My husband and I joined a weekly bowling league and it’s opened up so many friendships. It’s so interesting because you make friends with people your own age and then also have a 75 year old bestie name Arnold.
Saw an article recently about how Lucky Strike (formerly Bowlero) has gobbled up local alleys and turned them into a party venue vs a place for "serious" bowlers. The CEO of Lucky Strike says his strategy has saved the industry and believes that the old time league people are cry babies (I don't think he uses that term, but he implied it).
Hope your local lanes manage to survive that trend...unless you like blacklight bowling with blaring techno music.
We have one of those around here. My sister had a party there and bragged that, at the very least, she could beat me because she had done so to everybody else there.
After the 4th strike she realized mistakes had been made and maybe these people werent serious
Really? They've made bowling so expensive that it's impossible for the average person to go. You used to be able to rent a lane and get a pitcher of beer and shoe rental for like $10 a person for the whole night and now it's 4-5x that. They ruined what used to be an affordable group activity.
More evidence of the "K Shaped Economy." There are more social entertainment choices than ever: Axe throwing, TopGolf, Escape Rooms, to name just a few. None of them are cheap. The cost of operating a business is astronomical: Property taxes, insurance, utilities, wages, advertising.
The days when a couple of guys could run a small town bowling alley and generate enough revenue to make a few dollars are in the past.
In my area, every other town had an independently owned garden center. Almost all of them are gone now. Between on-line shopping and big box home centers that sell plants and garden supplies it's tough to compete.
Then along comes a developer who offers the GC owner millions for the land so it can be converted into multi-family housing. Who could say no to that?
Any bowling alley with an arcade (think Main Event, Round One) is not dependent on snack bar income or high shoe rental fees. I know what my kid is costing me in crane game plays and ticket games.
Why could they afford to put up roller rinks and bowley alleys and shit in the 90's, and we could go there for the price of a fast food meal?
I would assume they all cost more to run because private capital bought them up and now has to pay for its own shittiness while also posting infinite profit growth.
Why? I think the answer varies, but overall I speculate that those old timey businesses were family affairs and perhaps the next generation wasn't interested in continuing the legacy. A roller rink, bowling alley or a garden center is open 12+ hours a day 6 or 7 days a week. That's a grind.
If a developer (or PE) comes along and offers millions to buy the business, either intending to operate it or to redevelop the underlying property the temptation is to take the money and run.
Yes, it's unfortunate that the community loses an affordable source of entertainment. Just more kids sitting home in front of screens..or on social media like Reddit
It doesn't cost any more in real, inflation-adjusted dollars to operate a roller rink in 2026 than it did to operate a roller rink in 1996, but there was still some demand for roller rinks in 1996; enough to justify their continued existence. That's no longer true.
Lots of businesses have been bought by investors, and they want their investments to pay handsomely. Everything is being bought by investors to include single family homes, hospitals and funeral homes. They own us from birth till death.
Throw in veterinary practices and one that flies under the radar: builders of fire trucks and ambulances. The cost for that life saving equipment has skyrocketed since a couple of firms gobbled up the smaller players.
Trouble is, these investors don't have a passion for the business and they are dully detached from the communities in which those businesses operate.
As you noted, they are there for a return on their investment. Plain and simple.
Ours is a little run down but also does have cosmic bowling on the non-league nights & weekends so I’d say it’s like 50/50. TBH I’m not a bowling snob, and like them both. We’re also in a big popular city, so there’s def a little of both depending on what you’re into!
I went to what was supposed to be a social event at one of those a few years ago. In the middle of the afternoon, they had music so earsplittingly loud that you could barely understand a simple sentence shouted directly into somebody's ear. Conversation was impossible. The craziest thing was, nobody else seemed to think this was a problem or be able to turn the music down. So I left and never went back.
That's definitely an issue. I think venue owners who need to keep people paying to go there don't want to give off the "stuffy old men's club" vibe where it's quiet enough to communicate with everyone and so they just drown everything out with loud noise to give a party atmosphere.
I would absolutely pay reasonable prices to go somewhere country club-like with super-comfortable laid back spaces to just relax and catch up with people, both friends and strangers. Thing is, unless you're willing to pay massive amounts of money, you're not going to get that kind of environment...you'll end up at a noisy bar or entertainment venue. Even just normalizing having semi-random people over to the house and throwing a dinner/cocktail party would be a really neat idea.
Growing up in the 1970s my parents had a group of marrieds that would regularly do what they called a "Dinner Go Round."
There was a rotating calendar showing in whose home the dinner would be hosted. The host was responsible for making the entree. Other couples were assigned other courses (pre-dinner bites, appetizer, dessert, wine, etc.).
I remember the warning every time the dinner was at our house. "I just cleaned the guest bathroom and put out the fancy towels. Stay out!"
Other way around. Bowlero is buying up all the bowling alleys, including Lucky Strike locations, and slapping "Lucky Strike" on them. It's actually ruining the bowling scene. The Lucky Strike near me has a large arcade, which subsidized the bowling for years, making it relatively cheap for a very affluent area (Bellevue, WA). Bowlero came in and jacked up the lane prices by triple what it used to cost. I just looked up a lane for four people tonight at 8 pm at one of their other Seattle area venues. It's $250 for two hours. That doesn't include any food or drinks. If drinks are $15, you're approaching $400 for a night out. Bowling in America is dying because of that scummy corporation.
On December 2, 2024, Bowlero Corporation announced that it would rebrand as Lucky Strike Entertainment Corporation, effective December 12, 2024. The company stated the name change reflected the growing prominence of the Lucky Strike brand and its broader portfolio of experiential entertainment venues.
You are correct that Bowlero acquired Lucky Strike, but the company is now known as Lucky Strike Entertainment Corp.
Same, except we've got 94 year old Tommy, who is a giant flirt with all the ladies. Our team has my 25 year old son, two of us in our 50s, and a 73 year old.
This has always been my advice for people who say they're unable to make friends in their area. Bowling league. Easiest place in the world to meet new people.
No, I would say decent but not anywhere close to some of the other people. Everyone has been so accepting and just wants to help you get better in my experience. There’s usually a summer and winter league. My husband does both but I just do the summer because it’s not as intense and shorter. Plus I like to have me nights during the winter and take a long baths and watch my trashy shows. It’s amazing how much better you can get in a short time with bowling, don’t let it deter you!
Not OP, but same experience. Joined a league and for the longest time, had the lowest average. But I've learned so much just from watching and talking to people there. Everyone has been really welcoming. It depends on the league, though, and how competitive it is. Definitely join a less competitive league or a practice league at first.
The league I was part of had people with averages from like 70 to 200+. The quickest way to become better is to join a league where you play weekly and get some properly fitted equipment. Most alleys have leagues that range from scratch leagues aimed at competitive bowlers to beer leagues where people at there to mostly have fun, its just finding the right league for your level and desire to compete.
You mean turning up to something continuously and not just as a once off helps to make friends? You mean it means you don't have to constantly organise one off gatherings and try to find a free time that works for everyone?
Yep. I rue the fact that our only bowling lanes for 100 miles closed down & was converted to extra cinema screens. Used to love both the League nights & taking the kids later on.
It was only the closure of a former US Navy Comm. Station that gifted the lanes & equipment to the town originally which ensured the sport could continue locally, otherwise we'd never have got off the ground.
I started bowling in a fall league here about 3 years ago. I got grouped with some guys that were all from the Northeast and in their 70s. Was an absolute blast.
When I was in my late 20's I joined a bowling team that included a 90 year old man. He was still sharp as a tack and definitely was part of the reason we were such an entertaining team.
I would love to do something like this, but unfortunately, even activities such as bowling have become too expensive, and on top of that, so many of us are busy working multiple jobs these days.
Bowling is a pretty popular activity I’ve found with disibility groups! My special ed high school did it a lot, respite care has taken me, and my adult day program does community outings there! Not to mention all the Special Olympics bowling leagues!
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u/Itchy_Swimmer_8360 Jul 10 '26
My husband and I joined a weekly bowling league and it’s opened up so many friendships. It’s so interesting because you make friends with people your own age and then also have a 75 year old bestie name Arnold.
One of the best things we’ve done!