Photo Courtesy of Randy Gulley
COVER STORY
Bowling in Las Vegas: The more it changes, the more it stays the same. By Jim Goodwin
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Photo Courtesy of Randy Gulley
hat better way to learn how the bowling business is doing in Las Vegas than to talk with two veterans who have lived its history for a long time. Nowhere in America are so many large centers operating in the same market. Jerry Francomano is the director of operations for two of the centers owned by Stations Casinos: 60-lane Texas Star Lanes inside Texas Station; and 70-lane Strike Zone Lanes inside Sunset Station. Stations also owns 72-lane Red Rock Lanes inside Red Rock Casino, and 60-lane Santa Fe Bowling Center. Mike Kaufman is the director of bowling for Boyd Gaming, Nevada Region. He oversees the 70-lane Orleans Bowling Center inside the Orleans Casino, 56-lane Sam’s Town Bowling Center inside the Sam’s Town Casino, 70-lane Gold Coast Bowling Center inside Gold Coast Casino, and 64-lane Suncoast Bowling Center inside Suncoast Casino. Kaufman has been with Boyd since 1988, and Francomano joined Stations in 2000. These two gentlemen deserve a lot of credit for the success of Las Vegas bowling for the past few decades. They are competitors with two different companies, but they are also friends who regularly share insight and information about the business and enjoy an occasional golf game together.
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COVER STORY IBI: Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Tell us how you got started in Las Vegas, and talk a little about what the business was like when you started. g Mike Kaufman (MK): I remember when I came for my interview in 1988, I arrived late on a Friday night, and I went into Sam’s Town about 1 a.m., and the place was just jammed – on an hour waiting list at 1 in the morning. That was the bowling business in this town then – it was just gangbusters. But if I remember, we just had Sam’s Town, the Showboat, Charleston Heights, College Park, West Hills and El Rancho. It was a much simpler business then. We had a lot of leagues and we did a lot of sweepers out of the Los Angeles market. It was a very different dynamic back then. At that time, the Showboat, Sam’s Town, and El Rancho were very successful in hosting that business from Southern California. We were pretty much at capacity. We were just as full as we could be for a long time. g Jerry Francomano (JF): I arrived in Vegas in 2000, so this is my 19th year. It really is a pretty unique and funny story how I got here. I was in the pro shop business in New York, and I came out in June of 2000 for Bowl Expo and the IBPSIA conventions. We had the JP Hall of Fame Pro Shops in New York in Lake Grove. On the way out, I am reading the BJ magazine and on the cover is a photo of Bea Goodwin with Stations and Robert Paravia with The Orleans, and the article is about the explosion of bowling in Las Vegas. At that time, Coast Casinos was more involved, and Stations was just getting into it. There was a luncheon I was invited to with Sugar Ray Leonard because Sugar Ray was endorsing a bowling ball. I sat next to Sugar Ray on one side, and Bea Goodwin on the other. The only reason I sat there was because Bea’s husband couldn’t make it, so I got his seat. During the lunch, we talked, and I mentioned the article to Bea, and she said she had seen an article about me in Bowling Industry naming me pro shop operator of the decade for the 1990s. We were just making small talk. When lunch was over, Bea asked me if I knew anyone that was strong in bowling that might be willing to re-locate. I asked her if she had time to talk, and she invited me to Texas Station where she showed me the plan for Stations to grow, and in September, I was out here. Originally, I came out to develop the pro shops for Stations, but they ended up asking me to run the bowling center at Texas Station, and I’m still here. IBI: And you saw some pretty rapid growth in the next few years. g JF: I sure did. Sun Coast had just opened about that time in 2000, and we took over Santa Fe in October of 2000. Texas opened in December of 2000, and the game was on. I remember we still had a lot of late leagues on the floor, and open play was just phenomenal, especially at Texas, because it had all of the latest and greatest bells and whistles, and a cosmic show and Club Rev. People were given those little beepers so they could go up into the casino, and we would page them when we had their lane. It was a fun time. We opened
Sunset in 2004, and it had the same impact in drawing out bowlers who had not bowled in years. We opened Red Rock in 2007. Manager Dennis Matthews was there for both. Boy, have we put a lot of lane beds in this town since 2000, and it is still pretty strong even with all of these big new centers. g MK: What’s really incredible to me is that the weekends are still so busy. When you stop and think of the more than 600 lane beds available in town, it is inspiring to still see a strong demand for bowling. I think what people don’t realize is that when these operators build a 64-or 70-lane center, it is like two centers being built in a traditional market that normally would have a 24-or 32-lane center and here we have nine centers [with] 56 lanes or more. I think it says something about the popularity of bowling in this city when you can open centers of this size and still do very well with them.
g JF: Look at that 11-mile range between Red Rock and Santa Fe. We have dropped 252 new lanes in that area in 17 years, and we are still busy. We are still doing well. g MK: And consider that South Point is also in that mix, and they have the 64-lane center and the 60-lane arena. I think South Point opened in 2005, and they added the tournament plaza a couple of years ago. That is a lot of lane beds in a very short time. It also reflects the phenomenal population growth of this town. When I came here in ‘88, I think there were about 500,000 people. Now I think it is over 2 million. IBI: What are your best memories from your early days in Vegas? g MK: I think it would have to be the popularity of the professional tournaments – LPBT, PWBA, the PBA from its days at the Showboat until now. The popularity of all IBI
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COVER STORY for our local and destination customers. Due to the size and location of our centers, we have a demand for destination events, so we do whatever we can to facilitate those events because they also have an impact on other areas of the property. The locals are pretty understanding. We offer a good price point and product and I think they understand that it’s due in part to the value that the bowling centers provide to the properties when hosting destination events. We have situations when we have to bye leagues for a tournament and they may miss a week, but, for the most part, they are pretty understanding. The lanes at Red Rock.
events was special. There was tremendous support from the locals and destination customers who came in not only to spectate but to also participate in the pro ams. For me, the LPBT years were really something, and at times pretty exhausting. At one point, I think we had something like six televised events at Sam’s Town in one 12-month period. We did a lot of events there. g JF: I think the amazing growth is my best memory – just watching these beautiful centers go up and get going. I’ll never forget going down that escalator to see our center at Texas for the first time when it was finished. It was just dirt when I got here, and I was amazed. In October, it was just dirt, and they are telling me it is going to be done with all of the bells and whistles in December. I’m thinking, ‘Yeah right!’ [But] by golly, they got it done! To this day, when I go down that escalator, it is like going into Yankee Stadium — you go through the Bronx, go in to the stadium, and all of a sudden, there is this beautiful, lush, green baseball field. Red Rock is our newest shining star without a doubt. When Sunset was built, it was modeled after Texas, and you get the same feeling in both places. And then when we built Red Rock, it incorporated all of the little extras and details and tweaks that we wished we had done at the other two, so it has become our flagship center. It is the only center in Vegas with a 12-lane private bowling lounge for VIP parties. IBI: How do you balance your locals and leagues with all of the special events? g MK: It is tough sometimes. I think what you need to understand is that the bowling centers are amenities to the properties, and we are very fortunate to have companies who invest a lot of money in those centers to provide a quality product 26
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g JF: The manager that has the biggest challenge with that is Dennis Matthews at Red Rock, with all of the corporate buyouts and special events, and he handles it just like Mike said. We try to have all of that stuff in line before leagues start so there are no surprises. Back East, we bowled when the weather was cold. Here, we have the whole year to work with, so it is a little easier. We also try to coordinate with each other for major events, and if we can’t handle something, we send it to another place. It has been a good working relationship with us with major events – USBC and others. We communicate as much as we can, because getting them to Vegas helps all of us, and that includes the folks at South Point as well. ‘Heads in beds’ is what it is all about. IBI: What is the biggest change in recent years? g JF: What has kind of changed is that we don’t see as many bowlers come out to bowl action like we once did, like in the Gold Coast masking units have the classic Las Vegas feel.
