2022 October Issue

FEATUREMERCH: SPOOOOOOOIY NALLOWHI DUCI CIANI KITS

BY

BY CAMERON LINDER

BY RYAN VASKO

BY BRUCE DAVIS

BY DANIEL ELLMAN

BY MIKE FERNANDEZ

Zach

Bruce

Mike

Patty

Linder

Sempeck

Standlee

Make Conqueror Kiosk the first touchpoint for your customers when they arrive and get ready to deliver! Check in for reservations, explore offers, pay for bowling and extras, order food and beverage. The Kiosk is the perfect way to upsell your customers to play and spend more at each visit. Plus, it provides an easy self-service experience that customers want. qubicaamf.com/conquerorkiosk

To learn more visit:

Data, data, and more data! If your center is collecting data but not optimizing it, or if you’re unsure what you’re doing with it, you may want to read through this month’s cover story, “Turning Data into Dollars,” by Ryan Vasko. Ryan interviews industry marketing specialists who help centers do just that. You’ll also hear from fellow operators how they’re using data and tips they’ve learned along the way.

Bruce Davis of BBBI dishes up a dynamite article on the importance of repetition in your marketing presence and messages. Bruce goes over how many repetitions it takes for someone to notice your marketing message, then how many times it takes for people to understand it and finally act on the message.

Another good read this month comes from the always colorful and interesting Steve Sempeck, who writes about boosting fun in league play and the importance of delivering an exciting league experience as part of his “From the Proprietor’s Desk” column. Steve writes a fun column with good information; this month is no different! Cameron Linder from WBPI shares excellent advice regarding bar brawls, violence, and how you can protect yourself. Cameron is known for weaving interesting articles with pointed advice; you won’t want to miss this one.

I hope you’ll check out our “Inside Line” column this month and hear from Roberth Risberg Strindholm from Lanetalk. If you haven’t had the opportunity

to talk with Roberth, you’re missing out! Roberth’s passion for bowling and boosting players’ enjoyment and frequency is felt from your first conversation with him. I had the pleasure of meeting Roberth last year when he was visiting the U.S. and again at Bowl Expo last June. Lanetalk is revolutionizing how players compete and who they’re rolling off against. Online tournament and league play offers the fun, flexibility, and competition that bowlers want.

Be sure to head over to www.bowlingindustry.com for IBI’s exclusive online-only content. Two favorites this month come from our friends at Betson and US Bowling. Jonathan Betti of Betson provides a short read on how the arcade can be one of the most profitable areas of a facility, explaining how to market games to get more incoming traffic. Glenn Keenan from US Bowling was featured on a recent podcast talking about industry trends and what’s working around the country. Thanks, gentlemen!•

– Stephanie Davis, Publisher & Editor stephanie@bowlingindustry.com

GIVEAWAY TO CENTER OPERATORS

Beginning October 1, 2022, IBI will be giving away $1,000 a month for 30 months which can be applied toward goods or services from one of IBI’s qualifying vendors.

Each month, operators enter the contest at www.BowlingIndustry.com for their chance to win in that month’s drawing. Once the winner decides on a purchase from an IBI qualified advertiser, IBI will send a check to cover that portion of their purchase.

A winner will be selected on the last day of each month. Once the winner is notified, IBI will give them a list of qualifying vendors to choose from.

Details and Rules are available at www.BowlingIndustry.com

As a thank you to our consistent marketing partners, we’re including you in our milestone anniversary celebration.

If one of our winners chooses your company as their selected vendor, we’ll cut you a check on their behalf.

IBI’s Preferred Vendors receive a ton of exposure yearround, have exclusive marketing perks, and are included in special promotions like the $30,000 giveaway.

For more information on all the benefits of becoming an I BI Preferred Vendor, contact Natalie@BowlingIndustry.com or call 239.821.2534

www.bowlingindustry.com

READ THESE TOP STORIES EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Marketing Games as “Attractions” at Your Family Entertainment Center

BY JONATHAN BETTI of Betson

The arcade of an FEC is one of the most profitable areas of the business. Arcade games have advanced a lot in the past few years and with that is a need to shift how operators market them to their customers.

Jonathan Betti of Betson explains why you should be marketing your games as “attractions” in your FEC.

Adding a Mini Golf Course to Your Business

BY HARRIS MINIATURE GOLF

If you are considering adding extra attractions to your center, miniature golf might be your answer! Harris Miniature Golf explains the top three reasons operators are adding mini golf courses to their FECs.

Striking Success Podcast with Glenn Keenan of US Bowling Corporation

Glenn Keenan, VP of sales at US Bowling, was featured on a Striking Success podcast. During the episode he addressed industry trends and what is currently working for bowling centers and FECs around the nation.

Defining ROI on Commercial Furniture for Bowling Centers and FECs

BY VENUE INDUSTRIES

Calculating and defining the ROI for your center’s furniture can seem like a complicated task. Lucky for you, Venue Industries explains their threepronged approach to defining ROI on your center’s commercial furniture.

Marketing

Using Quality Photos Makes A Big Impact On Your Branding

By Mike Fernandez

Look at the photos and videos you have of your center. Whether they are on your website, on social media, or tucked away on a dusty hard drive, collect them, and ask yourself: is this an accurate representation of my brand?

A statistic I love repeating: 97% of consumers search for a company’s online presence before visiting a physical location.

Look up your center and decide if you’ve convinced the crowds that your place is the place to be.

Room For Improvement

Often, offhand photos and videos poorly represent the memorable times that guests have experienced at your center unless you’ve already taken the initiative to polish up your media.

Maybe everything is just a bit blurry, or the pictures are dark. Perhaps you aren’t showing off the art on the walls going down your lanes. It could be that you caught a great action shot of your favorite bowler, and the camera auto focused on their old torn Fruit of the Looms. Even worse, the major crime we see committed when looking up a center is no pictures.

When you provide no media of your own, the only representation of your center is what guests have posted in your Google reviews. Guests can be notorious for posting situations like a floor spill or trash left on tables before staff gets to it. Only you have the power to show your brand in the same light that you see it.

What Potential Guests Want to See

Anyone considering visiting your center, regardless of demographic or situation, is looking for one thing - a great time! Show off what your center looks like at peak times, and potential visitors won’t want to miss out on the fun.

Clean and colorful pictures of your center are paramount and should be plastered anywhere on the internet where customers might see your center’s name. If a business owner isn’t promoting what the inside of their pride and joy looks like, it’s safe to assume it’s not worth seeing.

Tapping into emotions is the supreme key to good marketing.

Getting that action shot of your new league champions cheering or capturing the wonder of a wide-eyed child feeling the heaviness of a bowling ball for the first time are events that remind people what they’re looking for in the sport.

If you host parties and events, give yourself some credit for the filled rooms on your events page. If you invested in a glowing Cosmic bowling display, does it get more than a quick mention on your website? You’ve put incredible amounts of time, love, and money into your center, don’t hesitate to show it off!

