Author Topic: Corporate bowling center rant (Read 6345 times)

rocky61201 · « **on:** June 01, 2017, 01:50:09 PM »

Our local privately owned bowling alley just closed down. 40 lanes. Sold to a car dealership.

It is (was) a staple of the community, always busy and at least a dozen or so active leagues during the week at any given time of the year. It was a safe place for teenagers to hang out in the evening and there were always plenty of them there. As a parent myself, I could sleep at ease if my teens were there on a Friday/Saturday night.

The Friday night fall league has 30 teams and the summer league usually has around 20. The nearest bowling alley about 10 miles away is an AMF corporate bowling alley with 40 lanes. The absorbed many of the leagues but chose NO on the Friday night leagues. AMF would rather keep all 40 lanes on open bowling for the entire night on Fridays. We were told it was a "corporate HQ decision". I hope they make less money than they would from us league bowlers.

northface28 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 01, 2017, 01:57:45 PM »

Believe me they are NOT making less money. Especially if another center closed. Bowlers are cheap, relatively speaking. Fri night millennials will have no problem on a Friday night spending $7/game, getting some overpriced shit beer by the pitchers and overpaying for some garbage, dog food grade pizza.

Business number one objective is to make money, not appease bowlers. Harsh reality.

DP3 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 01, 2017, 02:30:38 PM »

As soon as you start "catering to the bowlers" it's hard to keep the lights on charging $1.50 a game in 2017 for league members and giving away lanes for free games every time someone gets a ball at the pro shop. The more successful modern centers have bowling as the backdrop and are making it more like a club atmosphere. I've even seen bowling centers charge a cover charge on nights that they have a DJ or glow bowling. When I hear friends (who don't bowl) tell me about their "bowling night", you would be amazed at what a small 4-6 person group is spending. I do live in an expensive area for bowling, but I've heard reports up to $250-300 for a night out once you include all the beers, liquor, and overpriced food. There's a lot of league bowlers that outside of the lineage, don't spend $250 in their home center the entire year. You know, those people who love the game.....but complain about everything being too expensive so they never really support the game they "love".

northface28 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 01, 2017, 02:34:51 PM »

Quote from: DP3 on June 01, 2017, 02:30:38 PM

As soon as you start "catering to the bowlers" it's hard to keep the lights on charging $1.50 a game in 2017 for league members and giving away lanes for free games every time someone gets a ball at the pro shop. The more successful modern centers have bowling as the backdrop and are making it more like a club atmosphere. I've even seen bowling centers charge a cover charge on nights that they have a DJ or glow bowling. When I hear friends (who don't bowl) tell me about their "bowling night", you would be amazed at what a small 4-6 person group is spending. I do live in an expensive area for bowling, but I've heard reports up to $250-300 for a night out once you include all the beers, liquor, and overpriced food. There's a lot of league bowlers that outside of the lineage, don't spend $250 in their home center the entire year. You know, those people who love the game.....but complain about everything being too expensive so they never really support the game they "love".

#preach

rocky61201 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 01, 2017, 02:44:38 PM »

I hear you guys and I get it. If I were fortunate enough to own a bowling alley I would probably come to the same management decisions. It still sucks for our league though, it was a great and friendly environment. I might never see some of those regulars again and they will be missed.

On the other hand, there is another corporate center (Brunswick) in my area that I frequently practice at. I don't league there because I could never get there by 6:30 the usual start time. Everything about the local center, AMF, and Brunswick is darn near identical from a market perspective. The Brunswick center Friday night league is still going on and going strong. Takes up 36 lanes on Friday night. I just cant' get there on time to participate in that league.

LookingForALeftyWall · « **Reply #5 on:** June 01, 2017, 02:50:43 PM »

A friend of mine who is a GM of a corporate bowling center (but came up through an independent mostly league-driven chain*) just recently offered free bowling for corporate group events in his center. The catch: said event must purchase food and drink from the center.