COVER STORY High Roller or the Eliminators, or others. I miss seeing guys like Chris Barnes and Rudy Revs and so many more. That has fallen off for a number of reasons. But who knows, maybe someday it may come back. Looking at it like a New York kid who might want to bowl in those types of events, there are some good memories. And there was always a dual reason for coming out. We loved to bowl, but we also loved the dice tables, and the blackjack tables, and all of the rest. Gambling was a big part of it, but now, those guys can gamble in their own neighborhood in almost every state, so maybe they just don’t save up for that big trip to Vegas every year.
And we have the VIP room at Red Rock that does some very elaborate corporate and private parties. We do more corporate parties, more than any of us ever thought we would do. Some of our new scoring systems even have some special features for hourly and package bowling, so we are learning like everybody else. If you look at it just from a business point of view, it would be great if everybody bowled by time, because then we would know when we would get that lane back to sell to the next customer. But if you just buy a couple of games, we don’t know if you will take 30 minutes or two hours to bowl – you may wander down to the sports book in the middle of a game, so especially in peak times, it makes sense to sell time bowling.
g MK: I agree. We had the International Eliminator Tournament at Sam’s Town for five years, along with the Mini Eliminator and High Roller. All of them did very well for many years, but after September 11, 2001, it was different. We dropped the International Eliminator not long after 9-11 because bowlers were just not comfortable with flying, especially the international players. IBI: The trend in bowling is the FEC model, and perhaps Vegas led that charge. These centers are the ultimate FECs, including the newest movie+bowl concept. Do you have packages with timed bowling, or corporate parties, and do you cross-promote with your movie theaters? g MK: We do some packages, and those are usually by time, but for the most part, we still sell bowling by the game, because it still works well for us. I think Jerry’s centers do more time bowling than we do. For years and years, we have marketed to those coming in for movies, and we have been very successful. g JF: And there is another amenity that is upgrading the product by putting in food and fancy seats and game rooms to meet the demands of these young customers who have money to spend. IBI
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COVER STORY IBI: Are your centers still getting much graveyard business? g JF: No. All of our centers used to run 24 hours, but now they all have closing times. g MK: Here at the Orleans and at Sam’s Town, we are still open 24 hours, but Gold Coast and Sun Coast are not. IBI: What is your percentage of league bowlers? g MK: Overall ours is about 24-25%. g JF: Ours is 23-27%. It’s that percentage of revenue. IBI: Are tournaments still a big part of your business? g JF: Yes, we do USBC, PBA, and I’ll never forget that 50th Tournament of Champions at Red Rock when Kelly Kulick won. We do TNBA Nationals [which] we share between the two companies. g MK: Yes, we still do quite a few tournaments, like the Golden Ladies event. As I mentioned earlier, there is still a demand for tournaments in Vegas, so we look at the event and determine the potential overall benefit to the property. With more demand for convention housing space, we need to be cognizant of when we position tournaments in relation to other events that may be taking place in town during that time. With gaming expanding throughout the United States, more attention is paid to other revenue streams within the properties when considering tournaments. IBI: We will never forget that 49-cent breakfast at Smoky Joe’s Café at Sam’s Town when the LPBT was there, but it is getting more difficult to find food bargains these days in Vegas. Do you agree? g JF: It is changing. Food is an important part of the revenue today. MGM recently ran a national ad advertising their property and Vegas, and nowhere in the ad was the mention of any kind of gaming. It was all about food and entertainment and the hotel. That says a lot. Just look at the number of high profile chefs that are here now – Gordon Ramsey, Wolfgang Puck and many more. It is amazing. g MK: I think what we have seen in Las Vegas over the years is the ability of operators to adapt to changing social and economic trends and then do it in such a way that it is hard for any other market to compete with on what Las 30
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Vegas has to offer in an overall entertainment experience. As Jerry said, there is more of an emphasis on hotel, food, and entertainment as opposed to the gaming aspect of the business. IBI: We may no longer have Mega Buck Tournaments in Vegas, but you still operate mega centers, and these big places provide a lot of jobs. How is your staffing done compared to a traditional center? g MK: Our staffing is much different than a traditional center. What you have to understand is that when you talk about the bowling center, you actually have five other departments involved in the day-to-day operations. The only bowling center [designated] staff are the desk attendants and the mechanics. Internal maintenance staffs the porters, snack bar and bar team members are staffed by the F&B department, and the engineering department assists with any maintenance other than on the pinsetters and lanes. g JF: Yes, we might have 30 people working in the center during a given day, but maybe only 15 of them are on our center payroll. IBI: Have you seen an increase in security based on what has been happening in recent times? g JF: I don’t know if it has increased or just that it seems to be more visible. I know in my company the security people do a great job and they are very physical. By that I mean that they are not in the back of the house, they stay on the floor, in the parking garages, everywhere. They are easy to see, and we like that. They may have a couple more now, but I don’t think it has changed that much, they always did a good job, and they still do.
COVER STORY g JF: I love it because I don’t have to shovel sun! I don’t play when it gets that hot. I have friends that visit, and they go out to play and come back dragging. g MK: It doesn’t bother me as much because I came here from Arizona. And most of the year it is not actually that hot. IBI: Do you see more VIP lounges going in the other places like the one at Red Rock?
Red Rock Lanes at Red Rock Casino and Resort.
g MK: It is the same here. I think it has always been a priority simply because of the nature of the business. They are very good at what they do. IBI: Where does the Vegas bowling business go from here in the next five years? g MK: If you had asked me in 2013 what Las Vegas would look like in five years, I don’t think I, or others, would have imagined that we would have the Raiders coming to Vegas, a new NHL hockey team, or major league soccer. In this town, when you try to predict what will happen in five years, it is almost impossible because of how ever-changing this market is. IBI: But what about bowling? g MK: Bowling will always be a part of it, but what it will look like is anyone’s guess. It has been an iconic part of this town for so long that it’s hard to imagine that it would not be in the future as well. g JF: If we could see five years ahead, I think we might see more involvement with food and beverage, more packages available for this new generation that seems to want everything and want it now. We will get more in tune with them. IBI: They seem to have more money? g JF: I think they do, and sometimes cost is not much of a factor. I can see a time when a customer comes in and they don’t touch anything. We will have a host that gets them shoes and finds them a ball, puts their names into the scorers, takes their food and beverage orders – everything. We have some of that now in places like the lounges, but I can see that becoming the norm. IBI: It seems like you both love living here? Is it because you can play golf in the 110 degree heat? 32
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g MK: I’m not sure. There have been a couple of boutique venues in town that were not successful for various reasons. We looked at it here at the Orleans, but we have events that require all 70 lanes so it would have to be a modular application where we would have the ability to transform the space into a boutique setting or leave it as traditional bowling. The cost of retrofitting a space for such an application becomes cost prohibitive as opposed to incorporating such a concept in the initial building phase of a project. g JF: We have looked at it the same way. The food and beverage part of it is huge, and it takes a lot to make it work. g MK: The food is the driver in those types of operations and it is hard to get the price point that you need to justify the cost outlay especially in some of the local market areas. g JF: I think in all of our places — Boyd, Stations, South Point — they are family friendly. They are community places. In this town, that is real important. What do I do here that I can do with my kids? Bowling is maybe the best choice. How many times can they go to the movies? I think with the hockey team we may see more ice rinks pop up. ❖
Jim Goodwin is the founder and president of the Bowling News Network and a former president and life member of the International Bowling Media Association.