International Bowling Industry May 2013

CONTENTS

VOL 21.5

8 SHORTS • Brunswick taps Boondocks for Excellence • Ducky’s introduces Duckpins in Florida • Gregg Pasdiora joins Twelve Strike • Jack Moran receives the Victor Lerner Memorial Medal

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THE WORLD'S ONLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BUSINESS OF BOWLING

PUBLISHER & EDITOR Scott Frager

27 BEYOND BOWLING SPECIAL SECTION

frager@bowlingindustry.com Skype: scottfrager

• Bowl Expo Entertainment Vendor Preview • Food & Beverage Options in the 21st Century • Interesting Interview: Mike Auger of Trifecta Management Group

holmes@bowlingindustry.com

Compiled by Patty Heath

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Chris Holmes OFFICE MANAGER Patty Heath heath@bowlingindustry.com

CONTRIBUTORS Ben Breuner Fred Groh Patty Heath George McAuliffe Mark Miller Robert Sax

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jackie Fisher fisher@bowlingindustry.com

44 WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME

16 TRIBUTE

Old Lanes, New Life A group of volunteers in St. Louis gives old lanes new life at The Missouri School for the Blind.

CJ Fox Remembering the man who was filled with a great passion for life and had a deep connection to his work family.

By Mark Miller

By Fred Groh

50 MARKETING It’s Sheer MAYHEM! 20

20 COVER STORY

Brandon Rainone has a new twist on league promotions that will rock new bowlers to your center.

By Ben Breuner

The Movies-BowlingDinner Combo A look at how the Frank Entertainment Company, headed by Bruce Frank, makes bowling the star at its latest venture, CineBowl and Grille.

62 REMEMBER WHEN 1953 “Fresh up” with Seven-Up and bowling.

By Robert Sax

By Patty Heath

ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION Designworks www.dzynwrx.com (818) 735-9424

FOUNDER Allen Crown (1933-2002)

12655 Ventura Boulevard Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 789-2695(BOWL) Fax (818) 789-2812 info@bowlingindustry.com

www.BowlingIndustry.com

HOTLINE: 888-424-2695 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One copy of International Bowling Industry is sent free to every bowling center, independently owned pro shop and collegiate bowling center in the U.S., and every military bowling center and pro shop worldwide. Publisher reserves the right to provide free subscriptions to those individuals who meet publication qualifications. Additional subscriptions may be purchased for delivery in the U.S. for $50 per year. Subscriptions for Canada and Mexico are $65 per year, all other foreign subscriptions are $80 per year. All foreign subscriptions should be paid in U.S. funds using International Money Orders.

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MEMBER AND/OR SUPPORTER OF:

52 Showcase Cover and cover story photos by Keith Douglas.

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54 Datebook 27

55 Classifieds

SHORTS

EXPANSIONS, OPENINGS & NEW BEGINNINGS The one-time headquarters of the Make a Wish Foundation in Tampa Bay, FL. will be transformed into Ducky’s Sports Lounge, which will feature a modified form of mini-bowling where guests can wear their own shoes and roll a slightly smaller ball down the lanes. The 5,700 square-foot space will include an outdoor deck and a restaurant. A notable investor is Evan Longoria, the Major League third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Keith Goan, another of Ducky’s owners explained, “Ducky’s will have a little something for everyone— mini-bowling for friends and families, a convenient happy-hour spot for the downtown crowd and an incredible game-watching venue for sports fans.”

The name Ducky’s derives from Duckpin Bowling, popular in the Northeast for more than a century, and was reportedly a favorite sport of Babe Ruth. Now the game is moving south. This could be a “ducky” situation for the renewed popularity of the older, New England-style game.

Commerce One Corp., a New Jersey development group, has purchased the vacant Baker Lanes in Cherry Hill which closed in 2011 after 53 years as an iconic BYOB bowling alley. Plans are to reopen the space as Optimal Gym and Bowling Lounge. There will be 20 to 24 lanes and a fitness club with state-of-the-art equipment. The bowling lounge will be upscale and include a nice restaurant.

Commerce One purchased the site for $650,000 and will invest about $1.5 million in renovations. There is a similar facility in South Philadelphia which has proven to be a very successful concept. The hopes are that it will open sooner than later and definitely in 2013.

April 1 has been deemed the day that Windsor Bowl will step into the 21st Century.

Nestled in California’s wine country, the center has been in the throes of a $500,000 renovation. According to Jaime Pattison, owner since 2007, and the Press Democrat, the wood lanes have been replaced with synthetic lanes. The new lanes’ bumper guards that prevent gutter balls will rise automatically when it is a young bowler’s turn then recede for adults. It’s all programmed into the automatic scorekeeping. Adults and kids will be able to bowl together. New bowling shoes and balls are also in the renovation mix.

What won’t change at Windsor is the camaraderie among its bowlers and the courtesy Pattison says they extend to one another, especially when someone is throwing the ball.

BOONDOCKS – BRUNSWICK 2012 CENTER OF EXCELLENCE lanes plus a new corporate Boondocks Fun Center, Northglenn, event center and two state-ofCO, was selected as Brunswick’s 2012 the-art meeting rooms.

Center of Excellence. “With so many John Roush, Brunswick outstanding centers, this is always a director of sales/Western region, difficult choice,” said Brunswick Bowling who nominated the center said, president Brent Perrier.

“Boondocks provides highThe Boondocks brand has two other quality entertainment, friendly centers located in Kaysville and Draper, crew members and outrageously Utah. It was after the success of bowling good service. Also, I’ve seen the in the Kaysville location that convinced back of the house of many owners Damon Day and Randy Fullmer entertainment centers, but I’ve to add bowling lanes to the Northglenn From left to right: Jason Dean (Brunswick New Business Consultant), Casey Lee location, which also boasts several (GM, Boondocks, Northglenn, CO), John Scherbarth (GM, Boondocks Kaysville, UT), never seen more detailed outdoor attractions including two 18- Randy Fullmer (Boondocks CEO), Damon Day (Boondocks COO), Court Huish attention paid to maintenance hole miniature golf courses, a 100,000- (Boondocks partner), Michael GM, Boondocks Draper, UT), and John Roush (Brunswick, and cleanliness than here.”

According to Day, the gallon bumper boat pond and three Director of Sales). addition of bowling rounds out different go-kart tracks for drivers of Boondocks’ appeal and is one way to differentiate themselves different ages and heights. The renovation added 12,000 and enhance the guests’ experience. square feet to the Northglenn location, housing 20 bowling 8

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GOODWILL CENTRAL

SHORTS

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We are five months into the year. Valentine’s Day and Easter are gone and summer looms. Centers have been busy helping to promote the activities and charity events in their communities.

What better thing than to run a business, create fun and help those in need.

Here is what some of your fellow centers have been up to: Pinz Bowling & Entertainment Center, Studio City, CA, was the site of A Place Called Home’s 6th Annual Stars & Strikes Celebrity Bowling & Poker Tournament to Support Inner City Youth.

Mayor Jerry Weiers of Glendale, AZ, raised funds for one of his favorite charities at the 7th Annual Shriners Bowling Fundraiser Palooza at Glen Fair Lanes. The event benefits children throughout Arizona who are in need of air and ground transportation to one of 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Midway Lanes in Mandan, ND, helped the Central Dakota Humane Society with its Alley Cats and Dogs bowling fundraiser.

The CDHS is a no-kill animal shelter serving the surrounding area of Bismarck-Mandan. Another no-kill shelter was the focus for Purr & Paws, a cat and kitten rescue and adoption organization, held at Spare Time-South Glen Falls in New York.

People took to the lanes at AMF Rolling Meadows Lanes in Rolling Meadows, IL, to help raise money for Linked by Pink, a nonprofit that raises funds to support women battling breast cancer and their families.

Another breast cancer bowling event was held by the Maurer Foundation’s Fourth Annual Flamingo Bowl at 300 Long Island in Melville, NY. One of the older events—30 years—is the “Darryl, Susan, Lisa & Mark Elbe Bowl For Breath.” This is a scotch doubles tourney held at Bel-Air Bowl in Belleville, IL, which has raised more than $600,000 for cystic fibrosis research. This year it proceeded without the leadership of Darryl Elbe who passed this last September and had been the face of the tournament, drawing 700 bowlers annually, for the past 29 years.

The Center for Domestic Violence Services (CDVS) in Milford, CT, held its 25th Annual Bowl-2-Benefit at AMF Lanes Milford. All the proceeds benefit domestic violence programs and services. Last year, the Bowl-2-Benefit raised more than $93,000.

In Panama City Beach, FL, there was a Bowl-to-Achieve at Rock’ It Lanes sponsored by the Junior Achievement of Northwest Florida. This was the second event for this group which is dedicated to teaching kids in the fifth, eighth, 11th and 12th grades about entrepreneurship, personal finance and work-related life-skills.

