I guess, indicating this potential difficulty to larger groups who only want one pipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hassouni Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 yeah you should have a limit, I'd say 3 people per pipe tops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 [quote name='jorlyfish' timestamp='1308317554' post='512892'] We didn't have an issue sharing with 4 people... I'm talking 6-8+ people at a long table with the pipe at one end. It's a little awkward to have to lean way over to reach the hose if you're at the opposite end. Granted, hopefully you're selling more than one hookah per 6 people. Have you thought about limiting # of people/hookah? You could even use this awkwardness to your advantage, I guess, indicating this potential difficulty to larger groups who only want one pipe. [/quote] [quote name='Hassouni' timestamp='1308321655' post='512897'] yeah you should have a limit, I'd say 3 people per pipe tops [/quote] Yes, we are going to have a limit of people on a single hookah, I was thinking 4 because 4 people on a single hookah is okay I think, 5 is a bit weird. I also decided against booking the lounge for birthday parties and such, because I was just reading Mushrat's hookah bliss thread and he reasoned with someone about it, explaining that if he was to hold such parties in his lounge, he would have had to turn away his regulars, and that really struck me. He was right on the money there, if I am a regular at a lounge and I get turned away a couple of times because the lounge is booked by someone, I am very likely to not go there. Well, gotta keep the regulars happy. Big day Monday, gonna have a health inspection of the place. Phew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorlyfish Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Best of luck, let us know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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