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Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of SWFL
Good Neighbor Podcast Estero
EP#193 -Redefining Fun: Jamil Davis on 810 Billiards’ Innovative Entertainment Experience
Did you ever think a local entertainment venue could offer everything from axe throwing to a milkshake bar? Join us as we talk with Jamil Davis from 810 Billiards & Bowling, a fantastic new hotspot that’s redefining fun in our community. Jameel takes us through the diverse activities available at 810 Billiards, which isn't just about pool tables but also boasts bowling, a full arcade, and even sports simulators allowing you to play golf, soccer, and more—all indoors. Innovative projector technology for darts and axe throwing adds a modern twist to traditional games, ensuring a fresh and exciting experience for everyone who visits.
Jamil shares the inspiring journey behind 810 Billiards & Bowling, recounting how he and his team, led by General Manager Anthony, were united in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. From their training stint in South Carolina to the grand opening on July 25th, Jamil provides a candid glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of building a new entertainment venue from the ground up. Discover how resilience and teamwork have shaped this engaging space, designed to bring joy and memorable moments to all who step inside. Don't miss out on this uplifting story of community spirit and dedication to creating fun for all ages!
810 Billiards & Bowling - Miromar Outlets
Jamil Davis
10801 Corkscrew Rd, Suite 50
Estero, FL 33928
(239) 766-8448
www.810bowling.com/estero-fl
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, cabo, jim Schaller.
Speaker 2:Welcome Good Neighbors to the Good Neighbor Podcast, episode number 193. Today we have Good Neighbor Jamel Davis from 810 Billiards Welcome.
Speaker 3:Hey, thank you. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, pleasure to have you. I know you guys are new and kind of new in town and wanted to learn a little bit more about what you guys do over there. Sounds like a lot of fun, so let's jump right in. Why don't you start off by sharing a little bit about what you guys do over at 810 Billiards?
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, like you said, we're pretty new. We've been open since July 25th was our grand opening. We've been open since July 25th was our grand opening. So we've been open for a couple months now Still pretty new, like you say, but we're a vibrant venue that combines fun and entertainment under the same roof. It's fun for all ages. You know, space provides activities, including, obviously, billiards and bowling the name included in that. But in addition to that, we have ax throwing crazy darts, which is they're both projector screens.
Speaker 3:So instead of just like your traditional darts or just throwing an axe at a wood board. You can play different games. They have like a trivia game. You can throw darts at and like different balloons, and same thing with the axes, and a full arcade, arcade. And we offer, um, you know, full menu uh, from burgers, wings, uh, pizzas. We have um also milkshake bar, which is uh called memos. Right in the front you can get any kind of milkshake you can imagine. There's pretty crazy and uh also a full bar.
Speaker 2:So we have something for everyone. I love it and I love that technology, that projector technology you were talking about. You know, typically you see like a wood wall in one of these axe throwing places and it's painted right. Well this is the projector and it senses, like you said, to be able to do targets or different objects and things like that. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, and I forgot, I mentioned my favorite one, the sports simulator, where you can do the golf, you can do soccer, hockey, football, a ton of different things on the simulator too, so that's another thing we offer.
Speaker 2:Gotta love technology. It just makes things more exciting and accessible for people. You don't have to go to an outdoor soccer stadium to hit a golf ball. Yep, so how did?
Speaker 3:you do it. It's never bad in the simulator.
Speaker 2:I hear you Right inside. It's always nice. Don't have to worry about the heat, Don't have to worry about the rain okay so how did you get involved with a 10 billion?
Speaker 3:well, when they first started they. They're up in South Carolina a 10. This is where it started that and when it came down here after the hurricane. I was working on the state of Fort Myers Beach before the hurricane and the general manager here Anthony he got picked by the owner to be the general manager and because he was my general manager before the hurricane in Matanzas.
Speaker 3:But we all got separated after that because he got washed away. And once that happened, once he got chosen to be in this position, he reached out to everyone that he worked with at Matanzas and that's how I got here. And so, yep, I've been here since, like you know, day one we went up to South Carolina to go train and we stayed up there for like almost a month, like three weeks. It was a nice place. So we're in Myrtle Beach, so I didn't complain too much.
Speaker 2:Exactly, I miss that beach vibe. It's got that beach vibe going. I gotta love that.
Speaker 3:So it's great that he was able to bring the whole team you know pretty much a lot of the team over from you know, right, we added the four managers we were there at Matanzas, and then we have a few people that actually you know work here too. So Nice yeah, it's like a big reunion.
Speaker 2:So talk about challenges. Obviously, ian, it was a big challenge for everybody, but opening a new venue can be challenging as well, too. Were there certain obstacles that you had to jump through to get to where you are today? Oh, definitely.
Speaker 3:I would say the construction, just when we were trying to get the permitting and, uh, just doing everything. As far as delays, we had delays on our lanes for um weeks at a time and it seemed like, uh, at times. Just, you know, like is it? Are we ever gonna get this thing going? You know, because we had people um, we had to wait to get from Turkey to come here and all kinds of stuff that actually one of the trucks caught on fire, that had a little way down. It was anything you could imagine was happening. So, but you know, we just kept on going and we was able to make it through and got opened up.
Speaker 2:There you are, and here you are today, opening and getting through a holiday weekend and doing great.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So are there any maybe myths or maybe misconceptions around what you guys do or what you guys offer that we could kind of clear up for our listeners?
Speaker 3:Well, one would be that a place like this is just for a younger crowd, people that's into the nightlife or something like that. But that's not true, because we have, like I say, things from all ages, from the arcade for the kids and milkshakes and up to the full bar bowling and acts during at all times of the day for the adults, and you know so. And, like I say, we can host birthday parties, corporate event outings, team building events. So, you know, no matter what it is, it's something for every age.
Speaker 2:And who doesn't like to have fun when they're getting together. That's what it's all about, exactly. So what kind of things I mean? Obviously you have a lot of new technology there, but what kind of things do you see trending in your industry?
Speaker 3:uh, that, yeah, the way things are going is, um, the technology is definitely taking over. That's why, um, if you uh, if you look at our venue, we have a lot of the state of the art, state of the art equipment as far as the arcades and the simulators and stuff like that, and that's just the way it's going now, and you're going to be able to eventually be able to order right from your bowling lane, so you won't have to walk around and look for someone. Just order it right there and we'll bring it on out to you. So just find new ways, keep it new and keep it fresh is always just try to stay ahead of the curve.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 3:That's it, I love it, I love it.
Speaker 2:So you mentioned you work down at Fort Myers Beach. Are you from Fort Myers originally?
Speaker 3:I'm actually from Sarasota, just right down the street, but I've been here for a while. I went to FGCU, so that's how I got my start down here in Fort Myers, and that was a while ago.
Speaker 2:And then you loved it and you stayed right.
Speaker 3:There you go, yep, yep.
Speaker 2:So outside of work, I know your job can be very demanding. Weekends and nights are probably busy, but what do you do when you get a moment of free time?
Speaker 3:I like to just golf is my new passion, because I've always tried to stay active and everything. But I'm getting older now so I can't do basketball as much as I used to and football, so now I just try to focus on golf and improve on that, which is a never-ending task.
Speaker 2:It's a game you've got to stay on top of to be any good. Trust me, I've struggled through that, but the simulators are great because it's you know. You said any time, any weather, you can be out there. You can enjoy the simulator and the right picture swing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm better on the simulators than in real life.
Speaker 2:We love that, we love that. So is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about a 10 billion years that maybe they, they don't know maybe just that.
Speaker 3:uh, like I said before, it's just a place where everyone can enjoy. You know, no matter what time of the day you know, from 11 to 10 during the week, monday through Thursday. Then Friday and Saturday we're open 11 to midnight, so we have a little late hours on the weekend so you can hang out a little longer and that's about it.
Speaker 2:Nice. So how would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more, they wanted to stop by, they wanted to plan an event there.
Speaker 3:So they can set you up with food bowling lanes. Extra on anything you want to reserve and if I have, how many people you want to reserve for.
Speaker 2:Perfect.
Speaker 3:I'm going to have to come and check it out for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 810 bowling stair row. Love it, love it. Jamil, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such a good neighbor and I'll be seeing you soon, cause I'm stopping by.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, look forward to seeing you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Estero. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpestero. com. That's gnpestero. com, or call 239-296-2621.