by Peter Gauvin
A group of four investors is hoping to break into downtown Palo Alto's burgeoning nightlife scene via the pool cue. Q Cafe Billiards, an "upscale billiards club," is scheduled to open this week in an old brick building at 529 Alma St., between Hamilton and University avenues.
The 6,000-square-foot club will offer 12 regulation-size pool tables and a 25-table restaurant and bar with pub style food, says manager D.J. Jensen.
The investors, who wish to remain anonymous, Jensen said, are just four guys who like to play pool and drink beer.
They couldn't believe that no one in well-to-do Palo Alto had joined in the rebirth of pool halls as clean, well-lighted places, Jensen said. No one, that is, except the 2-year-old Blue Chalk Cafe on Ramona Street, which has four pool tables.
"I'm not sure when the revolution began, but I'm surprised nobody else has done this in Palo Alto," Jensen said. "I think Blue Chalk whetted the appetite for people who want to do something other than just drink."
Both San Francisco and San Jose have had similar billiards clubs open in recent years that have done very well, he said.
The most important ingredient in locating a successful billiards club is having a university nearby, Jensen said.
With Stanford University only a pool-cue throw away, and Palo Alto's active nightlife to boot, they have high hopes of sinking the eight ball on the break.
"I want it to be a lot of fun for the employees because that sets the tone of the club," said Jensen, 33, who previously worked at MacArthur Park as banquet captain and has spent 17 years in the restaurant business.
The location fronting busy four-lane Alma Street is not the quietest spot downtown, but Jensen said it does have its advantages, such as drive-by publicity. They had been looking for a larger building, 10,000 square feet or more, before going with the Alma Street location.
"It was the biggest available property anywhere in (downtown) Palo Alto at the time," Jensen said.
Q Cafe, he said, will differ significantly from the Blue Chalk, which offers a dinner environment and then transitions into a nightclub. At the Blue Chalk the pool tables are more of a side salad, while at the Q Cafe they will be a main course.
The tables will range from $10 an hour weekdays to $14 weekends, Jensen said, and the prices will not change for multiple players.
In addition to the full-size pool tables, though, Q Cafe also plans to increase its customer draw by serving food until midnight, which will put it in competition with the Peninsula Creamery. Sandwiches, burgers, salads and personal pizzas will be featured on the menu, Jensen said.
The bar, decorated in brick and mahogany, will feature 12 micro-beers on tap.
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