Getting the Good Shots

I’ll first recommend hiring a professional commercial photographer. Professionals have the skills, angles, and photo editing tricks far beyond what the average person can achieve at home. They charge by the hour, so make sure to have ideas written down and surfaces cleaned before they arrive.

Doing It Yourself:

If you want to DIY it first, find a newer model iPhone and read on!

1. Clean Your Phone Lens

Your phone lens collects table crumbs, skin oils, and pocket crust. Take off your case and give the lens a good scrub with some rubbing alcohol.

2. Set Your Camera’s Focus

Sometimes cameras autofocus on the wrong subject, so make sure to click on where you want the picture to be clearest.

3. Avoid Zooming In Zooming in on smaller or faraway objects can be tempting, but this dramatically lowers quality. Try to get closer or crop the photo closer to the subject when editing.

4. Find Different Perspectives

Angles from above make things look smaller with a bigger surrounding area. Angles from below make things look much larger. Try moving.

5. Turn Off the Flash

Flash should only be used on already lit areas to slightly enhance. In the dark, it blacks out the background. Bring in lighting if you need it.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Edit!

Editing should be subtle. It usually doesn’t take more than a little increase in ‘Brightness,’ ‘Saturation,’ or ‘Exposure’ to make it pop so much more.

Lots to think about? Yes. However, a well-thought-out plan and a camera can make all the difference when inviting new customers to your center.•

MATTERS! Leadership

Your Skills Can Help Others Grow

By Beth Standlee

The dictionary defines leadership as a noun, meaning the state or position of being a leader.

I was confused by that definition because leadership is an action (English grammar nerd alert!) and is a verb, not a noun. Leadership is more than a person in a position of authority, and it is certainly more than a title. To lead, others must be willing to follow. Author John Maxwell, an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books primarily focusing on leadership, believes leadership is the ability to have influence. That makes more sense to me. Leadership is a continuous, active process that requires a great deal of attention and responsibility.

There’s so much talk about how difficult it is to find staff today. While it may be true that more parents don’t require their kids to get a job, I wonder how much the impending recession and current inflation rate may impact kids going to work. College tuition is out of sight, young people want a car or need money for Uber, and everyone wants a little spending money to call their own. I’m convinced that bowling, entertainment, and hospitality spaces generally have leadership opportunities and responsibilities for young people and first-time job seekers.

It is not easy to take on the responsibility of a new worker, but someone took that chance on you and me. From a leadership position, I believe there is an opportunity to go into high schools and community colleges and share your story; let people know why a part-time job in your location could be a difference in their lives.

When I think of the leaders in my life, Mrs. Manville, one of my favorite teachers, comes to mind, along with many other educators I had throughout my academic career. Of course, I think of my parents and other family members who profoundly impacted me from a leadership position. And finally, I’ve been abundantly blessed in my work life and influenced greatly by bosses, mentors, co-workers, and many others who may have no idea of their influence. Leadership and management must work together to gain the best results. Gino Wickman, the author of EOS, The Entrepreneurial Operational System, touts a concept he calls LMS: Leadership + management = accountability. When owners, managers, and supervisors are inspired to take on the responsibility that comes with a title, the profound impact they can have on young workers’ lives — and even old dogs who can learn new tricks — takes a turn. Understanding why service matters, sharing that vision, and providing the training tools make it much easier to follow

up and hold team members accountable. Human growth is inspiring for the leader and the new team member.

Remember, just because you have a position of authority doesn’t mean you are leading. Maybe you are a good manager, but you sense that the mice will play when the cat is away. Management and leadership are the formulae that motivate the best people to work hard, have a sense of loyalty, and provide the best guest service we all want.

Leadership is a work in progress. I feel like I am always searching for a way to improve. I hope these three ideas will help you on your way or even help you grow other leaders in your organization.

1. Read John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership. I believe this book is a primer for any new leader who’s been promoted from frontline team member to supervisor, general manager, or business owner.

2. Communicate at a high level as often as possible. Ask your people what they understand about what

Human Resources

you require from them. Listen more than you talk — this is always a hard one for me. Share your vision with the team. A team member rarely has the same passion for the business as the general manager or the owner. With leadership and a shared vision, every team member can understand they are part of something bigger.

3. Embrace leadership as something to aspire to. Learn to implement something new daily. Question any assumptions about how things are from an influential point of view. Think about the responsibility of building up others, encouraging young people to be good workers, and motivating the team to be more than they are today.

I believe leadership matters because we’re all looking for leaders in our lives. When we look at ourselves, we may learn new ways to lead better and, in turn, make a difference through our influence on others.•

Celebrities WILDgone

By Cameron Linder

Lessons Learned from a Viral Brawl and a Fatal Shooting

As if the last two years weren’t crazy enough, I’ve had two major claims occur in the first quarter of 2022 that have a celebrity connection. In each case, however, shrewd proprietors had great foresight, making both claims low threat.

In the first case, the center hosted a complete facility buyout for a celebrity. At some point a fight broke out, spilling onto the lanes. The fight was recorded on cell phones and ended up on YouTube. Within a matter of weeks, the two main assailants were suing each other. A week after that, the bowling center got an attorney letter.

Here’s what the proprietor did to make this viral brawl a non-issue:

• Their buyout contract referred to itself as a lease agreement, NOT a rental agreement. How does one little word change make a difference? It’s like leasing a car; when you lease a car, YOU are responsible for the maintenance of and safety equipment on that car. But when you rent a car, the rental company is responsible. When a group leases your center, they take legal responsibility for the safety of their guests.

• The lease agreement specifically asked if the group needed security. This question forces the group to assume responsibility for assessing their security needs. If the group says they need security, then they need to provide security as a contractual lease requirement. If the group doesn’t know if they need security, then you’ll contract with a security company at the group’s expense.

• The center had WBPI review the security contract for the proper wording and insurance prior to signing the lease agreement. Because the security portion of the contract was properly worded, the hired security company ended up being responsible for the insurance claim.

In the second case, a celebrity’s girlfriend was murdered in the parking lot of a center after an alleged argument over a bowling ball. In reality, the woman had her own gun and fired the first two shots, advancing toward her killer as he ran away firing back at her. Technology saved the proprietor from hefty insurance claims in this tragic case.

• High-quality, clear video of the center’s parking lot was key in uncovering the actions of everyone that night.

• The proprietor knew his location might present safety challenges to his customers; that night he had security on duty who closely monitored entries and exits, and he had a metal detector at the main entrance. The metal detector forced guests to leave their guns outside which undeniably prevented the shooting from occurring inside the facility. The proprietor’s diligent security analysis has not only given us an ironclad defense but saved innocent lives who were inside the center.

Even if you don’t carry your insurance through WBPI, I am more than happy to help you defend yourself against unfortunate situations. For us, it’s so much more than insurance. It’s about serving this community of small business owners by offering informed advice backed by 33 years of experience.

