Nothing new this is the kind of people who ruined bowling. Feel sorry for the real bowlers in that area.
Too many owners don't keep their business clean and up to date.
Nothing new this is the kind of people who ruined bowling. Feel sorry for the real bowlers in that area.
Too many owners don't keep their business clean and up to date.
My local center is a Brunswick Zone which is too small for them to convert into a "Family Fun Center" so it concerns me that they would just up and close it.
I think centers closing or shutting down leagues is one of many reasons bowling lost so many bowlers. League or center closes many just stop bowling. I find it SAD.
We have AMF's here. Consistently the most expensive places to bowl. One of them was charging over $6 per line!
Old guy with power (15.5-16; 325). Current arsenal--Storm Summit, RotoGrip Idol Helios, Storm Phaze III, Storm SureLock (retired), Storm IQ Tour Nano and Motiv Rebel tank (spare/dry). High sanctioned game - 300 (5). High sanctioned series - 856. A.V. 300-s - 8. Longest string - 25.
2024/2025 YTD highs--High game-288; high series-736
I saw this happen first hand when Bowlmor purchased AMF/Brunswick Zone centers.
The AMF center I used to bowl at...they remodeled the place...but didn't invest in new lane equipment...everything was about appearance. Fresh paint inside and out...neon lights outside...fancy food menus with inflated prices. But the machines...OLD as DIRT. During one league night, the pinsetter on one lane caught on fire and the lanes routinely broke down...more so than any other center I bowled at.
The hours at AMF centers were slashed....on Wednesdays, they didn't open till 4:00PM. An AMF center close to where I work...had a bunch of senior leagues during the day...all of those senior leagues moved to a nearby, privately owned center....which had so much business during the day...it was hard to get a lane to practice. The AMF center that kicked all those leagues out...that invested millions into that center to upgrade it's scoring equipment and revamp it's appearance....closed down less than a year later.
The staffing was so bad at AMF centers....that both AMF centers I went to...you would literally stand at the front desk waiting for someone to show up. I could have walked behind the counter and emptied the register, went to the snack bar to get a drink, went behind the bar to make a couple mixed drinks, and walked out of the center without anyone knowing. One time I waited nearly 20 minues at the front desk, before one of the TWO people that were working there that afternoon finally showed up so I could rent a lane.
And the staffing...the EEOC lawsuits are going to be successful...VERY successful...because at the AMF center I used to bowl at...they immediately fired more than half the staff when they bought it. Both bartenders, one of the two managers, and 3/4 of the staff were gone. The "good looking, younger ones...stayed. At a Brunswick Zone center I used to bowl at...nearby...they fired the manager of the center who had worked there over 30 years. They said her salary was too high. She offered to take less money, but they refused. They replaced her with two, younger girls...who could barely do the job.
Bowlmor is a disgusting organization...the absolute worst ownership group...probably as bad as being bought out by a Chinese investment group...that bowling could have imagined to "rescue" their centers. At some of these centers, league bowling is completely "out"...and they no longer have USBC sanctioned lanes. Many of the centers closed down...especially in areas where the land is extremely valuable. The "savior" that was Bowlmor....was nothing but a vulture capitalist with a Roger Ailes attitude.
Last edited by Aslan; 04-22-2017 at 06:24 PM.
In Bag: (: .) Zen Master Solid; (: .) Perfect Mindset; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 192; Lifetime Average = 172;
Ball Speed: 14.7mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 198
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Originally Posted by Aslan
Aslan, this is as spot-on a description of the AMF's here as I've heard. The last one I was at, AMF Bowlero, was the place that was charging over $6 to bowl. I went to the bar to get a seltzer. A girl had to run from the other end of the building to help me, I had to point out to her which button on the gun was seltzer, and then charged me $4 for a 20 oz. paper cup of bubbly water.
The other place is AMF West. If you're familiar with Milwaukee bowling, it's the old Red Carpet West, and also the place I did ALL of my junior bowling. At one point in time, this house was so nice the ABC, which was in Milwaukee at the time, did a bunch of their lane testing here. Now, the lanes are so dirty I'm afraid to touch anything. Balls come back covered in belt marks. The foul line on one lane was sticking up so high that I dropped the ball once, and it tore a groove in a brand new ball. Same issue with the staff, non-existent. There are smaller, privately run house here that do a much better job of maintenance than these clowns do.
I drive by West all the time on my way to and from work. I never see the parking lot full like it was when I was a kid. Other lots are full......
Old guy with power (15.5-16; 325). Current arsenal--Storm Summit, RotoGrip Idol Helios, Storm Phaze III, Storm SureLock (retired), Storm IQ Tour Nano and Motiv Rebel tank (spare/dry). High sanctioned game - 300 (5). High sanctioned series - 856. A.V. 300-s - 8. Longest string - 25.
2024/2025 YTD highs--High game-288; high series-736
I just looked up how many centers we have in Metro Detroit and 68 are listed. A few may have closed but the list is from last yr. I think. There are a few owned by corp. but very few. We just had a group of Muslim investors by a center but let the old owners keep the bar and liquor license. No money to be made that way. Every one knows the profit is in food and drinks. I expect it to close soon.
Brentwood Bowl In The Bay area suck's
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks