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COVER STORY By Paul Lane
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Dolfijn - the plays to be makes a big splash in the Netherlands
n 2001, Ronald Dol opened Dolfijn Bowling – a play on Ronald’s last name – located in Tilburg, the Netherlands. It was immediately a welcomed addition to the community and a popular stop for visitors. Dolfijn Bowling also established itself as a serious league and tournament venue. After Ronald’s passing, the center became co-owned by Ronald’s wife Marjo, and their son, Thomas. With a population of roughly 215,000, the city of Tilburg, located in the southern province of Brabant, is the second largest municipality in the province, and the sixth largest in the Netherlands. The original 20lane Dolfijn Bowling included a bar and a restaurant and was housed in a converted factory. In the summer of 2013, Marjo and Thomas added a new attraction, glow-inthe dark Goofly miniature golf in the space behind the bowling center and it was an immediate success. In the summer of 2015, Dolfijn Bowling was totally renovated and upgraded, covering everything from plumbing to furniture to fixtures and fittings. But it was not to last. On March 25, 2016, tragedy struck when a massive fire reduced Dolfijn Bowling to a pile of ashes. Fortunately there were no injuries or loss of life, but Dolfijn Bowling was completely lost. Hans Krol, CEO of Bowltech, has been a good friend of the Dol family since he and Thomas’s father Ronald met in 1992. When the fire destroyed Dolfijn Bowling, Krol remembered, “Bowltech could help by offering an alternative location for their pro shop at no cost. Also we were able to help out sorting all the insurance issues around the bowling equipment. It was clear from day one that the center would be rebuilt. And they did. Both Marjo and Thomas took on this enormous task with passion and dedication.” Marjo and Thomas wasted no time, immediately planning the new Dolfijn IBI
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Dolfin owners, Thomas and Marjo Dol.
Bowling, but it was a slow process. It was not until June of 2017, 15-months later, that they broke ground and started construction on a new, ground-up facility. And it was eight months more before the new center was ready for business. However, it was worth the wait. The new and more spacious center officially opened its doors on February 4, 2018, housing 24 lanes, a new bar and restaurant, pro-shop, Goolfy mini-golf, escape rooms, a virtual reality experience, and many more activities and attractions. The old name, Dolfijn Bowling, was
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subsequently changed to Dolfijn—the plays to be. With the new focus of Dolfijn being more family-centric, it would stand to reason that the league business would be impacted. But Thomas has been happily surprised by the successful league business. “20% of our regular business is league bowling,” noted Thomas. “This is more league business than in our experience for FECs, many of which do not promote leagues at all, or the percentage is minimal at best.” The Bowling Association Tilburg organizes several leagues at Dolfijn, where teams compete with each other weekly. The concept of having an association promoting and running leagues for a commercial bowling center may seem strange or unusual, but in Dolfijn’s case, it’s a concept that works extremely well. “We have an excellent understanding with the Association,” says Thomas, “and so many activities are done with a common interest and are mutually beneficial.” Dolfijn frequently hosts regional, national, and international tournaments, just like they did at the old center. It’s a venue that’s popular for tournaments; Dolfijn caters to sport bowlers and their families and friends who enjoy the other attractions, especially the full-service, professionally managed pro-shop, and the reasonably priced, quality food that’s available in the 154 seat restaurant. “Our full-service pro-shop not only serves the needs of
COVER STORY customers at all levels, it helps promote the sport aspect of our business,” said Thomas. The pro-shop managers Andre van Gurp and Ramon Hilferink, who are both certified trainers, work closely with sport bowlers on technical aspects of equipment and their bowling prowess. Adding the Specto Advanced Ball Tracking System has bowlers traveling to Tilburg from all over the Netherlands and other European countries to practice and work with Andre or Ramon in person, or by connecting to the Specto app. The new Dolfijn—the plays to be bowling center also benefits from a fresh start with its bowling equipment. The Dols worked with Bowltech Netherlands who installed QubicaAMF’s Xli Edge Pinspotters, QScore, Harmony ball returns, automatic bumpers, and SLP II lane overlays. A Kegel Flex Walker lane machine and the Kegel Specto Advanced Ball Tracking System round out the state-of-the art equipment. “Working closely with Bowltech and installing the latest technology gave us the promotion tools we needed to help kickstart the new bowling center after being out Bowltech CEO Hans Krol of business for almost two years,” said Thomas. Thomas, who also serves as Dolfijn’s general manager, focuses on the customer experience: service and satisfaction starts as soon as the customer walks in the door. Interestingly, all employees at Dolfijn wear uniforms - light blue for management and black for all others - but NO name badges. Thomas is proud of the fact that his employees do not need name badges to identify themselves. They meet and greet every customer and introduce themselves by name. “The experience starts with a warm welcome from me or a staff member,” said Thomas. “We notice them almost immediately when they come in because reception is only 10 meters from the entrance. Then we find their reservation and assign them to a lane. All open play bowling is charged in increments of one hour and, happily, the incidence of a complaint about the hour being finished before the end of a game is very rare.”
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“When the hour begins, customers can fill in their names and start bowling. If they are newcomers, our staff will help them, at no charge, with ball selection, filling in names on the automatic scoring, and to open the bumpers for children,” added Thomas. “And, while customers are bowling, our wait staff will take orders for drinks and/or finger-foods, which are delivered to customers on the lanes.” After bowling, many customers stay for a drink at the bar, visit the restaurant for a snack or meal,
Bowler’s area
or enjoy one or more of the other attractions offered at Dolfijn. Finally, before they leave, they pay for every activity and service they’ve enjoyed during their visit, which are consolidated into one bill. “Of course, our success depends on how well we treat our customers,” said Thomas. “And this starts with how we select employees. We look at personality, body language, attitude, and how they present themselves. Communication skills are important, too. If they can’t communicate easily with us, they won’t communicate or relate well to customers. If we like what we see [in a candidate], we know we can train them, regardless of whether they have previous experience. Our motto is, ‘The guest always takes first place in our place,’ and all of our employees understand this concept.” “Maintaining equipment and all the facilities within the center is important too,” added Thomas. “There’s nothing more frustrating to customers than having their enjoyment spoiled by a malfunction. A preventive maintenance program when the center is closed helps. Plus, 50% of our staff can quickly fix a problem, thereby eliminating
COVER STORY
The concourse has an open shelving concept that keeps the design light and airy
the need for pinchasers during business hours.” The restaurant at Dolfijn, which seats 154 people, features a small but excellent à la carte menu. They also offer a Steengrill, which is grilling on a hot stone on the tabletop. This is very popular in the Netherlands and, in fact, most families also have at least one plate at home. The concept is for diners to cook their own meat on the hot stone. Diners who choose the Steengrill help themselves to salads and fruits and other attractive offerings as sides from a large buffet counter. The restaurant is open in the afternoon and evening, as the center is not open to the public at lunchtime. “For school parties, corporate team building events, or any group bringing that many people, we will always accommodate them in the morning, including lunchtime, if that’s the most suitable or only time for them,” said Thomas. According to Thomas, 90% of diners in the restaurant make reservations, usually at the same time as they make a reservation for one or more of the attractions. At publication time, the only attractions at Dolfijn that have yet to be completed are the two escape rooms. The escape
rooms are ideal for parties, team building, children’s parties, and any other occasion where a group of friends and family can get together and challenge their skills. Thomas anticipates the escape rooms will be very popular. Thomas’s wife, Ineke, manages the marketing side of the business. The primary thrust of their marketing is driven by social media (facebook.com/DolfijnBowling), and their website (www.dolfijn.eu). Reputation, word of mouth, and the publicity they enjoyed following the grand reopening of the center have all contributed to their marketing success. “Next to me, I have four managers,” said Thomas, “Daniel Dol, my brother, Danielle van Hout, Pien van Oirschot, Brenda Kuypers-van Rooij and Marina Hoogendoorn. Between us, we have a variety of contrasting talents. We have a great team and work very well together.” Krol sentimentally adds, “I am convinced that [father] Ronald would have been very proud of the result and the revenues the new center produces. With Marjo, their joint legacy has been secured and preserved.
The balcony has seating and a VR attraction
Thomas can now build on that strong foundation. With the vision he already put forward in building the new Dolfijn ceter, I believe he will have a great future in bowling and be a very successful entrepreneur.” Thomas and Marjo have a winning formula with a good understanding of customers’ needs and wants, a long-term vision for their business, and a generational passion for the industry. All are necessary ingredients for success. Dolfijn – the plays to be is ready for fun and frolicking. ❖
Paul Lane is former Director of Marketing and Marketing Services for AMF Bowling, Inc. He has been the director of 18 AMF World Cups, an officer in national and international trade associations, and a pro bowler during a career that spans more than 60 countries and 50 years.
The Steengrills are ready for guests IBI
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