•

Meet Roberth Risberg Strindholm

By Stephanie Davis

Each month IBI’s “Inside Line” highlights a team member from one of our loyal advertisers. It’s always fun to learn a little something new about people who make things happen at their company and for the industry. This month we talked with Roberth Risberg Strindholm, CEO at Lanetalk.

IBI: How long have you been in the bowling industry?

Roberth: I began my relationship in the industry four years ago. I’m one of the only ones within the company who wasn’t born into the bowling industry. Our team has PBA Pro bowlers, national team players, coaches educated on the highest European level, and me, who is learning fast.

IBI: How long have you been with Lanetalk, and what is your current position?

Roberth: I made my first investment in the company in 2018 and joined the company as CEO two years later. I love running companies with disruptive business ideas in industries I don’t know much about. I’m very passionate about developing new businesses and never give up. I just need to come up with other ways to do it to make it work. I’m lucky to have a great team around me, helping me to learn more about the industry.

IBI: What makes Lanetalk unique?

Roberth: Lanetalk has been around for more than ten years, helping to digitize the sport of bowling. We are in a unique position where we can help bowlers

Roberth enjoying Bowl Expo 2022

become better at their favorite sport while competing with bowlers around the world. We host worldwide tournaments that players can participate in from their home center without traveling. You can’t do that in many other sports! Bowling is unique, and Lanetalk connects the bowling community and drives more business to the centers.

IBI: How does Lanetalk benefit operators?

Roberth: First, Lanetalk makes practice more fun and rewarding for bowlers, which keeps them engaged in the sport and at their home center. Even more importantly, centers that become host centers for our online tournaments will enjoy bowlers visiting their centers to join tournaments, thus increasing lineage revenues and food and beverage sales. An average online tournament bowler performs five to six attempts and spends more than three hours at the lanes during a 3-week period.

IBI: What new programs, initiatives, and options are you working on?

Roberth: We have a lot of new features that will be launched during the coming season, but a very exciting component is the upcoming team-play feature, where bowlers can compete in online tournaments as a team (we have only supported individual play so far).

Bowlers will soon be able to visit a center and join twoto-eight-man teams and play virtual leagues every day of the week! We are also adding a global handicap system and opening up our tournament platform so that centers can run their local tournaments without the hustle and considerable effort to run one.

IBI: What new trends do you see for the rest of 2022 and into 2023?

Roberth: Post-COVID, people are getting more social than ever, but they like to be more flexible than we have seen before. For us, this means that we need to provide a flexible solution where they don’t have to mark all Tuesdays at 6 p.m. for the coming 16 or 32 weeks. Instead, they want to join shorter tournaments or leagues that they can play on a weekly basis when they have time.

Lanetalk will provide shorter six- to eight-week tournaments that can be played with 1-8 people when it’s convenient for them. Players don’t even have to be in the same city as their teammates if every team member completes their game before the week is over. To be social in 2022 means that you do things together, but not necessarily physically at the same place or at the same time.

IBI: What do you like most about your job?

Roberth: Wow, there are so many things. I love my job! But if I shall mention just one thing that stands out is the ability to be part of a movement that will change a whole industry and grow and globalize the sport of bowling. I sincerely believe that what we do will help the sport grow, including having more juniors engaged in our eSporting app, which will get more youth players to appreciate and participate in the sport that we all love.

Roberth: I compare and look intensively at other sports and successful forerunners to see what they are doing for their athletes, fans, and partners. I like to use an ‘outside looking in perspective’ to challenge our team to think bigger than just the bowling industry and learn from others.

IBI: When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?

Roberth: I love watching my daughters play football as well as taking the whole family to the mountains to ski, bike, or hike. We love outdoor sports.

IBI: What would our readers be surprised to learn about you?

Roberth: I have founded more than 20 companies in my lifetime. Some turned out okay, some went really bad, and a couple of them became fantastic success stories. This is the first time that I’m able to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time – run a business targeting the U.S. market! I hope that I can move to the U.S. at some point.•

IBI: What is one strategy that you employ at work that you find helpful?

Roberth and family enjoying a summer hike

Roberth presenting at Bowl Expo 2022

By Ryan Vasko

Lew Sims laughs when he thinks about how much simpler marketing used to be when filling a bowling alley. He recalled his first job in the business before he became the owner of Dynasty Lanes in Willard, OH.

“The owners would only offer open bowling every other Sunday because the rest of the schedule was so choked with leagues,” Sims said. “We’d send out a postcard announcing new leagues. But apart from that, we’d only need a phone call to the regulars.” Times have certainly changed.

Enter the confusion of collecting and using data as the foundation of your marketing efforts. Collecting and using data is one of the more pressing and misunderstood issues facing every sector of American commerce.

A Forbes study from earlier this year revealed that 95% of businesses cited the need to manage unstructured data as a problem for their business.

So, if the topic of data has your head spinning, rest assured you’re not alone.

Having quality data at your fingertips offers an easy way to reach people who are most likely to respond to your offers. “The pandemic and the closures it caused sparked thoughts of, ‘Wait a minute!

Lewis Sims

We need to have some good data so we can market to people,’” said Carey Tosello, founder of digital marketing specialists eBowl. biz. “The centers with a great list didn’t miss a beat when they could open the doors again; they reached out immediately and got business coming in. The centers who didn’t have those lists struggled a lot more.”

“Before we got serious about data collection, we only had one high school in the center,” Sims said. “Now we have four high schools and two middle schools bowling out of our 12-lane center. Collecting that information, especially Kids Bowl Free data, was a big part of getting us there. I am not sure if we would have survived without getting to know the kids and families that data brought in. Many of the former children are now adult league bowlers.”

“Think of data like this: if you have 5,000 families in your database and through various communications, you convince just 20% of them to come in just one more time throughout the year and spend $50 with you, you’re going to add $50,000 to your bottom line,” said Bruce Davis, president of Bowling Business Builders International, whose popular Kids Bowl Free program is a dynamite data builder for participating centers.

Incentive-based approaches are powerful drivers for growing data and engaging with your list. This type of approach ensures that you not only get customer data but that it’s legitimate. Tosello has found contests on Facebook to be effective. His company typically asks a center to give away something like a bowling party — two hours of bowling, shoes, and a pizza. To enter the contest, people are asked to share their names and email. “And you know you’ll get a good email address from that because how else will they win the prize,” asked Tosello with a laugh. “We’ve got centers who’ll get dozens to hundreds of emails each month from those contests alone. All for the cost of a party once a month for half a dozen people.”

“After 20 years of collecting guest information, we’ve learned to pay attention to what people are responding to,” said Ashley Donohue,

marketing manager for KingPins Family Entertainment Centers in Beaverton, OR. “We look at everything from the sorts of offers people are responding to, subject lines of our emails, and how incentivizing our leagues makes a difference.”

Donohue’s hard work is certainly paying off. “We have over 120,000 people in our rewards program alone, which we send emails about multiple times a week and has been very successful,” she says. KingPins boasts open rates typically ranging between 30-40%, well above the national average, which rarely exceeds 10%.

When extending offers to your list, Sims has some excellent advice. “Find where you benefit them,” advises Sims. “Your messages should be personalized; think of yourself like you’re a friend trying to help them find something to do.”

“All business is about relationships,” said Zach Boulanger, marketing manager at Bowling Leads. “Emails need to come from the owner or the manager and have them tell a story. That approach is considerably more effective than taking one of your flyers and turning it into an email.”

Text Message with a Purpose

“We’ve found that automating a text message to a new customer after their first visit to say thank you for coming in has been great in establishing relationships,” Boulanger said. “But not for sending out a wide blast to 5,000 people.”

John Bailey, president of The WiFi Company, has also seen the rise of permissive text message marketing. His company specifically built that capability into their dashboard because they knew that text messages are the closest thing to a guaranteed open

Carey Tosello

Ashley Donohue

Zach Boulanger

rate. If your target has opted in, most users don’t ignore it or put it aside for later. “But you have to be specific and benefit-driven with texting,” warns Bailey.

Tosello concurs and adds, “If it’s an email, people might let it sit and miss it later. But if your phone beeps, you’ll always look right then. If you’re going to text, you better make it something of value. If someone stopped whatever they’re doing to read your message, it’s just saying, ‘Hey, it’s Wednesday! It’s a great night for bowling,’ [potential clients] are going to be annoyed and likely opt out.”

Offering Value in Your Communications Is Key

“We’re still big believers in direct mail,” Boulanger said. “Too few centers send out birthday postcards. But people don’t get as much mail as they used to, beyond junk mail, so something of value stands out.”

“If I see that someone signed up for one of our programs and then a few minutes later started following us on one of our social channels, I take a little pride that something of value brought them in. They’re willing to see us in their feeds, email, and text messages,” Donohue said.

Consistency Is Important

Tosello recommends reaching out monthly at a minimum, to see who’s responding and who’s not. Boulanger agrees and adds, “Even if it’s just a monthly newsletter, make sure you’re doing something every month.” Donohue

offers sage advice: do not wait until you’re ready to launch an offer to work on your list. “When we add our new Kids Bowl Free emails into our database, we don’t just data dump a thousand and then go forward. We take it through our [integration] process. ‘This person has a birthday coming up; this guest has been with us in this program since 2016; what else can we get them interested in?’”

If It Sounds Overwhelming, There’s Plenty of Help!

Leaning on an outside expert can alleviate headaches and maximize data use. Paying an outside company to help manage data flow can be an investment that pays off significantly, as opposed to having an in-house employee manage data who may not be a specialist in the field. Plus, the bonus of automation that many systems offer will optimize marketing efforts.

Converting data into dollars is essential to every business. Data can help us make better decisions, get premium marketing results, avoid pitfalls, and provide feedback to adjust our approach as needed. A thoughtful, deep dive into the data could mean a smoother and more profitable business for you.•

Ryan Vasko is a writer based in Portland, OR with 20 years of experience as a journalist, speechwriter, and marketer. Growing up in his family’s bowling center Ryan spent significant bowling with his dad and grandpa and working at the center. His dog is a good boy.

EXPANSIONS, OPENINGS, AND NEW BEGINNINGS

It seems that wherever you turn, there is a new, fantastical, fun venue with an array of glitzy choices. FECs are continually morphing into bigger and better places to spend time.

THE PARK AT RVA

THE PARK AT RVA , Richmond, VA: The Park is Richmond’s new multi-entertainment venue. It is 55,000 square feet of PLAY. Marketed as an “indoor wonderland,” the complex includes an 18-lane duckpin bowling alley, an 18-hole mini golf course, three bars, a food hall with six restaurant concepts, a beer gardenstyle area with 30 self-pour taps, three golf simulator rooms, a 200-person banquet hall, and an auditorium for live music and corporate functions.

MONKEY ROCK FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

MONKEY ROCK FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT , El Paso, TX: Monkey Rock is an inviting space offering bowling, games, and eating. The name itself conjures kid-fun. There are ten lanes of bowling, nine holes of blacklight putt-putt, rock walls, arcade games, and casual dining.

TILT STUDIO

TILT STUDIO, Sioux City, IA: Once a Sears department store, this 111,000-square-foot space is now a one-stop shop for bowling, laser tag, bumper cars, mini-golf, and a fully stocked arcade featuring a wide range of video, redemption, and merchandise games.

MAPLE & PINE LANES AND SPORTS BAR , Glasgow, KY: Known 50 years ago as Park Avenue Lanes and then Highlander Bowl, Maple & Pine Lanes has gone through extensive renovations. As the center’s name denotes, the bowling lanes are made of maple and pine wood, as are the tabletops. There are arcade games and a bar and eatery—new life for the community.

BACKPOCKET PIN AND PIXEL

BACKPOCKET PIN AND PIXEL , Johnston, IA: Iowa’s microbrewery Backpocket Brewery is opening an expanded idea called Backpocket Pin and Pixel. The taproom’s centerpiece will be a retro arcade with games such as pinball, Skee-Ball, and Pac-Man, along with six lanes of duckpin bowling. Accommodating the brewery, duckpin bowling uses a smaller ball with shorter lanes. It’s bowling, but, most importantly, guests can throw the smaller duck pin balls while holding a beer.

MAPLE & PINE LANES AND SPORTS BAR

Kyle Troup

9 time PBA Champion

Jason Belmonte

14 PBA Majors

Verity Crawley PWBA Champion

THE WORLD’S BEST BOWLERS HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU

Connect your center and let your bowlers compete with us!

Boost your center’s attraction by activating Lanetalk for free today. Kyle Troup, Jason Belmonte and Verity Crawley are not only bowling stars, they’re also using Lanetalk to get better.

Lanetalk enhances your customers’ fun, creating happier, more frequent bowlers with more tournaments – and they get great insights to improve their play!

Lanetalk is free for centers, fast and easy to set up. For details or to connect your center today – lanetalk.com

By Bruce Davis

IN YOUR

REPETITION MARKETING

“Say It Again, Sam”

Remember when you were in school, and your teachers preached that to learn something new, you needed to go over it again and again and again? Well, I hate to sound like an old-schoolmarm, but your teachers were right about repetition, and it should be a critical part of your marketing approach.

Repetition plays a key role in advertising and marketing strategies. I repeat: repetition of your marketing stories is vital, especially in today’s world of marketing and advertising clutter.

Most people you are targeting have hectic schedules and aren’t sitting idly waiting to hear from you. You have a short window to grab their attention, and unless you are lucky enough to snag them on the first encounter with your marketing message, they often forget what was said unless you repeat your message many times.

Rules To Help You

In my marketing seminars and coaching sessions, I practically jump up and down, sharing the importance of repetition by explaining the Marketing Rule Of 6-15-21

The 6-15-21 Rule describes that, on average. At the same time, it takes around six repetitions for someone to notice and remember your message. It takes 15 repetitions for people to understand what you are presenting. From there, it takes an average of 21 repetitions to get a

Repetition is a key learning aid because it helps transition a skill from the conscious to the subconscious. Ask yourself: What do I want my target audience to have in its subconscious about my business?

prospect to change from what they are doing to what you want them to do.

Think about what the end result of your marketing should be. Remembering is important, but understanding is the next step to purchasing. So, we want our target to go beyond remembering to understanding and make the jump to purchase from there.

Successful conversions sometimes happen along the way before the 21 repetitions are consumed, but for most people, it is closer to 21 repetitions for action to occur. It is vital that you give your marketing time to work!

Targeting Helps, but The Rules Hold True

Certainly, the efforts you employ to define your target audience and zero in on them are important but there are numerous factors that still come into play that reinforce the 6-15-21 Rule.

HERE IS A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF A TARGETED GROUP OF CONSUMERS OR BUSINESSES:

Ready to buy

Are not interested right now

30%

Open to

Are not going to take your offer no matter the deal 30%

Repetition helps take you from the potential of selling in 3% of good prospects to 40% or more. Consistency of having your messages in front of your targets is critical.

Some prospects are just beginning their 6-15-21 trip with you, while others are closing in on 21 and

Interested but not ready 30%

Bruce Davis is President of Bowling Business Builders International (BBBI) whose flagship program Kids Bowl Free has registered over 35 million children for participating centers.

ARE YOUR MESSAGES UNDERSTANDABLE?

Sure, you understand why someone should take you up on your offer, but is that message easily understood by your target audience? People don’t have time or interest in trying to decipher an ad’s message. I often see companies of all types that build marketing messages based on what THEY know about their product or offer, but not at all based on what the receiver knows about it.

Remember, you have a short few seconds to grab someone’s interest and create the desire for them to know more. Meet your target audience where THEY are, not where you are!

MARKETING BASIC S WITH BRUCE DAVIS LESSONS TO REMEMBER

Expert Alley with

Zach Boulanger BowlingLeads.Com

As school gets underway in many areas of the country, now is a great time to plan your promotional schedule for the fall and winter months. One crucial thing to plug into your schedule that many centers forget about is having a School’s Out! offer.

It’s easy to check your local school district calendar for school holidays, teacher in-service days, and other events. These can be enormous opportunities for your center to drive daytime traffic during typically very slow times.

A successful School’s Out! offer combines a package deal for a set price per guest. The package doesn’t need to be discounted: a package with bowling, food, and a drink is an excellent place to start. For example, one hour of bowling, shoes, a slice of pizza, and a small soda for $10-$12 can be a successful promotion.

If you operate an FEC, include an offer using your other attractions.

You’ve come up with a package to offer. Now what? Hopefully, you have a database of customers. Don’t forget: if you’re a Kids Bowl Free center, use your database from your KBF email marketing system. Create an email with your School’s Out! offer and save it as a template. Once your email is ready, it’s time to reference your local school calendar; look at the days school is out in your area and schedule a targeted email. Don’t forget about private schools, charter schools, and homeschool

programs that might run on a slightly different schedule than the main district in your area.

Once this is set up, you’ll be all set for the entire school year. Schedule posts to your Facebook page automatically. Create a Facebook Live video each morning when school is out; families will be looking for something to do, so take advantage of this opportunity and give them a reason to visit your center!

If you need help implementing a School’s Out! offer for your center, please call us.•

BVL is a highly-ranked 501c3 charity that funds recreation therapy programs to address the emotional and physical needs of veterans and active-duty military. BVL is bowling’s oldest and own veterans‘ charity, providing more than $55 million in grants to VA hospitals and clinics since 1942.

SUCCESS Design For

Let’s face it; we live in a world of social media. People love posting selfies, tagging their location, and showing off what they do with their friends. Fortunately, bowling and family entertainment centers can be perfect destinations to thrive in such a world.

“What we aim to do with every one of our projects is to create experiences,” said Natasha Whittaker, an interior designer with Dynamic Designs, a company with more than 35 years of entertainment and architectural expertise. “That means creating unique spaces that are bright, colorful, and ever-changing. We want your space to be different for a customer every time they come back.”

So how do you go about designing such a facility? And can you pull it off in your center?

Whittaker gives insight into the design process behind successful centers.

Vital First Impressions

“Each center should have a grand entrance, with a big feature element that stands out to customers right away,” Whittaker said. For example, a monumental baseball bat, an aquarium or water feature, or even a sculptural mountain — any theme that can be translated into a “story” carried throughout the center.

Once through the doors, the main counter should be easy to find, making it as simple as possible for customers to decide what they want to do during their visit. “We place smaller attractions closer to the front, so they aren’t blocked by larger features such as laser tag, axe throwing,

By Daniel Ellman

or escape rooms,” Whittaker said. After all, customers should utilize every profit center as often as possible, so visitors need to see the options open to them.

Profit Centers

A contemporary design trend involves grouping the different profit centers together. For example, food offerings are together whenever possible to ensure the kitchen is efficient.

“Gaming areas and waiting areas should have servers so that you can get food and drink while playing with your friends,” Whittaker said, referring to such an area as a “barcade.” Outdoor spaces will not just have seating to eat, drink, and socialize, but games and sports equipment to give visitors more to do and reasons to return.

Now back to social media. “In the end, it’s not just about drawing your customers back to your facility,” Whittaker said. “It’s about customers sharing their experiences online so that others who aren’t with them want to come along next time.” Offering a variety of guest options is important for today’s consumers but it’s not enough. It helps to make everything eye-catching and fun.

Outdoor games, such as a colossal chess set, a checkerboard, or a five-foot tall Jenga set, should be life-size. Lights should change colors within your center, and sculptures or other features should create ample photo ops.

As technology advances, unique activities such as axe throwing and virtual reality (which can provide a new experience every time a customer returns) can be added.

A Team Approach

Don’t worry; creating shareable experiences never falls entirely on the proprietor. Designers will walk you through the process from start to finish.

“We understand what our clients want, what their likes and dislikes are, and take those into account when creating our designs,” Whittaker said. A mood/inspiration board showing a mock-up of various profit centers, colors, and themes are excellent tools for the designer to present to the client. Once the feedback is shared, complete designs and concepts are created.

It’s important to note that a full-scale remodel isn’t necessarily the key to success; many small ways exist to create unique experiences within existing centers. For instance, some centers are removing the masking units from bowling lanes so customers can see the mechanisms behind pin setters and ball returns. Others are experimenting with robots to help deliver food. “These [design innovations] create photo opportunities and experiences that are fairly simple to implement,” Whittaker said.

These experiences will keep your customers coming back and your center thriving in the age of social media.•

I’VE LOST ALL INTEREST”

Boosting FUN In League Play

By Steve Sempeck

If you’re a Seinfeld junkie like me, that quote is one of Jerry, Elaine, and George’s go-to lines when a subject starts to wane: “I’ve lost all interest.”

It doesn’t take much in today’s world to lose interest in just about anything we do. We’re regularly bombarded with beeps and buzzes from cell phones notifying us of a sale at JCPenney’s or the latest TikTok of someone playing pranks on their unsuspecting spouse.

For us bowling people, we battle harder to get people to even think about bowling in our busy world. Now when it comes to bowling in a — gulp! — league, it’s even harder to be relevant enough to get any serious consideration. Yes, there are still people out there who will bowl in traditional or short leagues, but man, you gotta be able to deliver a dynamite experience if you want them to stay.

It’s up to us proprietors to provide an experience that will keep people interested, occupied, and having fun during league play. Being creative and thinking out of the box is critical.

My good friend Howard Maxon of Auto-Way Bowl in Minden, NE, shared some insight with me. Howard owns an 8-lane center in a small town in south-central Nebraska.

Howard is a retired police officer who bought the center primarily because of his love for the game. Howard’s center has a good combination of traditional and short leagues and draws in consistent open play. He uses a favorite saying of mine when it comes to marketing; he calls it his unique marketing advantage. One of these unique advantages is delivering fun that doesn’t cost bowlers anything extra; if it does, it’s minimal and fair for league bowlers of any type. Two examples:

Mystery Score

It’s an age-old idea, but it’s free to league bowlers at Howard’s place. He takes 50 cents per bowler from lineage, which goes into that league’s mystery score jackpot. A 32-person mixed league gets $16 per week included in the pot. He then uses a random number generator and draws one number between 0 and 99. Suppose the number is 13. That can be 113 or 213. If you land on it for your final game score, you win!

Because Howard likes to keep things interesting, if you have bowled 25% or less of the number of games scheduled in the league, you win only 25%. If you have bowled only 50%, you win half. Over 50%, you win the whole thing. Howard is a pretty clever guy. He wants to keep people showing up weekly and reward them for doing so.

Money Shot

This one requires the use of USBCcertified colored pins during league play; and yes Virginia, it is perfectly legal to do so. Here is an explanation of how he does it.

Howard adds three colored pins to each machine during league play: one red pin and two in other colors. During league play, if a bowler gets a set of

UPSELL FOOD AND DRINK—EASILY

MAKE IT SIMPLE FOR GUESTS

TO SPEND MORE IN YOUR CENTER.

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From the Proprietor’s Desk

pins that has a red pin in the headpin spot and at the same time has colored pins in the 7 and 10-pin spots, the bowler has a chance to roll a strike and win an on-the-spot cash prize of up to $1,000.

If a bowler gets a set of pins with a colored headpin that is not red but has colored pins in the 7 and 10-pin spots, and they get a strike, they win up to $500 immediately.

In either case, if the bowler doesn’t get a strike, they get a dollar a pin for what they knocked down in the form of center cash. This little extra on league night creates a lot of excitement and chatter.

The occurrence of colored pins in these spots is quite rare. Once it happens, all eyes are on the player up to bowl. If you want to pump up the chances, add a colored pin or two. Howard puts up the prize money; the bowler has no extra cost.

Imagine that you’ve got 75-year-old Betsy Bowler up, ready to bowl with a chance at $500 or $1,000. Sure,

A big thanks to my pal Howard Maxon at Auto-Way Bowl in Minden, NE, for sharing his successes. If you’re ever cruising across Nebraska, get off the Interstate, and drop down to U.S. Highway 34. It’s a beautiful drive, and Minden is not only the home to Howard, but it’s the home of Pioneer Village, a giant collection of about anything you can think of that pioneers used, ate, and did on their trek west in the old days.

Also, Minden is the home of CarHenge, an all-American take on Stonehenge in England; instead of a bunch of big rocks, it’s made of vintage cars standing on their bumpers vertically. It’s neat, kitschy, and worth seeing once.

Better yet, stop in and say hi to Howard. He’s one of the best people you can meet.

that’s a lot of money, but if she wins, being 75 years old, you give her one of those giant cardboard checks they hand out at golf tournaments.

How cool is that, and how much news, chatter, selfies, TikTok thingies, tweets, twerks, and whatever else they call all this social media stuff that will generate a lot of good news from your center? I guarantee if you must cough up the prize money, it will be the most impactful money you’ve spent on marketing, ever!

This excitement brings more fun and occupies people’s interest, so they stay off their stupid phones and make league bowling what it was always meant to be, social!

If you want more info on keeping things lively for your bowlers, please get in touch with me at ssempeck@gmail. com, and we’ll set up a time to talk.

Keep ‘em rolling!

Steve Sempeck, Bowl Co Marketing and Management•

Howard Maxon, Auto-Way Bowl

INTRODUCING

KIOSK.

The Sync Service Kiosk was designed to alleviate your labor concerns while enhancing the guest experience. The fully integrated, automated technology reduces wait times, streamlines ordering, improves accuracy, and upsells on every transaction, all while offering the instant gratification your guests seek. Get guests to the fun faster with Sync Service Kiosk, brunswickbowling.com/servicekiosk.

Is Your Leaving MENU

DOLLARS on the Table?

By Mike Fernandez

The food and service industry has changed rapidly over the last few years. Delivery and takeout have taken up a larger piece of the revenue pie. At the same time, restauranteurs continually adapt to fluctuating staff levels, increased food costs, and a host of other moving parts.

Until recently, food menus lacked the love that the rest of the dining experience received. Plain white paper, bullet points, and a smudge of pasta sauce on the laminate just don’t cut it anymore; in 2022, guests expect more.

I’m a statistics guy, and here’s one I love sharing: 93% of consumers view online menus before deciding where to eat. Is your food menu up to date and online for potential customers to see, or are you getting left behind by an outdated, or worse yet, no online menu presence?

Running a kitchen isn’t easy. There’s a lot to do between logging food inventory, managing staff, and minimizing food waste. Getting your menu noticed online or in the center adds another task to check off at the end of the day but can pay big dividends to your food and beverage bottom line.

GET YOUR MENU NOTICED ONLINE

Some more stats to enjoy:

• 75% of consumers often choose where to dine based on search results

• 49% of searches for local businesses occur without a specific business in mind

• 70% of consumers who run a local search act on it within an hour

These stats mean that many of your guests might come to bowl and hit the arcade just because you have that buffalo chicken sandwich they’ve been craving! If your menu isn’t available online, or if it’s only available as a PDF, it won’t show up in any search results. Your menu should have its own page on your website and social media.

If your menu is available on as many online platforms as possible, it will be found and recommended by search engines. The major ones that consumers check are Google

My Business, Facebook, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, and Yelp. It might take some time to bring your menu to the public’s eye initially, but your guests (and pockets) will thank you sooner rather than later!