Rainbow Lanes in Paw Paw, MI, was the place to be to help fight Muscular Dystrophy at the “Bowling for Muscles” benefit organized

by Pamela Ernst who suffers from MD1, a rare form of the disease.

We would love to hear what your center is doing. Please email Patty Heath at heath@bowlingindustry.com. Let’s spread the word and inspire others.

SHORTS

Gregg Pasdiora is On-Board

with Twelve

Strike

Twelve Strike, the California-based capital equipment company, has retained the services of veteran Sales Manager Gregg Pasdiora as its new General Manager of Sales and Marketing. The company, founded in 1989, was initially automatic scoring and management systems but has recently expanded its offerings to include furniture, graphics, integrated system components and stereo LCD overheads.

Pasdiora has been in the bowling business since 1980 starting his career managing a territory based out of Atlanta, Georgia where he states he learned “the knowledge that has carried him through the years in the industry.”

“With my experience, it seemed like a perfect fit to work with owner Ron Richmond in developing different directions for the company adding the new line of equipment. What intrigued me after speaking with Ron was that Twelve Strike is not just about automatic scoring anymore. The proactive versus reactive approach resonated with me,“ Pasdiora said. “I look forward to where we as a team will move the company into the future.”

Ron Richmond added, “After meeting with Gregg, I realized what a perfect fit it would be to have him join the Twelvestrike team. He has knowledge of the business of bowling and a positive outlook on the industry, plus we have similar views. With his ability to network and bring teams together that normally would not have been considered was very refreshing.”

According to Pasdiora, there will be some new and exciting product introductions at Bowl Expo this June, and he extends an invitation to all to visit the Twelve Strike booth #474 during the trade show.

Media

WATCH

NBA CLIPPER CHRIS PAUL’S BOWLING FUNDRAISER Los Angeles’ Lucky Strike LA Live was the venue for Chris Paul’s fifth annual Chris Paul PBA All-Stars Invitational. The event raises money for Paul’s CP3 Foundation, which funds a number of programs that “enhance and promote education, health, sports and social responsibility for youth and families.”

Paul bowled along with Los Angeles Clippers teammate Blake Griffin and PBA stars Norm Duke, Chris Barnes and Missy Parkin.

MOVE OVER PRO BOWLERS Pittsburgh Pirates’ outfielder Andrew McCutchen showed off some hidden talent: bowling. Not sure of the venue but the score is impressive—239. He had five strikes in a row, an oops round of 8 and one of 9 to end a nice game. Career after baseball?

21ST BIRTHDAY BOWLING Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood was where the action was for Twilight Saga’s Taylor Lautner.

He was celebrating his 21st birthday and bowling was the choice. Trying to keep a low-profile, he didn’t even want anyone to sing “Happy Birthday,” but friends, including co-star Kristen Stewart did anyway. Before leaving, he did sign one of the Lucky Strike pins. Who’s the girl? No idea.

CENTURY-OLD BOWLING PLANT RAZED FOR REDEVELOPMENT By summer, Brunswick’s 100-yearold complex of manufacturing buildings in Muskegon, MI, will give way to a grassy “green space” to be made available for future redevelopment, according to Brunswick Vice President of Operations Brad Gandy.

The buildings, dating back to 1906, produced Brunswick bowling balls, 12

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pins and pinsetting equipment until 2006.

“Now is the time to take it down,” Gandy said. “We don’t want it just sitting and deteriorating. We want to remain a viable player in this community.”

Brunswick’s bowling division is headquartered in Muskegon and has no plans on leaving, according to company officials.

Photo credit: Photo by Ken Stevens Demolition crews worked in January to take down a portion of the 280,000 s/f Brunswick facility in Muskegon.

SHORTS

BPAA’S 2013 SERVICE AWARDS – AC T I O N –

A Good Idea Not Realized Just imagine…BOWLING leading the way to compromise and a new era in politics. That was the idea behind the House freshmen and the bipartisan bowling trip scheduled for February 26.

In the beginning there were good intentions. “We’re bowling with the Republicans,” Rep. Matt Cartwright (DPA), the co-president of the Democratic class, told The Hill.

At the same time, Rep. Luke Messer (R-IN), president of the Republican freshmen class, said the event was about more than bowling.

“We understand that you’re not going to change the world with a few dinners or a trip to the bowling alley. But it is true it’s harder to demonize people that you … know, and to work together, you have to get to know each other,” he said.

Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), who was president of the Democratic freshman class in 2011, said that she had met with several of the newly elected freshmen and sensed a difference in mood. “The energy is different,” she noted.

Following her was Joaquin Castro (D-TX) who said, “I think a lot of us are hopeful it will be a bipartisan year.”

Cut to February 25. “We’re going to do something else,” Cartwright was quoted. Messer confirmed that the effort and event were off. This was probably infused by some too-cool-for-school reps who thought it was lame. So much for “cooperating.” Big Bird would be disappointed.

– R E AC T I O N –

The Bowling Lobby Speaks The BPAA decided to do a lighthearted nationwide survey of more than 2,100 Americans between February 27 and March 1, 2013 asking who would have bowled better—Democrats or Republicans. Respondents were split with 19% voting for both parties. However, the most common response (62%) was that the winner didn’t matter and that congressmen “just need to get along with each other.”

Steve Johnson, BPAA’s executive director, stated, “The ‘bowling lobby’ has spoken and the response is loud and clear—people care less about which party would win or lose—and more about seeing the job get done right.”

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In anticipation of International Bowl Expo, the BPAA has announced the recipients of its bowling industry service awards. These individuals have been acknowledged for their dedication and passion for the bowling industry and will be recognized in June during the BPAA’s annual meeting in Las Vegas.

Jack Moran, former BPAA president and proprietor of Roseland Bowl, Canandaigua, NY, was honored with the Victor Lerner Memorial Medal. This is given for selfless service to the industry over a significant period of time and is the highest honor in the industry and includes induction into the BPAA Hall of Fame.

Others meriting recognition were John and Joe LaSpina of Maple Family Centers in Rockville, NY, who received the BPAA Media Award. They garnered national attention with their portable bowling lanes. Bowl New England’s Dick and Tim Corley received the President’s Medal for their work in developing the highly successful 8 For 8 program increasing USBC youth memberships. The V.A. Wapensky Award went to Hero Noda of Fuji Toride Bowl in Japan; the Reukben A. Dankoff Award for Public Policy and Legislantive Service was given to Bill DeDominicis of Sky Top Lanes, Torrington, CT; Bob Hart, Storm Bowling, Brigham City, UT, received the Dick Weber Bowling Ambassador Award; and the special Project Award went to the Hall of Fame Xtravaganza.

Redemption Plus Connects Down Under Redemption Plus, provider of redemption and incentive toys, tools, and training since 1996, has announced its partnership with Bumper Action Amusements of Australia.

Bumper Action Amusements has operated in the sales, service and hire of classic amusements and collectibles for over 40 years.

The partnership with Redemption Plus follows on the heels of a deal Bumper Action inked with Castle Golf of Mesa, Arizona, to design and build miniature golf courses in the large city markets of Australia.

Ron Hill, CEO and president of Redemption Plus, stated that with the growth of the company, it was a natural move to expand to Australia. “We look forward to servicing this special market,” Hill stated.

Beginning in February, the companies now offer turn-key amusement industry crane operator and redemption counter packages.

TRIBUTE

Remembering CJ Fox.

By Fred Groh

A

bout 75 people showed up at the Sound-LightKaraoke store in Everett, WA on April 2, singing and dancing until around 1:30 in the morning.

Lots of funny stories were shared, Larry LeBlanc tells us. He owns the store.

An unusual way to mark the passing of a man. But then again, since he was CJ Fox, it was fitting. Fox died March 16.

A large-economy-size man, Fox had an equally outsized sense of fun, according to LeBlanc, who worked for Fox in the karaoke, sound and lighting business for about 12 years before Fox moved his operations to Newton, IA in 2007 and LeBlanc bought the karaoke part of the business.

“You never knew what the heck was going to happen.” Fox had a practical-joker streak in him—“big time.” After LeBlanc had his last child, he decided on a vasectomy. Laid up at home for a couple of days, he got a call from Fox who needed him to come down to the store. “I walk in and there’s a cake with a special picture decorated on the top of it. Male anatomy tied in a knot.”

Jenna Allison, who also shared her memories at the April 2 celebration, got her first job ever with Fox in 2001 and stayed until the move to Iowa. She remembers a day when a tooth was killing her and Fox gave her various OTC remedies that weren’t doing a thing.

Summoned to Fox’s office, she was trying to point to the offending chomper when “he grabbed me and poured Jack Daniel’s down my throat. He already had the bottle with the cap off and everything, waiting for me to come in! After I finished gagging, he said, ‘How does your mouth feel?’ He made me laugh 16

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and took the pain away.”

And then there was the food fight on the way to convention business in Reno. CJ’s van and his big truck side by side at 70 miles an hour on the freeway, bologna sandwich remains and hardboiled eggs flying from vehicle to vehicle.

