Famous Delano pool hall reclaiming space it gave up 2 years ago, expanding food offerings
Almost two years ago, the historic Club Billiards at 923 W. Douglas gave up half its space, and a new bar — called Rockin Billy Goat — took it over.
Now, Rockin Billy Goat is gone, and Club Billiards has a new owner who has decided he wants that space back.
Phil Haase, a longtime pool player and Club Billiards customer who in late May bought the 1946 pool hall and restaurant from its previous owners, says he has reclaimed the Rockin Billy Goat space at 925 W. Douglas, which is immediately to the west, and that he plans to have his business expanded back into it by early July.
The re-expansion will allow him to add pool tables and attract bigger tournaments to the venue, which was his goal in getting into the business, he said. It’ll also allow him to beef up Club Billiards’ food service.
“It was just way too small for what I wanted to do,” Haase said of the space. “The name ‘Club Billiards’ is known worldwide. Professional players still wear shirts with the name on it.”
Club Billiards is one of Wichita’s oldest and most famed hangouts. It’s been in business 75 years, and it was once the favorite haunt of infamous Wichita author and convicted arsonist George Poulos.
In 2019, longtime owner Mike Chapple — overwhelmed by the recent death of his friend and business partner, Joseph “Tiny” Weber — announced plans to close the pool hall. Longtime fans were distraught, so Chapple came up with a new plan — downsizing the business to the east side of the space and giving up the west side.
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Last August, Rockin’ Billy Goat — a rockabilly-style bar — took over the space and drew crowds when it first opened. It closed early in the spring but said it would reopen by May 8. That never happened, and recently, Haase said, he noticed that all the signs were gone.
Haase said he called the landlord about taking the spot back.
The previous owners closed off the two sides from each other by adding a garage-door, so it will be easy to rejoin them, Haase said. The Rockin Billy Goat owners did some major remodeling that will help, including adding some new restrooms and a patio out back.
Haase said Club Billiards has been serving a menu that includes pizza, chicken strips, steak fingers, onion rings and more. He plans to continue with that, and when he gets the new space open, he plans to add more options, including a taco night. He also hopes to bring back burgers, for which Club Billiards was once known.
Once reopened, he’ll have six pool tables on the east side, and on the Rockin’ Billy Goat side, he’ll have restaurant seating, a full bar, a smoking patio out back and four more pool tables.
Haase plans to continue bringing tournaments into the space, he said, but his biggest focus is on pool leagues. He offers in-house league play Mondays through Fridays, and any skill level can join in.
Soon, he said, people will see a new Club Billiards sign going up that will span across both his current space and the old Rockin Billy Goat space.
“I feel bad that they didn’t make it, but its perfect for us,” he said. “We’re telling everybody that Club Billiards is back, baby.”
This story was originally published June 21, 2021 at 12:07 PM.
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