...If they're giving away the bowling, you know there's something else they're making $$$$ off of. Obviously, it's really not about bowling for some centers, its about the business of providing entertainment to customers. I get it, it's lucrative. However, I like 99% of the bowlers on this board don't like that the sport of bowling is buried underneath it all.

*Yes, I had to add that my friend came up through an indy league-driven chain, otherwise my rep would take a hit.

xrayjay · « **Reply #6 on:** June 01, 2017, 03:29:23 PM »

At the place I will be bowling, it was the opposite. I heard the owner wanted to cater to recreational bowlers, aka cosmic bowling, but that didn't bring in the revenue he thought it would. So he focused on other things like Lazer tag which made a lot money and refocused on league bowling.

New lanes were installed, new/used machine from the stadium, fancy scoring machines where you can do many things on the monitor for open bowling, and this year they are installing new pin setters.

As for league bowlers, it's $0.25 a game any time (24 hours house), free food/buffet twice a year (pizza and burgers), and offer $500 to a league if they add two teams a year. And I noticed they have porters walking around during leagues to respond quickly to services league members need - dead wood, ball return, etc..... and there are two guys working the back to respond to those calls.

Sorry about the news of your alley closing..... it does suck

ITZPS · « **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2017, 04:24:03 PM »

This is the exception rather than the rule by a long shot. League bowling doesn't make near as much money as open play does generally. League bowlers pay $12ish for 3 solid hours of lane time, and rarely do more than drink a few beers, some not even that. Open play bowlers spend more than that before they throw their first ball most of the time.

Quote from: xrayjay on June 01, 2017, 03:29:23 PM

At the place I will be bowling, it was the opposite. I heard the owner wanted to cater to recreational bowlers, aka cosmic bowling, but that didn't bring in the revenue he thought it would. So he focused on other things like Lazer tag which made a lot money and refocused on league bowling.

New lanes were installed, new/used machine from the stadium, fancy scoring machines where you can do many things on the monitor for open bowling, and this year they are installing new pin setters.

As for league bowlers, it's $0.25 a game any time (24 hours house), free food/buffet twice a year (pizza and burgers), and offer $500 to a league if they add two teams a year. And I noticed they have porters walking around during leagues to respond quickly to services league members need - dead wood, ball return, etc..... and there are two guys working the back to respond to those calls.

Sorry about the news of your alley closing..... it does suck

rocky61201 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 01, 2017, 04:46:30 PM »

I'm sure they already got this math figured out so I'll assume open play makes more money from 6:30 to 9:30PM on a Friday night with only 18 lanes being occupied than league bowlers taking up 36 lanes during the same 3 hour window???

Hard to believe but like I said, I'm sure they've already analyzed the numbers and came to their decision. For the record the standard league rate per night around here is $20 bucks. I forget how much of that went to the alley and how much went to the end of year prize fund.

xrayjay · « **Reply #9 on:** June 01, 2017, 07:29:08 PM »

Quote from: ITZPS on June 01, 2017, 04:24:03 PM

This is the exception rather than the rule by a long shot. League bowling doesn't make near as much money as open play does generally. League bowlers pay $12ish for 3 solid hours of lane time, and rarely do more than drink a few beers, some not even that. Open play bowlers spend more than that before they throw their first ball most of the time.

Quote from: xrayjay on June 01, 2017, 03:29:23 PM
At the place I will be bowling, it was the opposite. I heard the owner wanted to cater to recreational bowlers, aka cosmic bowling, but that didn't bring in the revenue he thought it would. So he focused on other things like Lazer tag which made a lot money and refocused on league bowling.

New lanes were installed, new/used machine from the stadium, fancy scoring machines where you can do many things on the monitor for open bowling, and this year they are installing new pin setters.

As for league bowlers, it's $0.25 a game any time (24 hours house), free food/buffet twice a year (pizza and burgers), and offer $500 to a league if they add two teams a year. And I noticed they have porters walking around during leagues to respond quickly to services league members need - dead wood, ball return, etc..... and there are two guys working the back to respond to those calls.

Sorry about the news of your alley closing..... it does suck

With the place being 24 hrs and the cost for open bowling that runs by half hour pricing. For example: it's $25 for 30 minutes per lane at a certain time 5pm to 2am??. Plus Laser Tag which is busy, two different types of Arcades in separate locations in the building, a bar and lounge, and an event hall for large parties such as weddings.

So for private bowling centers with just a bar, cafe, and bowling alone, league bowling itself will be hard to sustain the business.

I don't know how SECOMA LANES in Washington State is still open after 60 years with just a Cafe and a tiny bar. The prices seemed to be the same or increased by a small amount. It has to be open bowling after leagues are done..

HackJandy · « **Reply #10 on:** June 02, 2017, 09:22:41 AM »

What pisses me off more than anything is when a bowling center does cosmic bowling and turns the damn lights off on all the lanes during weekend days (one starts at noon both days). Only a couple of centers do it but sadly of course they are the ones closest to my house. Luckily live a large city so not that far to ones that don't but still that is basically admitting you don't give a rats azz about the bowling itself ever. A bar and discotek with bowling lanes sigh.

avabob · « **Reply #11 on:** June 02, 2017, 10:32:38 PM »

It is a very capital intensive business. Incremental cost of providingba game is low but you need cash flow to cover the investment. That is why a pricing model that features off peak pricing or even discounts for league bowling can be effective if you have another product to sell to the traffic you get from leagues.

bradl · « **Reply #12 on:** June 03, 2017, 01:35:28 AM »

Quote from: xrayjay on June 01, 2017, 03:29:23 PM

At the place I will be bowling, it was the opposite. I heard the owner wanted to cater to recreational bowlers, aka cosmic bowling, but that didn't bring in the revenue he thought it would. So he focused on other things like Lazer tag which made a lot money and refocused on league bowling.

New lanes were installed, new/used machine from the stadium, fancy scoring machines where you can do many things on the monitor for open bowling, and this year they are installing new pin setters.

As for league bowlers, it's $0.25 a game any time (24 hours house), free food/buffet twice a year (pizza and burgers), and offer $500 to a league if they add two teams a year. And I noticed they have porters walking around during leagues to respond quickly to services league members need - dead wood, ball return, etc..... and there are two guys working the back to respond to those calls.

Sorry about the news of your alley closing..... it does suck

They are finally putting in new pin setters? I seriously hope so, because the ones they currently have in there look like the rest of the building: from the 1960s. And the ropes on the pins on the high end... I have no idea how they even made off with that crap.

Everything else you've said about that house is spot on, though. I just would be sure to bowl league there before open bowling; the $25-$30 for 30 minutes is a killer.

Right now, I'm practicing up at Fireside due to KidsBowlFree. 2 free games for them every day throughout summer plus the companion pass has already paid for the $36 we spent on it in just the past week.

BL.

hammerj · « **Reply #13 on:** June 04, 2017, 09:25:05 PM »

I bowl at Fireside lanes as well. I am taking off this summer. Wow its amazing that country club lanes is still open.That place is run down and in a very bad area.

BEAGLEBOWL · « **Reply #14 on:** June 05, 2017, 01:27:31 AM »

Open play vs league is even on display at this years OC. Only 1 late night BJ squad offered on Saturdays due to how busy center is with open play.

Author Topic: Corporate bowling center rant (Read 6345 times)

rocky61201

Corporate bowling center rant

northface28

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

DP3

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

northface28

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

rocky61201

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

LookingForALeftyWall

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

xrayjay

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

ITZPS

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

rocky61201

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

xrayjay

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

HackJandy

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

avabob

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

bradl

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

hammerj

Re: Corporate bowling center rant

BEAGLEBOWL

Re: Corporate bowling center rant