Facebook and Instagram are two of the best ways to showcase new specials. Posting stories on these platforms last 24 hours, which means potential guests can always stay up to date on new plates and deals of the day.

Another game changer with going digital is providing mouth-watering photos of your most beautiful plates. Phones can take incredibly clear, high-definition photos at better quality than what your standard office printer can transfer onto paper. Before you start snapping away at your cheese-dripping, mouth-watering pizza slice, quickly read my article for photography tips that can prove a big difference with today’s savvy social media consumers.

BOOSTING IN-CENTER ATTENTION

Placing QR codes on your menu at every lane gives bowlers something to do while waiting for their turn and is a fantastic way to get the food conversation started. A bowling center near me has some of the best pizza in town, but I didn’t know they even offered food until walking by the rear exit on my third visit! QR codes are a perfect way to get the menu in front of all guests at your center.

Using QR codes as a digital menu also provides another opportunity: conducting A/B tests to see which menu and food items entice guests more. Easy access and flexibility with digital menus mean you can try out new prices and products much more easily. Instantly changing descriptions, prices, layouts, and positioning can give you huge insight into maximizing the profitability of what you already have to offer.

A digital menu board is another option that can draw interest in your menu. These are easily displayed on a tv screen mounted on the wall allowing customers to see the menu on a large display.

A little forethought can give your business a big boost to your center’s food and beverage program. Today’s technology is your friend. So, go on, give a digital menu a try; there are too many dollars left on the table not to try!

BOOZE

YOUR BAR: LEADING THE WAY

How do new guests find your bar? Is it all the way at the opposite end of your center’s entrance, and do you have any signage pointing guests toward it?

Recently we visited a bowling center with a beautiful bar stretching the entire property length, on the opposite side of a long wall, so we couldn’t see the bar unless we walked through a door. I only found it by getting lost looking for the restroom right before leaving!

It’s essential to have arrows leading the way to the bar and beverage specials displayed throughout the center, especially if it’s not immediately visible from the entrance. If you’ve got extra screens available, beverage companies will usually offer free digital signage to point guests in the right direction, which is a great way to showcase your refreshing cocktails.

One way to get more guests to the bar is by offering solid and competitive specials and discounts. A typical example of a lackluster special is just offering $1 off drinks at certain times of the day. Saving $1 isn’t going to get anyone off the couch and into your business! You’re just losing $1 a drink on patrons ordering a beverage anyway. It takes a strong offer, like a limited BOGO, to turn a potential guest into an active customer.

Lastly, don’t forget to capitalize on the distinctions between the four tiers of spirits: value, middle shelf, top shelf, and luxury. A well vodka might cost $5 a bottle and return your investment after one drink, so there’s no reason to give them a $17 bottle of Smirnoff for the same price. By organizing your liquor prices via their quality, there’s much more opportunity to increase revenues on those drinking the good stuff.

Much of the credit for this “Booze & Bites” section should go to Dave Wallace, founder of Turfway Entertainment, for his presentation at Creative Works’ Amusement 360 event. Great stuff, Dave. Thanks for sharing!•

Mike Fernandez is a freelance contributor on all things regarding food, booze, and fun. Growing up in his family’s restaurant business fueled his passion for good eats and tasty treats. By day Mike works in business development for IBI, by night he scours south Florida for the latest trends in food, drinks, and recreation.

Booze

PREFERRED

Capital Equipment/Supplies

BRUNSWICK BOWLING PRODUCTS

PREFERRED VENDOR LIST

www.brunswickbowling.com

Michael Postema 231.343.2043 Info@brunswickbowling.com

The leader in the bowling industry for over 130 years, Brunswick Bowling provides products, services, and industry expertise for new and existing bowling centers.

KEGEL

www.kegel.net

Sales Department 863.734.0200 info@kegel.net

Lane maintenance equipment/supplies, pinsetter parts, and coaching tools.

NEO TAC

www.neotac.com

Frank Bernabei 585.798.6400 300@neotac.com

Lane Conditioners and Lane Cleaners. Bowling Ball Cleaners And Polishes.

QUBICAAMF

www.qubicaamf.com

Sales Department 804.569.1000 info@qubicaamf.com

QubicaAMF is the world’s largest manufacturer of bowling and mini bowling products. With our innovative products, we will help our customers fully unleash that potential to extend the bowling population, to reach the younger generations, to increase their spending, frequency of visits—and your revenue.

SWITCH BOWLING

www.switchbowling.com

John Fatigati 201.694.7985 john@switchbowlingusa.com

Offering a full line of equipment, furniture and scoring for everything from modernization to new center builds since 2006, Switch Bowling features Italian designed style built into products with uncompromising quality and value.

Cashless Technology

INTERCARD www.intercardinc.com

Sales Department 800.732.3770

Sales@intercardinc.com

Intercard introduced cashless technology to the amusement industry and has been leading the way for 30+ years. Cashless systems from Intercard increase customer spending and satisfaction and boost revenues by up to 30% at entertainment centers worldwide.

SEMNOX SOLUTIONS www.semnox.com

Sales Department 610.400.8901 Sales@semnox.com

Semnox’s online cashless payment systems – a one stop solution for your entire bowling center operations.

Food & Beverage

ALCOHOL CONTROLS

PREFERRED

www.alcoholcontrols.com

Sales Department 630.486.1880 profit@alcoholcontrols.com

We carry numerous liquor pour control systems, liquor portion control pourers, and beer controls that allow you to accurately measure how much alcohol or beer is being served during a day and cross-reference it with the number of sales made. We have pour tracking systems, liquor pour spouts, and even shot pouring training tools, as well.

VIRTUAL DINING CONCEPTS

www.virtualdiningconcepts.com

Kelly Grogan 508.351.2556 kgrogan@virtualdiningconcepts.com

Our goal is to help the restaurant community generate additional revenue and sources of income through virtual brands. We give you the expertise and know-how of seasoned restaurateurs, knowledge from national chain experi ence and the vision to put it all together in one complete, easy to implement solution.

Insurance WESTERN BOWLING PROPRIETORS INSURANCE

www.wbpiprogram.com

Cameron Linder 800.200.9998 contact@wbpiprogram.com

WBPI has dedicated itself to insuring bowling centers for more than 30 years and is exclusively endorsed by 8 state bowling proprietors insurance associations. Our staff of insurance experts and professional bowlers provide staff training, insurance education, advocacy, and business advice. No one fights harder for you! Contact us today for a competitive insurance quote!

Lighting/Sound

DECIBEL STUDIOS

www.decibel-studios.com

310.693.5165 guy@decibel-studios.com

Decibel Studios is an innovative global technology solutions company that designs, engineer, installs, and maintains custom controlled audio, video, lighting, show control and special effects systems, including augmented and virtual reality, 3D and 4D interactive theaters, for various entertainment, corporate, hospitality, retail and institutional groups.

www.dfxsoundvision.com

Bovino 800.555.5280 info@dfxsoundvision.com

FEC specialists creating extraordinary experiences by providing dynamic audio, video, lighting and automation services and

that elevate communication and give your entertainment center that WOW factor.