Go-for-broke was more than Fox’s style when he was letting off steam. He ran his business that way.

“If you ever heard the phrase ‘Go big or go home,’ that was CJ,” says Steve Goetz, who pilots The Goetz Group, an advertising and marketing firm in Sammamish, WA. He was Fox’s original partner in karaoke and a 30-year friend who also took time out for the celebration.

“I was managing a radio station in 1983, and CJ was an account executive there. One night, I get this phone call from him.

‘Steve, I’ve seen the entertainment wonder of the world.’ This was about 11:30, calling to tell me about karaoke. He says, ‘We got to get in this business.’”

A week later they had put together a bankroll, bought a sound system (with Pioneer laser discs in those days), and were in business as karaoke impresarios for clubs in western Washington.

“He gambled big on stuff,” says Goetz. “If he saw something he thought was going to be hot, he’d go buy 10 of them.

Sometimes he’d get it all sold, sometimes he’d come out on the back end. But ‘go bigger,’ that was CJ. He liked taking risks.”

That fits with LeBlanc’s first impression of Fox, which time confirmed. They met when Fox was doing the karaoke shows at a local nightclub LeBlanc was managing. “A go-getter. [He’d] strive to be the best when he was going to do something. Anything,

TRIBUTE whether it was business or relationships, he was going to be number one, he was going to win, he didn’t care what it took, he was going to win.”

Like most very determined people, Fox could be intimidating. Allison says she was “scared to death” when they first met. “He had that low, deep growl for a voice that even if you didn’t see his size and stature could intimidate you. He [had] a way of putting on this facade to make him seem tough and armored and below all that, he had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. He would literally give you the shirt off his back, without [your] even asking.”

LeBlanc chimes in. “Very competitive. He might have been a big guy and look at you sternly when he spoke, and to some people it was intimidating. Some turned and ran away. But if you stood there and talked with the guy, you just fell in love with him.”

Says Allison, “I can’t put into words what he gave me and the patience that it must have taken for him to keep up with me.” She was 17 when she started part-time with Fox. “He taught me not just about the industry and the equipment he used. He taught me the skills I needed to be an employee. I did a lot of things, all over the spectrum, when I worked for CJ—customer service face-to-face, inside sales calling bowling centers all over the United States quoting installations, service calls, I did installation work, shipping and receiving, inventory, stocking, marketing.

It would have been so easy just to hire someone who had all those skills and just teach them about the industry. But he never once made me feel like I was an imposition to him.”

Fox knew whereof he spoke. After his stint in the Navy, he was Kirby vacuum cleaners’ top salesman in Portland, road salesman and owner of a wholesale tire store, on-air personality and general manager of several Washington radio stations, and voice-over actor for Levitz Furniture and Bank of America national advertising.

A quick-thinking marketer on top of it all. He used to have a 25-foot inflatable dinosaur for promoting his wares. On loan to a car dealer one time, the dinosaur was stolen.

“CJ calls the news,” LeBlanc recalls. “News crew comes out and he sends me out to talk to them.” The plan is that LeBlanc will be “in tears. ‘It’s a baby and it wants to come back to its mother. Please help us find the dinosaur.’” That’s the way it ran on TV. (Somebody did find the dinosaur. It was spotted three hours after the story broke, in someone’s backyard, surrounded by kids.)

Working relationships around the store could be just as improvisational.

“Nobody had doors except for him,” LeBlanc says. “You could go wherever, to whomever. It was all one big group together, and everybody worked together.”

“It was not a boss-employee relationship,” Allison agrees. “We were really like a family. He was the dad of the house, and we were all his children.”

The eight or so employees in Washington would get together after hours for relaxation like barbecues and more serious affairs like a fundraiser sale in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Fox staged a huge sale and the profits went to a Katrina fund. But happy times were never far away, as when he decorated the store, laid out a groaning banquet board, invited his entire customer base, and hosted the wedding reception when Allison got married.

Six or seven years after Fox and Goetz started with karaoke, Goetz relocated to the East Coast but the two stayed in touch. “Even though we were apart a long ways, we were very close,” he says, “and if you were his friend, you were his friend for life.” They often talked a couple of times a week, the last time about two weeks before Fox died.

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“On one road trip,” Allison remembers, “CJ and I were by ourselves in one of the vans driving back from Las Vegas. When you spend so many hours alone with someone in a vehicle, you start talking about things you never imagine talking about with anybody else, because you run out of things to say.

“He told me that if he ever won the lottery he was going to buy a huge chunk of acreage somewhere up north here in Washington.

He was going to name it Fox Estates and he was going to have a house built for every single one of his employees on that chunk of land and give them $10,000 to furnish the house and $10,000 to buy a new car and we would all live together in this community.

That’s who he was.”

If Fox had won the lottery, he would have done it, Allison says. She is sure about it. ❖

We thank Gordy Cea and Greg Olsen for background for this story.

Fred Groh is a regular contributor to IBI and former managing editor of the magazine.

COVER STORY

By Robert Sax

M

ovie buffs know that serials were a staple of cinema programs from the silent era into the 1950s. Designed to bring theater patrons back week after week, these action-adventure stories were told in weekly chapters. They always ended with an exciting cliffhanger and a title card that read “To be continued.”

When Bruce Frank opened his first “combo” entertainment complex this year in Delray Beach, Florida, he began the latest chapter in his family’s long running serial as innovators in family entertainment. The 70,000-square-foot CineBowl & Grille gathers under one roof the businesses in which the Frank family has been active since the early 20th century- bowling, movies and arcades - and adds an upscale, full-service restaurant. It’s one of the anchors of the 250,000-square-foot Delray Marketplace retail development.

Frank’s grandfather, Samuel Frank, founded the family-run company in 1906.

The company first operated independent nickelodeons, amusement arcades and bowling alleys in Philadelphia, Atlantic City and southern New Jersey. It ran bowling alleys into the early 1950s, by which time its theater operations had become the focus of the business.

The company also develops, owns and operates numerous shopping centers, retail and residential properties, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and condominium developments. It has offices in Jupiter, Florida and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

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PIONEERS OF THE SILVER SCREEN ✰✰✰✰✰ Samuel Frank opened the first Philadelphia theater to run “talking pictures” in 1921. His son, Alvin Frank, expanded the business and created the first twin theater, the Towne Twin, in 1966. Grandson Bruce developed the first allstadium-seating megaplex, the Towne 16, in 1986. Today the company owns and operates 25 theaters and 300 screens in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

In 2003, Bruce Frank relocated to Florida. That move lead to the company’s return to bowling when it acquired and completed Superplay USA, a stalled family entertainment center project in Port St. Lucie, Florida. This FEC has 48 lanes of bowling, an arcade, batting cages, laser tag, an indoor 9-hole mini golf course

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and a race simulator. It also features a 6,000square-foot restaurant with lane-side service.

Frank looked at the trends in the FEC business and felt the time was right to revive the “combo” cinema/restaurant concept that he had first envisioned twenty-five years earlier. “At the time it was exceptionally hard to get a bowling center financed. It was even harder to get a movie theater financed,” he recalls. “Banks would look at movie theaters as single-purpose buildings. They were always afraid that if they got it back, what would they do with it?”

Changes in theater design such as replacing sloped floors with stadium seating have made it easier to repurpose theater buildings, so banks are more willing to participate now. At last, Frank was able to realize his vision.

Frank claims the new complex is the only one in the world to combine first-class cinemas, bowling and food in one place.

“With CineBowl & Grille, we offer a true destination designed to bring people together for great food, the newest feature films and all-around fun,” says Frank.

Although not the first to try combining theaters and bowling, Frank feels his company has the right mix of experience necessary to make it a real success. “A couple of people had tried it but were not experts in either business, let alone both businesses,” says Frank. “Running a movie theater is a different world from running a BEC. They are totally different businesses.”

As you would expect from the Frank family, the theater side features the latest and greatest in cinema technology. The twelve movie auditoriums include an IMAX theater.

All are equipped with state-of-the-art Sony 4k digital projection and RealD 3D systems.

Moviegoers will be among the first in

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South Florida to view movies on Frank Theaters’ proprietary FDX large-screen format with 80 foot screen and Dolby ATMOS, a surround sound system allowing moviemakers to place sounds anywhere throughout the theater.

The Frank family history is honored in the new complex. The IMAX and FDX auditoriums are named after Alvin Frank. Patrons also see his portrait, and that of Samuel Frank, in the theater lobby. The big black and white photos are placed front and center among those of such Hollywood legends as Greta Garbo, John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe.

Moviegoers can reserve their seats before show time via an on-line system, a smartphone application or at kiosks located throughout the lobby. Patrons that prefer the traditional box office can reserve seats there as well. With reserved seats, patrons are able to enjoy a meal, bowl or play in the arcade without worrying about missing their movie. “You don’t have to rush,” says Frank. “Our mantra is ‘relax, your seats await.’”

Bowlers are as well-served as moviegoers, with 16 lounge-style VIP lanes. Brunswick supplied the cherry wood glow lanes, GS-X pinsetters and Vector Plus center management system. A custom videowall system

by Be Media features HD projectors that throw a 28-foot-diagonal image above every four lanes. As with the movies, bowlers can reserve lanes in advance, an increasingly popular option.

Seating in the bowling area was custom-built by Venue Furniture, which specializes in BECs and FECs. “Bruce Frank has a very clear vision of what he wants in his centers,” says Venue founder Chuck Courter. “Everything we did for him, including bar stools and chairs, was built custom.” Some of the original designs will be carried over into several new centers that Venue is outfitting for Frank Entertainment.

Guests who love games can enjoy a full redemption arcade complete with more than 25 video and prize games.

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The Red Brick Grille, a full-service casual dining restaurant, completes the CineBowl and Grille triplefeature. The indoor restaurant with outside patio features classic Americana cuisine including appetizers, sushi, barbeque, gourmet pizzas, burgers, handcrafted sandwiches and a wide selection of fresh salads. “Everything is made from scratch,” Frank says with pride, “It’s a very high end product.

It’s not bowling food.”

Thirsty patrons can enjoy a drink at either of two bars, one located on a private patio. The extensive drink menu includes signature cocktails, specialty martinis and more than 24 handcrafted draft beers and premium liquor selections.

Frank enlisted entertainment center consultants Trifecta Management Group to hone the CineBowl and Grille concept. “Dinner and a movie is probably the most frequent entertainment combination in the United States,” says Trifecta partner Mike Auger, “but customers still have to be convinced to eat dinner at the theater rather than somewhere on the way.”

Prior to starting Trifecta, Auger and his partners managed the GameWorks chain that combined casual dining with arcade games. That experience taught them that if you execute each element at a high level and offer great value, customers will be eager to do it all in the same place.

The CineBowl and Grille derives an added advantage from the marketing reach and power of the movie business. “You’re leveraging the fact that there are great movie titles out there,” says Auger. A big film with lots of buzz will draw people to the theater in a way that bowling and restaurants alone can’t.

COVER STORY

LEADING AN ENTERTAINMENT REVOLUTION ✰ Frank sees the one-stop factor as the key to the success of his combo concept. “The most important thing is that you can fulfill the entertainment needs of a community in one box,” he says. If the customer can park in one place, have a meal while his teenagers see a movie, and still be in the same building, then come back next week just to bowl, it’s a mix that guarantees repeat business.

That’s why Bruce Frank is bullish on the combo concept. The company plans to open as many as 25 combo centers during the next 30 months. Some will be full-blown CineBowl and Grille centers of 75,000-100,000 square feet. Others will be boutique 35,000-55,000-square-foot FECs called Revolutions offering a Red Brick Grille and a flexible mix of smaller VIP bowling lanes, cinemas, stadium sports

bars, games and arcades. A Revolutions center currently under construction in Syracuse, New York, will test out a 300-seat theater for live music, comedy and stage shows.

The initial move is into markets that have not yet experienced a premium entertainment center. Urban centers like New York, Los Angeles and Toronto have had hybrid cinemarestaurants or bowling-restaurants for several years, but Frank sees a big demand in “middlemarket America.” “We think the public is hungry for first-class entertainment, as they have been for first-class cinema,” he says.

Whether big or boutique, all the Frank centers are designed for large retail developments. Frank describes his offerings as “landlord solutions.” “If you’re a landlord and you need a movie theater, we can do that,” says Frank. “If you have a movie theater but just need a BEC or a FEC, we’ll bring Revolutions.”

Projects are currently under way in West Palm Beach, Florida; Greenville and Rock Hill, South Carolina; Cary, Holly Springs and Southern Pines, North Carolina; Ranson, West Virginia; Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and Princeton, New Jersey.

It’s an ambitious agenda but in keeping with Frank Entertainment’s pioneer spirit.

“We were always looking at where the business was going,” says Frank. “That’s why we were always leaders in the movie business, and early developers of multiplexes and stadium seating. And we continue that today.”

What’s next? Bruce Frank still has lots of ideas, so we can only say “To be continued.” ❖ Photos by Keith Douglas.

Robert Sax is a writer and PR consultant in Los Angeles. He grew up in Toronto, Canada, the home of five-pin bowling.

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INTRO

According To George t’s hard to believe that it was only 2006 when I attended my first Bowl Expo as an attendee. We were scouting the show to see if it made sense for Redemption Plus to exhibit. It did, and we were exhibitors in 2007 and every year since. So much has happened in those few years, as the BEC has burst onto the scene, flourished, and continues to evolve.

Two trends within the BEC concept are emerging: One, quality food and beverage operations can add to the mix, and two, the addition of other high capacity entertainment enhances the component list. We’ve addressed both in this issue: the IBI cover story visits Frank Theatres Cinebowl and Grille. Bruce Frank shares his vision for bringing cinema and BEC together along with food & beverage for a powerful entertainment destination. Within Beyond Bowling, we feature Trifecta Management Group, the consulting and management team that has taken restaurant service to new levels and has made major contributions to the BEC state of the art.

Rounding out the issue are articles previewing the games and other FEC attractions you can expect to find at Bowl Expo. Also inside is my interview with Mike Auger, a principal with Trifecta, who shares his insights in successful BEC development concepts. Hope to see you at the show! Stop

by Redemption Plus’ booth, #628.

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George McAuliffe President, Pinnacle Entertainment Advisors

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Chris’ Corner f all the snack bar staples, could there be anything more unappetizing than soggy nachos? I’m sure you have experienced a sub-par eating experience through your years in the industry. We know that one bite of a poorly prepared, low-quality food item can be the reason why a customer does not come back to an establishment. Not to mention the aftermath you have to deal with thanks to Yelp’s online reviews.

There is a movement that is gaining momentum in the bowling world that a center’s food service is not just soggy nachos and day old hotdogs. Proprietors are realizing that if they put in the same effort on their F&B offerings as they do on flooring leagues and increasing open play, the ROI is tremendous.

The reality of today’s tough economy is that while people are choosing to skip the big budget family vacation, they can treat themselves to something locally, like a good meal or a stiff drink. I hope our F&B story this month gives you some inspiration to get hungry/thirsty customers in your doors and leave satiated.

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Chris Holmes Director of Advertising, International Bowling Industry

By George McAuliffe

BOWL EXPO PREVIEW

Insider’s Guide to Bowl Expo 2013

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owl Expo is still the best place to meet old friends, visit with suppliers, continue your education, and touch and feel product on the trade show floor-all under one roof.

This year’s tradeshow, back in Las Vegas, should be no different.

Lots of exciting things happening in the industry will be reflected there. An extensive seminar program provides targeted educational opportunities. Our friend Rick Heim, well-known bowling entertainment expert, advised BPAA on the seminar development committee. The result is a wide ranging collection of seminars on the latest tools for managing, promoting, and delivering a great experience to your customers.

We have called our friends who are exhibiting and have put together, exclusively for Beyond Bowling readers, the “must see” new products that will be on display..

Product Preview - Games

LAI GAMES Balloon Buster This is LAI’s carnival-themed prize merchandiser which got a lot of buzz at IAAPA. Its nostalgic theme is wired for a wide audience while the graphics and carnival barker voice prompts add fun.

Players must guide a dart through a hole and pop a balloon to win one of the five available prizes. It’s a simple, quick game play which encourages repeat attempts. Operators can choose from global or individual prize adjustment settings.

Little Speedy LAI continues its contribution to the children’s play category with Little Speedy, the new pint-sized version of the awardwinning Speed of Light redemption game. It challenges kids to turn off lighted buttons as fast as they can to win points and tickets. It’s right sized and the brightly colored cabinet and friendly voice announcer have attraction value. Games for the younger kids are not always the highest earners (although this one has the potential), but they may well have a higher component of incremental sales- which is really what the operator needs.

COASTAL Coastal is having great success with its Temple Run “Videmption” piece.

Temple Run is a licensed smart phone app which claims more the 200 million downloads, so we know the audience is there. That recognition level gets them there, but the level of fun the game delivers keeps them there. Temple Run is currently offered as a redemption or amusement-only unit which means it can run in your BEC game room or on the concourse.

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BAYTEK - Prize Hub Baytek will be showing its Prize Hub automated redemption center which allows for redemption in smaller or lower volume redemption game rooms. This selfcontained prize center introduces a sleek, modern approach to the redemption market. Baytek has innovated with their entry into this category including 22” touchscreen video display and user-friendly menus.

RAW THRILLS Raw Thrills will be in the Betson booth #127 featuring their new deluxe simulator: Winter X Games SnoCross, the latest edition of their SnoCross series. They’ll also be showing their Big Buck HD, Super Bikes2 and Terminator Salvation.

GOLD STANDARD GAMES/SHELTI Gold Standard Games/Shelti will be showing its new Gold Standard FEC Air Hockey table at the AAMA booth at the upcoming Bowl Expo in Las Vegas. It was shown at the Amusement Expo in March and features colorful side graphics and a great LED lighting package. This new table adds to the base options of the Gold Standard Premium model table including player-activated black light/white light option at coin-up and a video display monitor for scores, promotional info, web addresses, tournament and player rating info. Mark Robbins has over 30 years experience designing tables for the coinop industry and has designed his tables to meet the stringent sanctioning standards of the U.S. Air-Hockey Association.

ANDAMIRO iCube Andamiro will be showing its new prize merchandiser, iCube, which features some unique display and operating control features in this important category. The sturdy, brightly lit steel cabinet is based on the elegant iPhone design. The machine has adjustable prize bins to hold various size prizes with simple one button control.

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Fully Immersive Games

CREATIVE WORKS When the company I managed, Edison Brothers Entertainment, introduced Virtuality back in 1992, the only way to get “inside the game” was in the virtual world. Creative Works has changed that state of affairs in recent years, first with games like Laser Frenzy laser maze and now their latest, Atomic Rush. In the process they’ve made a major contribution to the FEC industry.

These games are just plain fun, and while truly an attraction piece (which means they attract players and play dollars to their 8’x16’ presence), they are an affordable option for the FEC. In addition to everyday play, they are great for groups and parties. In addition to these attractions, Creative Works is perhaps best known for its full-service theme creations, props, and as an attractions provider to theme parks, FECs and bowling centers. You’ll find them in booth 1146.

FUNOVATION Another provider of fully immersive attractions, Funovation points out that part of the magic is that these attractions challenge people and require them to be active, both mentally and physically, all the while having fun and enjoying a truly unique experience.

Funovation will be in Booth 1120 where you can learn more about The Laser Maze Challenge™.

Laser Tag

LAZER RUNNER Laser Tag has never been more popular and Lazer Runner’s Pay-PerPlay program was designed to make purchasing a LaZer Runner Laser Tag System as easy as possible. They are reporting that 2012 was one of the most successful years on record with high hopes in 2013. Stop by Bowl Expo Booth 1064 to check out Lazer Runner’s new battle vest that has the most advanced features available.

LASER TRON Laser Tron will be exhibiting in Booth 1154 and will show its new LASERTRON LT-12 Laser Tag System and new LED illuminated arena packages. Ann Kessler tells me that the LT-12 Laser Tag System is the newest in the industry, designed to be highly reliable and durable, providing players with a very consistent laser tag experience as well as low maintenance costs for operators.

The new LED illuminated arenas incorporate LED lighting versus black lights. This eliminates the costly installation of black light fixtures as well as the replacement costs of black light bulbs down the road, plus providing a much cooler looking arena. They strobe, flash, flicker, etc., giving players a feeling that the arena is "alive" and interacting in the game.

LASER BLAST Stop by Laser Blast’s booth 1227 to see their wireless charging vest racks. The vest racks charge the battery through magnetic coils. The coils are built into the rack and etched into circuit boards on the vest without any metal contacts or connectors. Imagine running all day without any plugging or unplugging of vests! LaserBlast reports that the system extends the useful battery life by running on AC power when the vests are on the racks. Laser Blast will be in Booth 1227

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and will also be featuring their HyperBlast (full-featured PCcontrolled) and FunBlast (hasslefree, no installation required) laser tag systems, along with some interactive arena devices such as MegaBlaster and base stations.

So there you go, a few new items to put on your Bowl Expo planner for further review. Our company stays current on all the new games and attractions. If you do stop by the Redemption Plus booth 628, we’d love to hear what you think of them, and we’ll be glad to share our opinion in return. See you in Las Vegas! ❖

George McAuliffe is a 30-year family entertainment center operator and president of Pinnacle Entertainment Advisors by Redemption Plus. Pinnacle is an industry consulting firm www.grouppinnacle.com. George has operated entertainment centers from 2,000 to 150,000 square feet including redemption and merchandise games since 1983 and has assisted numerous Bowling Entertainment Center owners develop their FEC side.

He is a regular speaker at industry conventions worldwide, and writes for RePlay and International Bowling Industry Magazine.

He can be reached at 913-563-4370 or email at gmcauliffe@redemptionplus.com.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

By Robert Sax

Beyond Nachos Expanding your food and beverage business might be a smart (and delicious) move for your center.

inner at the bowling center? Until recently, food and beverage service was simply a means to keep hungry and thirsty bowlers in the house. In the 1950s, AMF’s architectural design division recommended that operators have “a snack counter and restaurant as small as possible to take care of the bowling patrons.”

Follow that advice today and your competitors could eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As BECs and FECs evolve into comprehensive entertainment destinations, food and beverage operations are an increasingly important factor in the profit equation. That’s due in large part to the consumers’ desire for convenience.

Families in particular prefer a destination where they can park once and enjoy good food and a variety of entertainment choices in one place.

More and more operators are adding restaurants and bars that rival stand-alone operations. Some have even succeeded in getting patrons to dine and drink when they aren’t planning to bowl. But there is more to increasing food and beverage sales than turning a snack bar into a sit-down restaurant and offering more menu choices.

If you’re considering expanding your food and beverage operation, you will need to plan as carefully as you would if you were adding a laser tag attraction or an arcade. If you haven’t done it before, consider teaming up with an experienced consulting firm.

Trifecta Management Group is one company that’s helping operators make the most of the trend to upscale food and beverage. Trifecta’s recent FEC projects include Uphoff Ventures’ Uptown Alley in Virginia and Arizona, and Frank

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Entertainment’s CineBowl and Grille in Florida.

As the former management team of GameWorks, Trifecta’s partners pioneered an entertainment-based family concept that successfully merged videogaming with a casual restaurant.

In the 1990s GameWorks, Dave and Buster’s and others changed consumers’ idea of the food experience they could have in an entertainment environment.

KNOW THE CUSTOMER Mike Auger, a Trifecta managing partner, stresses the importance of knowing your customer and your market space.

“Study who the core user is going to be. Is it going to be the active adult, families, a combination of the two? How much is going to be corporate? Because each one of these groups wants different things.”

Once you understand who the core customer is, you can develop your concept and market positioning, including such important elements as type of food and price point. The

concept then influences everything from décor to the names of menu items.

It’s crucial to understand that your upgraded food and beverage operation won’t exist in a vacuum. If you are going for a family audience, for example, you will have to compete with polished operators such as Chili’s and The Cheesecake Factory. You will have to match their quality of service and food.

Bruce Frank, owner of CineBowl and Grille in Florida, prides himself on the quality of the food in his Red Brick Grille.

“Everything we serve is made from scratch,” says Frank. “It’s a high end product. We’re serving sushi, we’re serving ahi tuna, Angus burgers and pulled pork sliders. It’s not bowling food.”

There is also a lot of potential business in catering if you enhance your food and beverage operation. Terry Black of Berg Liquor Controls has seen several of his clients add or expand rooms for private parties. Corporate events are a big part of that growth.

“The catering aspect of it is huge; that's where the good money is,” says Black.

“Corporate events are going away from 'let's go to Morton’s and have a big dinner.' They're looking for more interactive events, like bowling.”

restaurant or bar. “A lot of times you go back to a place because of the menu items,” says Flashner.

“Maybe you have the best Bloody Mary and you promote that, and people go “‘I’ve got to try that.’”

Phil Blouin of Azbar Plus says a liquor control system is invaluable in controlling waste, shrinkage and drink Photo provided by Azbar Plus. quality. Some systems can be programmed to automatically combine ingredients into a cocktail, ensuring that you can serve the latest best-sellers. “Sometimes waiters won’t push a particular cocktail because they’re afraid the bartender doesn’t know how to make it,” says Blouin. That can lead to missed sales.

TREAT THE LANES AS TABLES For FECs with bowling, a winning approach is to treat the lanes as restaurant tables. That means making the lanes an inviting hang-out where it is as natural to order a meal and a drink as it is to bowl. “When you go and sit down at the lanes, At Spare Time in Greensboro, NC, Venue Furniture has created an inviting hangout area that is also food service-friendly.

SOPHISTICATED SIPPING To be competitive, your beverage operation will need to keep pace with your upgraded food offerings. Again, you are competing with other restaurants and bars, so you need to keep up with consumer trends. For example, demand for high-end, brand name liquors has grown due to aggressive marketing, notes beverage consultant Mark Flashner of Alcohol Controls, Inc. (www.alcoholcontrols.com) That’s especially true of younger consumers who see brand-name drinks touted by their favorite celebrities in ads, via Twitter and even in songs and music videos.

Cocktail culture is popular again, and signature cocktails are a trend that can help drive repeat business to your IBI May 2013

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and you have a server that takes your order and there’s a menu there,” says Auger, “it says, ‘you’re sitting down now, let’s get something to eat.’”

Creating that inviting hang-out means that furnishings in the lane areas are more important than ever. Sofas and soft seating are the trend, but shouldn’t be so soft or deep that it’s difficult for patrons to sit up and eat with a knife and fork.

“The challenge has become how to put people in a lounge situation and still be able to eat something more than finger food,” says Chuck Courter of specialty furniture maker Venue Furniture. “It’s all subtle things, but it increases food and beverage consumption.” Some of the variables to consider are the type of furniture, the amount of surface area on the coffee table, even how far the coffee table is from the couch.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES The digital menu board is another technology trend that’s transforming food and beverage operations; with everyone from mom-andpop chains to McDonald’s A digital menu board makes changing the menu and offering specials a breeze.

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Greaseless Fryers Keep Snack Bars in the Chips The number of full-service restaurants at bowling and family entertainment centers is growing, but the days of the snack bar are hardly numbered. In fact, a snack bar can be more useful and profitable than ever if you keep up with the times.

The most versatile item in today’s snack bar may be the greaseless fryer, a countertop device that uses only hot air and radiant heat. These fryers can make the same foods as a deep fryer, grill or oven, but with greater safety and much less fat. They don’t require vent hoods or a grease trap, and can be used solo or to supplement an existing kitchen.

The wide variety of pre-cooked foods available for greaseless fryers makes it easy to build a bigger menu of new sensations and old favorites. “You can serve restaurant-quality foods without a restaurant,” says Paul Artt, CEO of QNC, Inc., which markets the Quik n’ Crispy greaseless fryer. Artt’s website lists more than 1,000 food items for greaseless fryers, from breakfast burritos to Tuscany chicken to good old french fries.

Another big benefit of greaseless fryers is the ability to close a full kitchen earlier and still serve hot food to hungry customers. That means savings in labor and utilities costs.

When Reggie Frederick began operating twelve-lane Chalet Bowl in Tacoma, Washington in 1984, he could serve only sandwiches from his fifteen-square-foot snack bar. Today he offers seven different burgers, five different hot dogs, twelve different pizzas and more from the same space, thanks to a greaseless fryer and a pizza oven.

“One thing that’s hit a home run recently is a caramelized-onion bacon cheeseburger,” says Frederick.

Pair it with one of Washington’s famed wines or craft beers and you have a delicious argument for keeping the snack bar tradition alive.

trying them out. Numerous vendors are offering the systems, which typically feature computer software or a dedicated server connected to video monitors that take the place of traditional boards using plastic letters or printed signage.

The systems allow operators to almost instantly change text and high-resolution photos in one or more locations. That makes it possible to offer food and drink specials at different times of the day or add new or seasonal items and more without having to rearrange lettering or print new signage. Central control over multiple locations also means consistent presentation and less chance of error compared to manual systems.

When Max Bowl remodeled its location in Port Arthur, Texas into a full-fledged FEC, they decided to upgrade their traditional lettered boards for a digital system from ElectroMenu. Now there are digital boards at the bowling counter and in the grill and bar areas that can be used to list prices and specials for food, beverage and bowling.

Max Bowl liked the system so much it has adopted it for its three locations. “We’ve got one person in Houston that develops the menu board and pushes it out to all the locations,” says Doug Davidson, general manager of Max Bowl. “Each location has a slightly different menu and it works real well. You can change the data in ten or fifteen minutes.”

HIRE EXPERIENCED MANAGEMENT If you don’t have experience with a sophisticated food and beverage operation, hire a manager who does. From inventory control to staff

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training to execution and customer service, there’s a lot to know to make it a success.

Consumers eat out a lot and know what they want. When diners have an experience that doesn’t meet their expectations, it can color their impression of your center much more than something they are less knowledgeable about.

“I don’t bowl a lot. If the lanes aren’t oiled correctly, will it damage my experience? Probably not,” says Auger. “But if you order some food and it comes out cold, you say ‘Hey, what is this?’ Everyone is an expert on food.”

A good dining experience can generate return business and contribute a lot to your bottom line.

Not just from food and beverage sales, but also from all the other fun activities you offer before, after, and even during the meal. ❖

Robert Sax is a writer and PR consultant in Los Angeles. He grew up in Toronto, Canada, the home of five-pin bowling.

INTERESTING INTERVIEW

By George McAuliffe

Expert Advice Mike Auger of Trifecta Management Group shares his thoughts with George McAuliffe on the BEC business in general and some tips from the Food & Beverage front.

1. How do you do what you do?

TMG works in three ways: consulting, ongoing management, or a combination of the two. All involve creating and developing custom concepts, restaurants and dining-entertainment destinations, often with a bowling component.

2. How did you get into the business?

I started in college and worked my way through school in the restaurant business, from dishwasher to busing tables.

After graduation I worked for the Famous Restaurants Group and went through their career development program. By that time I had fallen in love with the restaurant business. I then worked through the management chain to senior vicepresident in charge of casual dining.

3. Was there a key takeaway from those early years?

Yes, the key is to attract, recruit and retain great staff. Once we get the right people in place, providing the right training, resources, tools, and infrastructure allows them to execute.

Incidentally our GameWorks experience showed us that these principles apply to the entertainment side of the house as well.

Mike Auger

entertainment experiences that resonate with the target audience of socially active adults and families.

4. That’s impressive. What keeps you in this business?

Passion. The challenge of delivering a great guest experience. The ability to keep creating new ideas and concepts and seeing them through to operational reality.

6. What are your favorite BEC/FEC additions, in order of success?

First is always the redemption game room. The games are driven by competition and the ability to win a prize. We like laser tag, and the onset of the two-story playfield has added a far more interesting new dimension. Once you get past the first two, success will really depend on the facility and the market. We’ve had some success with Go Karts or mini golf, for example, but there are a certain set of requirements that not many places have.

5. What is a Bowling Entertainment Center (BEC)? How do you define it?

It is a restaurant-entertainment center with bowling as its primary entertainment component or anchor, with a compelling food & beverage operation, and complimentary

7. Is food and beverage a significant part of the mix, or just an amenity to existing traffic?

In the past food and beverage was an afterthought.

People would come for the entertainment then, maybe, decide to eat. They would eat with us by accident-out of

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convenience. Now we want them predetermined to eat, then we become that one stop shop.

8. Should owners/investors be looking to manage F&B on this scale themselves?

If they do it, it should be just like any part of their business, respecting it for what it is, understanding the challenges and the expertise needed to execute at a high level. They have to approach it with open eyes.

Restaurants are probably the most competitive industry out there. Everyone is a food & beverage expert, everyone eats three times a day. On the flip side, if you execute well, you build loyalty through their stomach and they keep coming back.

9. So how do you avoid the pitfalls?

Measure twice, cut once. Immerse yourself into the process early on. It’s essential to have some experience on your team. Hiring [specifically] for it is usually necessary. Next is an effective menu development process, putting the right infrastructure in place, and starting out with high expectations on operations and consistency.

10. What is your take on stand-alone bowling boutiques? Do they work as a business?

Bowling is an activity that compliments the socialization of people getting together around the food & beverage activity. Even with less lane inventory, it does well as a place where people go to socialize.

Bowling is the social entertainment medium. Boutique bowlers don’t have to be particularly good or skilled to have fun, and bowling becomes an extension of the bar.

11. What are the next phases for the BEC? We think that mega entertainment complexes will become an ever more popular form of entertainment. Instead of just dinner and a movie, it will be dinner, a movie, bowling, a few drinks, some arcade challenges and so on. The cost of groceries is growing at a rate faster than menu prices. We believe that this will continue and will continue to drive dining out frequency.

12. Any other wisdom you care to share for our readers?

I talk to a lot of proprietors who want to add to their existing business due to declining sales or new competition. Embrace that the industry is changing, and if the existing model isn’t working, change it. If you are feeling those pressures, it is time to invest to take it to the next level or the better mousetrap will come. ❖

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WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME

Old Lanes,

At the Missouri School for the Blind, two neglected lanes get a new lease on life as the St. Louis bowling community bands together to make a difference.

A

s the daughter of a former pinboy, Susan Bonner had heard plenty of stories about the old days of bowling yet years later didn't realize she was sitting on top of some of that history. It wasn't until two years into working at the Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis that she first learned there were two mid-1930s

New Life 44

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By Mark Miller

WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME

Susan Bonner, above, shows off the newly refurbished lanes at the Missouri School for the Blind.

A team of student volunteers, guided by Dale Bohn and Gary Voss, poured their energy and creativity into the project.

wooden lanes and Brunswick semi-automatic pinsetters in the basement of the century-old building. “On one side were the bowling lanes and on the other side was a swimming pool,” said Bonner, a Missouri Deafblind Technical Assistance Project coordinator. “The 1950s-style bomb shelter was still down there too.”

Discovering the lanes' dilapidated state and knowing of the recent sale of an area center, Bonner started asking area bowling leaders to help restore them. The result was a collaborative effort to create a place where students, staff and their families could once again enjoy the oldtime lanes. “It was in real bad shape,” said St. Louis United States Bowling Congress Association Manager Dale Bohn. He goes on to say that, “It had not been touched in 30 years. They had the old plywood type gutters that would put splinters in your hand. The approaches had holes that had to be patched up. They had two semi-automatic pinsetters where you pulled the string and set the pins down.”

Bonner had long coached St. Louis-area youth and served on youth association boards of directors, including the 2002-2003 and 20032004 seasons as the local Young American Bowling Alliance president.

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It was her ties to Bohn on the current USBC board that started the ball rolling. With the help of St. Louis Bowling Proprietors Association Executive Director Gary Voss, the project really took off.

“When she called me I remembered I used to go down there 30 years ago with other kids,” Voss said. “I said 'we'll get the place fixed up.' I guilted people up. It turned out to be a 2-3 person project. We didn't do it for the publicity. We did it for the kids. It probably cost about $15,000-$20,000 but it was worth it. It was fun.”

The Missouri School for the Blind was established in 1851. The school has the finest comprehensive educational system for students with visual impairments in Missouri, actively engaging families and the entire community to ensure student learning and success. The mission of Missouri School for the Blind is to provide individualized instruction, resources and educational services ensuring that students with visual impairments achieve the academic, social, employment, and life skills empowering them to enjoy full productive lives.

WHAT BOWLING MEANS TO ME Voss enlisted his West County Lanes mechanic to install new gutters and bumpers and obtained bowling balls, pins, shoes, an old Tel-E-Score system, plastic sheets and projection screens.

“We patched, cleaned and fixed it with the help of a lot of volunteers,” Voss said. “Some of them we worked to death.”

Mark Newmann of Celucoat Bowling Supplies donated his services refinishing the lanes.

Voss' Kiwanis Club chapter bought the paint for the Marquette High School Key Club to paint murals and banners. The above-ground ball returns were painted florescent colors. “Everybody working together was great,” Bohn said.

Students had their shoes labeled in Braille and placed in a special rack and Bohn even took an old wooden bench, applied a clear lacquer finish, and added in the school logo, a mule. “They got a kick out of that,” he said. “They Dale Bohn headed the refurbishing project along with Gary Voss (below). Without them, the project would have never been attempted or completed.

really liked that.”

The project took about six months to complete and initially was finished in the summer. It had to be partially redone after a water pipe leak spilled onto the lanes. “When the kids came back in the fall, we were ready to start,” Bonner said. “We use it for recreation, PE classes and practice for Special Olympics competitions. We have fun.”

The 60 or so youth who receive their education at the school also truly enjoyed the USBC Youth shirts Voss presented to them in mid-November.

“They were going absolutely nuts,” Bohn said.

“It was a like a grand opening,” Bonner said.

“The kids were thrilled to death. One said he would never wash the shirt.” ❖

Mark Miller is a freelance writer from Flower Mound,TX. Most recently, Mark authored the book "Bowling: America's Greatest Indoor Pastime," available from Amazon.com or markmywordstexas@gmail.com.

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SPECIAL REPORT

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SPECIAL REPORT

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QubicaAMF would like to invite you to an exclusive preview of BES X—the world’s only Bowler Entertainment System. See the most innovative features ever available in a scoring system—like Facebook GameConnect, YouToons or the new SuperTouch LCD Bowler Consoles. Learn how BES X will redefine the bowling experience and grow your business! Next stop, Las Vegas, June 23rd! Register at www.qubicaamf.com/BESX-WorldwideTour.aspx. Hurry, space is limited!

Thunder Beach is the only sand volleyball and sand soccer franchise in North America. Backed by over 24 years of successful experience in the sand volleyball and sport venue business, they are here to make your dreams of a beach business a reality. In just one year, they have created the most sought after add on franchise for bars and restaurants in America. Their franchises are based on your dreams and goals, so check them out today at thunderbeachusa.com.

Kegel is excited to release their new lane conditioners, FIRE and ICE. FIRE and ICE are more durable than any of Kegel’s existing lane conditioners but are also pinsetter and house ball friendly like their best-selling lane conditioner, Prodigy. FIRE is designed for more hook or slick lane surfaces while ICE is designed for more hold area or high friction lane surfaces. For more information or to place an order, contact Erin Wall at erin.wall@kegel.net.

Beer Tubes is the next generation of the traditional pitcher, with the added benefit of a “wow factor” that will enhance your customers' experience and drive draft sales. It acts as a selfserve tap that allows guests to pour their own beverage while at the table. Beer Tubes can add any logo or theme to your dispensers to enhance your brand and promote your business or event. To find out more, email contact@beertubes.com or call 614-398-3499.

E-FUN MONEY

EMBED, a leading provider of Debit Card and Point of Sale Systems for the amusement and family entertainment industry, announces the recent transition from paper tickets to electronic tickets via the Embed system at all four Frankie’s Fun Park locations across North and South Carolina. Frankie’s cites extensive cost savings, an improved customer experience, increased revenues, and the green benefits realized from reducing paper waste as benefits of the switch. For more information please visit www.embed.com.

FREE BRUNSWICK PRO FOR A DAY

Purchase a Brunswick Envoy lane machine

by Friday, June 28, 2013 and receive one free Brunswick pro staff appearance at your bowling center. Use a Brunswick pro to help with a clinic, host a community event or sign autographs. Run your own promotion and give away a free lesson from a PBA pro. The possibilities are endless! Go to http://www.brunswickbowling.com/products/ lane-maintenance/lane-machines/envoy/ for more info.

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DATEBOOK

MAY 6-10 Brunswick Training Classes GS Series Pinsetter 800-937-2695 or schools@brunbowl.com

13-17 Brunswick Pinsetter School Pinsetter factory Szekesfehervar, Hungary Siggi Hill Siggi.Hill@brunbowl.com

13-17 Brunswick Training Classes Vector Scorer Maintenance 800-937-2695 or schools@brunbowl.ocm

20 ISBPA BOD meeting Landmark Lanes, Peoria, IL Bill Duff, 847-982-1305 billduff@bowlillinois.com

20-22 Bowling Centers Association of Ohio Convention & Trade Show Crowne Plaza, Dublin, OH 937-433-8363 jenny@bowlohio.com

JUNE 3-4 Trade Show for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska Annual Meeting Jayhawk Bowling Supply, Lawrence, KS 785-842-3237 10-14 Brunswick Training Classes GS Series Pinsetter 800-937-2695 or schools@brunbowl.com 17-21 Brunswick Training Classes Vector Scorer Maintenance 800-937-2695 or schools@brunbowl.com

23-28 Bowl Expo – “Go for the Gold” Las Vegas Convention Center Info: Drew Guntert 800-343-1329 x 8449 drew@bpaa.com

JULY 15-19 Brunswick Training Classes GS Series Pinsetter 800-937-2695 or schools@brunsbowl.com 17 BCA of Florida, BOD Meeting Pink Shell Beach Resort Ft. Myers Beach, FL brett@bpaa.com 18-20 BPA of the Carolinas/Georgia Convention Sea Trail Resort, Sunset Beach, NC www.bpacga.com 22-26 Brunswick Training classes Vector Scorer Maintenance 800-937-2695 or schools@brunbowl.com 23-25 BPAA School for Bowling Center Management Embassy Suites, Columbus, OH pat@bowlohio.com; 937-933-8363

AUGUST 5-9 Brunswick Pinsetter School Pinsetter factory Szekesfehervar, Hungary Siggi Hill Siggi.Hill@brunbowl.com

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EQUIPMENT FOR SALE REPAIR & EXCHANGE. Call for details (248) 375-2751.

NEW & USED Pro Shop Equipment.

Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800-2556436 or jayhawkbowling.com.

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EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

C L A S S I F I E D S

FOR SALE: 20 ea. Wells-Gardner 28” monitor boards for Qubica automatic scoring. $200/ea. – in working order when removed.

Call Autumn Lanes (828) 286-9149.

Brunswick AS-80 scoring: over 32 lanes, complete package with extra parts. Excellent condition. $6,000 or make offer. Could be sold by the lane or individual parts. Contact Bill Henderson, Clearview Lanes (717) 653-1818.

FOR SALE: 16 pair 36” Frameworx overhead monitors. $500/pair includes hanging brackets. Available May 25.

Call Jason @ (816) 322-0488.

KEGEL KUSTODIAN ION – 2005. Includes new batteries and new buffer brush still in box. Most wearable items changed within in the last year. Original user manual included.

Asking $9,500. Call Will Mossontte @ (818) 212-4921; email: empirebowl44@gmail.com.

EQUIPMENT WANTED LANE MACHINES WANTED. We will purchase your KEGEL-built machine, any age or condition. Call (608) 764-1464.

ITEMS WANTED “WANTED TO BUY” Older Bowling Shirts. Paying $5 - $25 for button front shirts with embroidery or ink lettering on the back.

HicardVintage@gmail.com (866) 312-6166.

CENTER FOR SALE NEW YORK STATE: Thousand Island region. 8-lane Brunswick center w/ cosmic bowling, auto scoring. Established leagues + many improvements. $309,000. Call Jill @ Lori Gervera Real Estate (315) 771-9302.

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/BOWLINGFAN 56

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CENTER FOR SALE

C L A S S I F I E D S

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: One of the top five places to move! Remodeled 32-lane center. Good numbers. $3.1m gets it all. Fax qualified inquiries to (828) 253-0362.

GEORGIA: busy 32-lane center, real estate included. Great location in one of fastest growing counties in metro Atlanta.

5 years new with all the amenities.

Excellent numbers. Call (770) 356-8751.

CENTRAL MINNESOTA: 6-lane center.

Owner retiring. $99,900. hartmann@midwestinfo.net. (320) 760-3377.

WASHINGTON COAST: 8-lane AMF center with automatic scoring & snack bar. Owner contract to buy business for $150,000 and/or lease to buy. Good league base. colrond@centurylink.net.

CENTRAL IDAHO: 8-lane center and restaurant in central Idaho mountains.

Small town. Only center within 60-mile radius. Brunswick A-2 machines; Anvilane lane beds; automatic scoring.

(208) 879-4448.

SERVICE CALLS WORLDWIDE • PRE-SHIPS • WE SELL

AS80/90 • BOARD REPAIR • Frameworx NEW KEYPADS • FRONT DESK LCD MONITORS

Michael P. Davies (321) 254-7849

291 Sandy Run, Melbourne, FL 32940 on the web: bowlingscorer.com email: mike@bowlingscorer.com

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CENTER FOR SALE

C L A S S I F I E D S

NE MINNESOTA: Food, Liquor & Bowling. Established 8 lanes between Mpls & Duluth w/ large bar, dining room, banquet area. Two large State employment facilities nearby. High six figure gross. Call Bryan (218) 380-8089. www.majesticpine.com.

EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA: 6-lane Brunswick center, bar & grill, drive-thru liquor store in small college town. Also, 3 apartment buildings with 40 units, good rental history. Call (701) 330-7757 or (701) 430-1490.

AMF • BRUNSWICK EQUIPMENT COMPLETE PACKAGES WORLDʼS LARGEST NEW – USED SPARE PARTS INVENTORY ALL AMF BUMPER PARTS, XS Q-BUMP, DURABOWL AND GEN II IN STOCK

SEL L

BUY

Danny & Daryl Tucker Tucker Bowling Equipment Co. 609 N.E. 3rd St. Tulia, Texas 79088 Call (806) 995-4018 Fax (806) 995-4767

Bowling Parts, Inc. P.O. Box 801 Tulia, Texas 79088 Call (806) 995-3635 Email - daryl@tuckerbowling.com

www.tuckerbowling.com

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SOUTHWEST KANSAS: well-maintained 8-lane center, A-2s, full-service restaurant.

Includes business and real estate. Nice, smaller community. Owner retiring. $212,000. Leave message (620) 397-5828.

16-lane center in Southern Colorado mountains. Great condition. 18,000 s/f building w/ restaurant & lounge.

Paved parking 100 + vehicles.

Established leagues & tournaments. $950,000 or make offer.

Kipp (719) 852-0155.

CENTERS FOR SALE

C L A S S I F I E D S

CENTRAL ILLINOIS: PRICED TO SELL!! 8-lane center with AMF 82-70s, full service restaurant, pro shop. Plus pool tables, karaoke machine & DJ system.

Asking $125,000.00 with RE. (217) 3515152 or toms-uvl@sbcglobal.net.

NW KANSAS: 12-lane center, AS-80s, Lane Shield, snack bar, pro shop, game & pool rooms.

See pics and info @ www.visitcolby.com or contact Charles (785) 443-3477.

MICHIGAN-SOUTH CENTRAL: Large center with late model equipment. Strong league base plus high-volume franchise. RE included. Sandy Hansell (800) 222-9131.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI: 8-lane family owned center w/ snack bar & large game room. 10-year-old AMF equipment. Only center in the county. Email: bowlingcntr@aol.com.

Serious inquiries only please.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Fully remodeled FEC—12 lanes, bar, restaurant, mini golf, go karts, batting cages, big arcade! Huge facility. Big summer business. Busy yearround! 40 years in community. $3.5M. Call (847) 363-8799.

GEORGIA, Vadalia: 16-lane center. Low down payment; assume a SBA 4.75% interest loan. Will carry 2nd note on half of down payment. For additional info, fax qualified inquiries to (912) 537-4973 or email lmfastfoods@yahoo.com.

MINNESOTA, Duluth: 32 wood lanes with Brunswick automatic scoring and pinsetters, bar & grill, 30,000 s/f on 2+ acres. Good business since 1960. Great location. Steve Bragg CBI Calhoun Companies @ (218) 663-7682 or sbragg@boreal.org.

LEASE/OPTION TO BUY NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (Susanville): 10-lane center with restaurant—14,000 s/f bldg. on 2.35 acre parcel. Flexible terms.

Contact Lori Johnson, Lester Company, (831) 722-2741 or lori@lestercompany.

SERVICES AVAILABLE See a list that will help centers fill lanes w/ 1200+New Bowlers, Birthday Parties & Corporate Outings that generate $15,800— a 600% ROI from 4 payments starting at $378. Visit mcprs.bmamkt.com or call (888) 243-0685.

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C L A S S I F I E D S

SERVICES AVAILABLE Drill Bit Sharpening and Measuring Ball Repair. Jayhawk Bowling Supply. 800255-6436 or Jayhawkbowling.com.

"Bowling Center Construction Specialists" New Center Construction Family Entertainment Centers Residential Bowling Lanes Modernization Mini Bowling Lanes Automatic Scoring CONTACT

BRIAN ESTES

(866) 961-7633 ( Office: 734) 469-4293

Toll Free:

Email: build@capitalbowlingservice.com

www.CapitalBowlingService.com

MINIATURE GOLF COURSES Indoor/Outdoor. Portable/Pre-Fab. Black Light/Traditional/Pro Putter.

202 Bridge Street Jessup, PA 18434 570-489-8623 www.minigolfinc.com

LOCKER KEYS FAST! •Keys & Combo Locks for all Types of Lockers.

•One week turnaround on most orders.

•New locks All types

All keys done by code #.

No keys necessary.

•Used locks 1/2 price of new

E-mail: huff@inreach.com FAX YOUR ORDER TO US AT:

530-432-2933

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-700-4KEY INT’L 530-432-1027 Orange County Security Consultants

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AMF 5850 & 6525 CHASSIS. Exchange your tired or damaged chassis for an upgraded, rewired, cleaned, painted and ready-to-run chassis. Fast turnaround.

Lifetime guarantee. References available.

CHASSIS DOCTORS (330) 314-8951.

MANAGER WANTED

C L A S S I F I E D S

Don't miss your chance to grow with an Industry Leader! Looking for Experienced, Service-Oriented General Managers for our U.S. bowling retail center locations.

Please check us out at www.brunswickcareers.apply2jobs.c om for more details on our current openings. Act Now! Apply Today!

POSITION WANTED Accomplished District Manager with unique Operational, Team Building/Leadership and Marketing skills seeking comparable position.

Very organized, self-motivated, multi-task master with a “can do” attitude. Open to relocation. Johnmillen@optonline.net; (201) 657-4684.

For FLORIDA CENTERS Call DAVID DRISCOLL & ASSOCIATES 1-800-444-BOWL 3800 Lake Center Loop, Suite B1, Mount Dora, FL 32757-2208 AN AFFILIATE OF SANDY HANSELL & ASSOCIATES

PROPRIETORS WITH AMF 82-70 S.S. & M.P. MACHINES Save $$ on Chassis & P.C. Board Exchange & Repair!

A reasonable alternative for Chassis and P.C. Board Exchanges

AMF and some BRUNSWICK PC board repair/exchange. 6-month warranty, fast turnaround. Call or write: WB8YJF Service 5586 Babbitt Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054 Toll Free: 888-902-BOWL (2695) Ph./Fax: (614) 855-3022 (Jon) E-mail: wb8yjf@earthlink.net Visit us on the WEB! http://home.earthlink.net/~wb8yjf/

MIKE BARRETT Call for Price List

Tel: (714) 871-7843 • Fax: (714) 522-0576

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REMEMBER WHEN

M 1953

om, Dad, Suzy and Billy are having a night out. As you can see, Billy, in the background, needs no bumpers; a good follow though will put that ball right between the #1 and #2 pins. Suzy is distracted by the 7-Up which will be hers once she has had her turn. Mom and Dad are just relishing the whole event. Bowling definitely is the “all-family” game!

Oh how times have changed – check out the “easy lift center handle” on the 7-Up Family Pack; the wooden crate makes it easy to store! ❖

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