Follow the link below my signature and click on the Draper location, then take the virtual tour. I'm one of three managers there, and we're doing well. Our bar has 12 lanes inside, and often a 2 hour wait list on Friday and Saturday night. We're 70,000 square feet of bowling, bumper cars, mini golf, arcade, 2 banquet rooms, 7 party rooms, and a full restaurant.
We just finished the summer months that are tough for every bowling center, but so far we're beating the same month's revenues from last year typically 25% - 35%. But it takes a small army to staff that place with servers waiting on the lanes and tables, bartenders, desk help, prize redemption help, and cooks, dishwashers, a sales dept., call center, etc. It's expensive before we even pay the utilities, but so far doing well.
Our owner has his own brewery with 12 or so craft beers in addition to the domestic beers that sell, not to mention a full liquor license. We do lots of corporate events, which can really help the bottom line. We're not perfect, and have lots of room for improvement, but the business model is profitable. Before this I spent 6 1/2 years in two of our traditional bowl centers, and saw their struggles as well as their strengths.
My point is that if your bowling center just closed it didn't do so because it was making too much money... I hope to bowl til I die, but that means that my bowling centers need to stay open.