At

is

and profits for bowling centers through our time tested Kids Bowl Free Summer Bowing Program and

League Development System featuring Fun Bowling Leagues for all ages.

Marketing (continued from

BOWLING LEADS

4)

PREFERRED

www.bowlingleads.com

Zach Boulanger 844.468.4144 Zach@bowlingleads.com

We help bowling centers find new leads and turn them into raving repeat customers with our done for you automated marketing system.

EBOWL.BIZ & BOWLRX.COM www.eBowl.biz

Carey Tosello 541.549.0999 Carey@eBowl.biz

Digital marketing for bowling: BowlRx websites, Facebook for bowling, and more.

THE KAPLOE GROUP

www.kaploegroup.com

Fred Kaplowitz 516.359.4874 fredkaplowitz@gmail.com

The ultimate marketing and management company for your leisure, entertainment, or recreation business. Professional consulting and coaching available.

Online Reservations

ALLEYTRAK

www.alleytrak.com

Chris Behling 815.519.9843 Chris@alleytrak.com

AlleyTrak is the complete lane reservation and management system designed specifically for bowling alleys. Manage your recurring events, leagues, parties, packages, along with many other features AlleyTrak has to offer. Save time by allowing guests to make reservations online 24/7.

PARTYWIRKS

www.partywirks.com

Sales Department 877.345.401 sales@partywirks.com

Partywirks is more than an online booking software company for parties, events, lane reservations and leagues for your bowling entertainment center. Our easy-to-use, easy-to-manage multi-function system en courages upselling, helps generate future interest, and also allows your visitors to inquire, invite, share, learn, sign waivers, and shop online.

REX RESERVATIONS

Kevan Sadigh 323.805.8310

www.reservewithrex.com

Kev@reservewithrex.com

Seamlessly manage lane reservations for your bowling venue. Set different prices for peak and off-peak times. Allocate your desired number of lanes to be reserved online, while also keeping some for walk-ins.

Redemption Supplies (continued on

BMI MERCHANDISE

Sales Department 800.272.6375

www.bmimerchandise.com

Sales@bmimerchandise.com

BMI’s extensive product line features the trending themes, licenses and brands driving amusement play. We bring our customers a constantly changing mix of the finest electronics, novelties and toys – priced right.

GOODWILL CENTRAL

Ten-year-old Nathan Tavel has been on a mission. In August, he spent an hour at West Seattle Bowl knocking down pins as fast as he could. He ended with a total of 2,116 pins. It was a respectful amount, and with it came his challenge to other bowlers to help the West Seattle Food Bank by easing hunger and homelessness. Nathan set a time frame between August and ending on Labor Day. To enter the challenge at the center was $25: $15 went to West Seattle Food Bank and $10 to the center. A challenger had an hour to try and top Nathan’s pin total. If not, the bowler would donate an additional $25 to the food bank. The bowler would be entered into a drawing for $100 at a local restaurant if successful. This was not Nathan’s first challenge. Two and a half years ago, the then eight-year-old raised $900 with a similar challenge. A natural, having bowled since he was 4, he’s also a natural at helping.

MECHANIC NEEDED FOR 32 LANE CENTER

Great opportunity in the

Bay area

8270 AMF Pinsetters // Salary and benefits determined by experience // E-Mail resume to manager@oakfieldlanes.com or Call Tammy Jacobs @ (813)681-4783

BOWLING CENTER FOR SALE

Owner retiring. 47,000 sq ft high volume family entertainment center. Leased building located in West Houston Texas (Katy), opened in 2005. Revenue up significantly above 2019 and 2021 numbers. 36 synthetic lanes, 6 located in a private area, Qubica scoring, Laser tag, 55 Arcade games, Billiard tables, full sports bar restaurant, and party rooms. Strong league base during the week, followed by busy late night crowd. Full of parties and open play all weekend. Email Barry300@aol.com for more information.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

NEW & USED Pro Shop Equipment. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. (800)255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com

EDUCATION & TRAINING

PRO SHOP TRAINING. Classes always forming. Jayhawk Bowling Supply (800)255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com.

SERVICES AVAILABLE

Drill Bit Sharpening and Measure Ball Repair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply (800)255-6436 or jayhawkbowling.com

WANTED

Head Mechanic needed for busy center in New Jersey. Great salary and benefits package. Brunswick A-2 pinspotters. Email resume to sgroce@nationwidebowling.com

MECHANIC RETIRING

HIGH Level mechanic retiring – willing to train next hire for our 26 lane center with restaurant. Only the third mechanic since 1959 for our very stable, family business. Great opportunity in beautiful northwest NJ/PA border town. Salary and benefits commensurate with experience. Email resume to rob.plenge@comcast.net or call Rob 908-763-1192.

PIN BOYS

This is such an interesting photo. It truly represents “back in the day.” When? Not sure. Where? Haven’t a clue. However, it does show less than high-end bowling, when alleys were smokeridden and times were tough.

Studying this archival photo, even then, there were worker-bees and watcher-bees. In checking out the number of pins, maybe there should have been counterbees. There is not one complete set on any lane. Not only that, we seem to have a mixed bag of games: ten pin, nine pin, duck pin? Definitely not candlepin.

These young, and I do mean young, men were called pin boys and worked for tips and pennies per pin.

Once automatic scorers took over, the position evolved into pin chasers, the slang, pin monkeys, and they were stationed near the equipment to clear jams and pick up stray pins.

For the antique lovers, take a look at the hanging lights with the pin pattern set into them for bowlers to reference. Definitely kitsch.

Somehow, I get the feeling that this was taken late at night. Do I see one watcher nodding off? What ever happened to “It’s ten p.m. Do you know where your kids are?”

We’ve come a long way, baby! • –Patty Heath

OUR GUESTS DON’T TOLERATE BREAKDOWNS, SO MY MACHINES NEED TO BE RELIABLE.

We deliver a premium experience at River City Roll. Our guests don’t tolerate breakdowns, so my machines need to be reliable. Our EDGE Free-Fall machines run great. There are weeks that we go without a call or maintenance issue.

I can say, after 31 years of working on different types of bowling machines, having the EDGE Free-Fall in my center takes a lot of stress off my back. I’ve even hired a technician who had no knowledge of bowling equipment, and he has picked up the machines fast and is doing a great job.

Plus, the Tech Wizard app has been especially useful for my technicians. It notifies them if there should be a problem. It also lets them know when it’s time to do maintenance and has videos that guide them in the right direction. My guys love it!

Ken Dich, Head Mechanic River City Roll, Richmond, VA 20 Lanes

To learn more visit: