Cover Story

Buffaloe Lanes: Treat ‘Em Like Family, and They’ll Come Back

Robert Sax — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 15:50:36 +0000

Buffaloe Lanes: Treat ‘Em Like Family, and They’ll Come Back

Going The Extra Mile For League Bowlers Pays Off Big For This North Carolina Chain

Robert Sax Fri, 03/11/2022 - 10:50

A family business is usually defined as one owned and operated by members of a family. But many such businesses thrive not only because they are family-run but also because they treat their customers like family. Buffaloe Lanes, a successful group of five centers in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, is a shining example of such a family business.

Ms. Frankie McDaniel, the long-time general manager at Buffaloe Lanes North, describes the family-centric approach that has built up a large and loyal following of league and casual bowlers over the years. “Your bowlers, you become like a family with them. You see them every week. And I love to talk to people,” says McDaniel. “You watch your kids on Saturday mornings that grow up in front of your eyes. They have kids that are now bowling here.”

McDaniel was already a bowler when she and her husband moved to Raleigh in the early 1980’s for his job. Through bowling, she met local proprietor John Buffaloe, who had opened his first Buffaloe Lanes center in 1978 and was about to open a new center. “He offered me a job and that was March 4, 1983. So I came to work part-time and after six months I was working about 50 hours a week.” Almost forty years later McDaniel is still working for Buffaloe Lanes, now operated by John Buffaloe’s family.

John Buffaloe founded his company with the idea of providing a place for everyone to enjoy some good, clean fun. One thing that set Buffaloe Lanes apart from the beginning was Buffaloe’s decision not to serve alcoholic beverages. Some in the business told him that this was a big mistake. “They told him ‘you won’t last six months in the industry not selling alcohol’,” says McDaniel. “He built five centers with no alcohol.”

The Buffaloe family’s strong and steady commitment to league bowling is another big reason for their long-term success. They work hard to ensure that league players have the best possible place to compete. “Johnny Buffaloe went to mechanic school when he was young and he's always been in charge of the back end of the bowling centers. He made sure we had mechanics that were trained well,” McDaniel says. “A league bowler, they want to go bowl [and not] worry about machines breaking down. We have the newest lane walker out there so we can put out any sport shot you need.”

There’s a limit of three pre-league practice games on a pair of lanes to preserve that shot, too. “I don't let somebody come in and burn the lane up where leagues are gonna bowl,” says McDaniel. “We give all of our league bowlers half-price practice, anytime they want. We try to give back to the league bowlers that are loyal to us.”

One way they do just that is their annual Invitational Tournament which all five centers participate in and take turns hosting. “The tournament is one way we thank league bowlers for being with us,” says McDaniel. While the tournament is open to any team from their chain, league champions receive a free entry worth $250. The first-place prize is $5,000 along with a large trophy that stays at the winning house for the year. “We cater in a delicious barbeque dinner and have a professional bowler come in to sign autographs and pins and talk with the bowlers.” Last year Kelly Kulick was on hand for the event, making a very festive end to the season.

It’s no wonder that league bowling remains strong despite fluctuating demand over the last ten years. McDaniel admits that it takes more work to keep league bowlers than it used to, but short-term leagues and other innovations have helped. “Back in the eighties and nineties all you had to do was open the door and your league bowlers came in,” she says. “I guess it's a commitment thing. Most of my leagues bowl for 34 weeks. But our newer location, Buffaloe Erwin, offered shorter-term leagues when they opened up.”

McDaniel has her own family supporting her at the lanes. Her daughter Melissa McDaniel, a USBC Silver-level coach, is youth director and head coach for Buffaloe Lanes, which claims to have one of the largest youth programs in the country. Melissa also wears another important hat as president of USBC. Frankie’s grandchildren Cody and Taylor also grew up at the lanes. “Cody was my little Walmart greeter. He would open the door for my seniors and tell them ‘hi’,” says McDaniel.

Staff and family also help out with McDaniel’s most beloved family tradition, cooking and serving Thanksgiving dinner for her senior league bowlers at Buffaloe North. “I had two senior leagues that bowled in the daytime and I probably had a total of a hundred people. I just decided I'm gonna give them a full Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, the turkey, the gravy, the dressing, the green beans and potatoes, corn, sweet potato casserole, all these desserts,” she recalls.

It was such a success that McDaniel had to extend it to two days, and she’s still serving a full dinner after 20 years. “They're used to it and they won't let me stop,” she says of her customers. And while it’s a lot of work for McDaniel, as with everything at Buffaloe Lanes it’s a labor of love. “All these people here, they're my family and I love 'em.”

Successful Youth Program

Includes high school classes

Frankie especially takes pride in having one of the nation’s largest youth programs. At Buffaloe North students come from five area high schools for 7:30 am classes Monday through Friday throughout the school year. “We treat these classes like our regular youth leagues, including certifying them, says McDaniel. She continues, “we give each player a t-shirt with our logo on it and they’ve become walking billboards for our center”. Of course, awards, medals, and a first-place trophy are all a part of the package for this chain that dotes on league players of all ages.

Operations

Cover Story

How Suite It Is

Ryan Vasko — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 20:30:20 +0000

How Suite It Is

VIP suites and specialty lanes bring an upscale, profitable experience.

Ryan Vasko Wed, 12/15/2021 - 15:30

Bowling, like any other industry, has journeyed plenty into the realm of luxury. Hip, glitzy centers date back to the days of the Rat Pack in Las Vegas. Private lanes have long been found in the spare rooms of the wealthy. Even Nixon added an alley to the White House basement.

For customers who remember the days of outdated décor and a smokey haze in the building, the atmosphere and offerings of today's bowling centers are impressing even the most discerning patron. Look at the landscape now and you will see an ever-expanding focus towards the higher end. VIP lanes, private suites, and other luxe areas are becoming as everpresent in centers across the country as vending machines and rentable footwear.

“We wanted our guests to be able to have more of an upscale bowling experience,” said Lauren VanBuskirk, director of marketing for Stars and Strikes, which features VIP areas in 13 of their 15 southeastern locations. “People walk in and see the curtained-off area and the fancier lanes and think, 'Oooh, I want to bowl over there.'”

VanBuskirk and other operators like her are seeing the benefits of specialty spaces, both in their bottom lines and in the eyes of their customers.

“This is something that's unique, that separates us from a lot of our competition,” said Jessica Doty, vice president of operations for Andy B's Entertainment in Denton, Texas. “Customers love the upgraded experience. It definitely gives them the feel of being special.”

“We go above and beyond to ensure a wonderful experience, from proper ball fit to shoes delivery to the lanes and have their names already in the scoring system upon arrival at their lanes. The guest gets the ultimate Very Important Bowler - VIB- treatment.”

It would have been unheard of not all that long ago to turn even a small number of lanes into reservation-only areas. Any decisions that took space away from league bowling would have risked not only alienating the regulars, but also creating potentially unfilled lanes and, thus, unrealized profits.

Fast forward to today, though, with the reduced numbers of active league bowlers (especially in the wake of pandemic influenced restrictions and tightened budgets), and it makes much more sound business sense to cater to parties, corporate events, and groups looking for a more exclusive experience.

“As the years went by, you saw the leagues declining. It was nothing that we did, it was just society, the way things evolve,” said Anthony Taormina, president of Our Town Alley in East Norriton, Pennsylvania. “We realized that we didn't need 50 lanes anymore, we could use the square footage for other things, other revenue sources. And one was to put in a 6-lane boutique area.”

Approaches vary, depending on layout, available capacity, and customer demographics. What works for new, expan- sive family entertainment centers will not necessarily apply to a 50-year-old bowling alley looking to modernize its operation. But the key elements are the same: a space separate from the rest of the enterprise, a different (and typically more modern) décor scheme, and special offerings unique to that area, whether they be dedicated service, fancier food and beverage choices, or deluxe entertainment options.

For a center like Big Al's in Meridian, Idaho, that comes in the form of their 12-lane Slider Alley VIP Lounge, with its plush seating, novelty balls, and massive, four-lanes-wide video screens.

At Spins Bowl in Wappingers Falls, New York, groups can reserve their event space with customizable party options, including their choice of seven specialty lanes, access to arcade gaming, and a host whose role it is to keep the fun going.

In Naples, Florida, guests who snag a spot in the HeadPinz VIP area are treated to high-tech, glowing lanes on which they can play HyperBowling, a wild variation on the norm that features color-coded multipliers and an escalating scoring system.

Beyond establishing more opulent opportunities for patrons that allow them to stand out in their communities, managers are also finding that the added flexibility is a big boon for their businesses.

“We rarely say no to any events. Being versatile and keeping an open mind about the space has been critical to our success,” said Pam DeMarce, owner of the Wow! Zone
in Mankato, Minnesota. “Our community looks at us as a community facility, and we're extremely proud of that.”

DeMarce noted that over a weekend, the event space at Wow! Zone was slated to host a wedding reception (and its morning-after breakfast, the next day), a 1976 high school class reunion, and the players and coaching staff for the Wayne State University football team, in town to play a game against Minnesota State University that Saturday. “A lot of it is about the appeal of the VIP lanes, sure, but it's also really about just using your facility smartly,” DeMarce added.

Whether it factors into the plans for a newly constructed center or into the decision to renovate or expand an existing one, adding these areas is simply part of keeping up with the way the industry has evolved.

“If you're going to survive, you have to make this change,” said Taormina. “It's like back when scoring evolved to computerized systems. If you're not going to do it, you're going to be behind the times. You're going to lose revenue just by not doing it.”

Taormina noted that in his research for the renovation of Our Town Alley, he came across businesses that had stripped out entire lanes just to add usable space in interesting ways. He was inspired by those places to add a bar at his establishment that runs the length of the approach area to the pinsetters, where lanes 1 and 2 used to be.

Overall, Our Town converted eight existing lanes into six VIP lanes, plus the versatile bar setup, as part of their plans, along with updated finishes, scoring systems, and LED lighting that can reflect onto their new white lanes. “It took the league bowlers a little bit of time to get used to it, but once they realized they could bowl a 300 on white lanes just like any others, they were fine,” he joked.

For many operators, the addition of these elevated spaces also gave them the freedom to experiment with new formats and games that keep customers coming back.

Stars and Strikes, for example, introduced SPARK Augmented Reality bowling to their VIP zones, which projects colorful, interactive elements onto the lane surfaces and allows bowlers to play Angry Birds, roll balls over images of themselves and their opponents, and try out a different game type with each visit.

That added curiosity factor can quickly become a revenue driver, with open bowlers who see the space wanting to upgrade their night out.

“You do get a jumpstart on profitability once you get the space established because of the added flexibility, on top of the fact that you can charge more for the activities that happen there,” said Wow! Zone general manager Allison Jennings.

While expanded marketing efforts are nice to initially get the word out about these new rooms, many administrators expressed that simply seeing the space or hearing about it from friends was enough to convert customers to the VIP life.

“We lean into our social media and email marketing, of course, and we have video and TV spots, but it's really become a 'you have to see this in person' experience,” said VanBuskirk. “So we encourage our counter team to walk people over to let them try it out for themselves.”

“We haven't had to market, really,” added DeMarce (who, not coincidentally, was recently named Optimist of the Year by a local community organization). “People coming in and seeing it, it basically sells itself. It certainly hasn't been hard to fill.”

When asked for advice by owners who are considering an addition like this to their operations, many mentioned the importance of getting out and seeing what other centers are trying and understanding what a good fit for your facility will be.

“Do your homework and go with your gut,” said Taormina. “You know your community; you know your area. Also, be prepared to pivot. Whatever your initial budget is, raise it by 25%, if you're able.”

“Our owners are very involved in industry groups and bouncing ideas off of other owners,” said VanBuskirk. “Visit other locations when you're traveling and talk to them and your vendors and see what's working. There are so many different Facebook groups for FEC operators that are great resources for learning what's worked and what new trends are out there. Nothing's going to be perfect, but you'll be better set up if you do your research.”

Doty described the way Andy B's customers talk about their experience as being incredibly rewarding, which can come as a huge relief for owners who are anxious about how their VIP offerings will be received.
“This is a way to really get guests talking, loving the upgraded bowling experience, and ultimately becoming a guest for life,” she said.

Glitz has come to our gutters, and if the success of these and other centers is any indication, it's here to stay. Many could never have envisioned a world where velvet ropes are an integral part of the modern bowling experience, but folks said the same thing about electronic scoring and craft cocktails.
Savvy operators are leading the way for the VIP bowling experience, and customers are eagerly walking down that red carpet (wearing their rented shoes, of course) along with them.

Revenue

Cover Story

Scary Good Profits

Ryan Vasko — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 17:10:42 +0000

Scary Good Profits

Maximize your square footage to boost revenue.

Ryan Vasko Sun, 10/24/2021 - 13:10

This is just a typical day for the team at Wamesit Lanes in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. “We wanted to be different,” said general manager Donny MacLaren. “We want that reputation of, ‘What is Wamesit going to do next? What crazy idea are they going to come up with?’” The center is one of many businesses finding smart ways to utilize their square footage in ways that go far beyond bowling. Forward-thinking operators across the country are keeping an eye on trends, listening to what people in their communities want to see, and being unafraid to try something new if it can bring in new revenue.

“With the room we have to work with, we’re always trying to bring in different events,” said marketing director Janelle Wagstaff. “Between the tavern, the arcade, the golf, and the big patio, we’re constantly trying to keep something going in every section.”

Flexibility. It’s the new catchphrase for centers looking to implement new income streams. That’s true whether you’re a new 45,000-square-foot facility or a decades-young alley looking for a little bit of reinvention. At Atomic Bowl in Richland, Washington, for example, the team takes cues from its past while keeping an eye on what’s next to inform their business decisions. Built in 1956 and named after the area’s claim-to-fame as one of the homes of the atomic bomb, expansions and reimaginations over the years left it in a perfect position to host house-bank card games when they became legal in the state. From there, it was natural for managing partner Max Faulkner and company to transition the area into a casino space and, eventually, a comedy and nightclub hotspot. “We had this space that holds 750 people,” Faulkner says, “so, we adapted and used it for gaming and club nights and experimented until we found what worked. I think most businesses would give their eyeteeth for our Thursday alcohol numbers.”

Across America, establishments are finding that variety is the spice of success. From local customs to emerging national crazes, they’re offering a wide variety of out-of-the-box entertainment options, giving returning customers the ability to enjoy a memorable day out each time. Some hot examples:

At either of the three Film Alley locations in Texas, folks can bowl 30 frames and then catch the latest blockbuster surrounded by the cutting-edge tech of one of their uniquely immersive movie theaters.
Up in Columbia Falls, Montana, the people at Glacier Lanes regularly hold art markets, with local creators selling jewelry, clothing, and pieces for the home alongside live music and food trucks.
Pinheads in Fishers, Indiana, grew their space to target multiple demographics, with craft beers and chef-inspired fare for adults at their adjoining Alley’s Alehouse as well as high-end arcade machines and interactive 4D rides for kids (and kids at heart).
Oh, looking for some fresh produce? Swing on by the farmers market at Dodge Lanes every Saturday and grab some pears to go with your spares at the beloved Belvidere, Illinois staple.

Sometimes, in the pursuit of more revenue and greater word-of-mouth marketing, giving the people what they want is the best first step. “Some of it, yes, is looking at how much we could make, looking into average return on investment, and so on,” said Shenaniganz marketing manager Sheridan Najera. “But also, we just ask ourselves, ‘Is this fun?’” A former cabling manufacturing warehouse in Rockwall, Texas, Shenaniganz’s 75,000 square feet gives Najera and the owners plenty of space for fun, and they take advantage of that to offer outsized entertainment designed to turn customers into repeat customers. “They’re coming in and bowling on Friday, but then the next week it’s axe throwing on Wednesdays, and then in a couple weeks they might try an escape room,” Najeer said. “They like that we add things and keep things fresh. You can’t actually be something for everybody, but we still try to be something for everybody.”

David Breen, CEO of PiNZ, which has locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York, echoes the need to stay nimble to stay relevant in today’s landscape. “We’re always looking to gain additional customers during the week,” Breen said. “We try to do something each night of the week. Being a no-league venue, we have the flexibility to try new, creative ideas. It allows us to not be a one-trick pony and to have multiple revenue streams going at one time.”

This flexibility is especially important, as he and countless other operators have noted, coming out of the restrictions and business-disrupting realities of a global pandemic. “We looked into bringing live music back, but each band member had to be 10 feet away from one another and then the band had to be 25 feet away from the audience,” Breen said. “Who wants to go to that show?” Instead, Breen worked with his group to digitize their trivia nights via the SpeedQuizzing app and in no time, questions about the highest-grossing Tom Hanks movie (which is Toy Story 4, if you’re wondering) were able to be debated once again. “We made it safe, we made it interactive, and it was the first social activity we were able to bring back to PiNZ.”

The importance of collaboration is a theme that comes up again and again when speaking to operators. Pulling together creative thinkers from inside and outside of the organization to work together to look at a space and wonder about its possibilities.“We have a great team here,” said Wagstaff of Wamesit Lanes. “We bounce crazy ideas off each other just to see if we can come up with something cool. We’ve had ups, we’ve had downs, but so far, so good.” Breen adds to this idea, “We’ve all got enough going on with the hands-on, day-to-day of running the company, you can’t also try to be the full-time marketing genius. You can’t do it all yourself.” Najera from Shenanigenz says, “We’ve got a really strong team,but we also work with an ad agency. We’re willing to adjust the budget almost biweekly, be proactive instead of reactive, if someone can bring in a great idea.”

Partnering with the right companies and professionals is sometimes the key to making new attractions run smoothly. Atomic Bowl works with promoters and booking agents to find talent (the promoters get the lion’s share of the door while Atomic enjoys the boost to their bar sales), but Faulkner also reaches out himself. He even interviews incoming comedians on Zoom and posts them to YouTube so customers can get a preview of the acts. Wamesit developed a relationship with well-known local comedian Dave Russo and has been able to lean on his connections to fill up their popular comedy nights. Shenaniganz does the same with DFW stand-ups, who often are just happy for the stage time and the chance to grow and support their own community.

Part of establishing these customer favorites comes from getting and respecting customer feedback. It’s a great way to test the waters on what ideas could work, and a fantastic way to gather data and contacts to build your database. “I’m really passionate about customer feedback,” said Najera. “We always look for ways to reach out. Online ticket sales and opt-in marketing are big. Kids Bowl Free has been great for us. We send out surveys after visits, ask what we could improve, what we did well. Positive feedback is just as important as criticism. We want to stay in the conversation to make sure our guests are having a great time.” If response rates could be higher, try incentivizing them. Wamesit gives a $5 game card to customers as they leave if they’ll answer a short questionnaire. PiNZ offers free high- speed Wi-Fi to people who share their email addresses. In addition, be consistent and communicative on social media. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn; whatever the medium, seek out responses to boost your visibility and stay top-of-mind for people looking to fill their calendars.

But even with that level of customer interaction, you can’t be shy about trying something different or, sometimes more importantly, letting something fail. Faulkner said that when Atomic Bowl instituted trivia with Geeks Who Drink, the crowds were great, but joked, “The geeks mainly drank water.” Still, when it comes to new ideas, he added, “Commit to it. Give it time to see if it sticks. You might have something good on your hands.” If something does stick, it has the potential to create whole new communities of customers who might never have otherwise become regulars.

In addition to bringing in droves of wannabe Houdinis with their Escapology-managed escape rooms, Shenaniganz partnered with the World Axe Throwing League to refine the design of their lumberjack lounges, and the response has been axe-ceptional. “Every season we’ve gotten more and more people, and it’s really created this whole tribe,” Najera said. “They were mostly strangers before this, and now they’re friends who hang out outside of the league. That’s been so awesome to see.”

If you told a bowling alley owner of yesteryear that the facilities of the future would be filled with people chucking around axes, paintless paintball (it’s a thing; look it up), and golf leagues that exist within less than 100 square feet, they probably would’ve closed out your bar tab. But this is the new reality: smarter usage of space and the ability to adapt to make more entertaining experiences and happier customers. The managers making the best use of these strategies today will continue to keep an eye looking toward tomorrow, to find the next big thing that drives people through their doors. “Stop looking at everything as what it’s sold as and think about using it differently,” MacLaren of Wamesit Lanes reminds us. “See what people are doing anywhere else, and just get creative and don’t be afraid to do it. We think, ‘We have bowling lanes. How do we turn them into occupiable square footage?’ We’re going to figure that out.”

“Look for inspiration everywhere,” Breen said. “Go to shows that are outside of your wheelhouse. Sometimes you just need to see what else is going on. It gives you a new perspective on what your business can and cannot do.” Doing more with less (or, if you have more, getting the most out of that more) will always be fundamental to success in this industry. Only time will tell what that looks like for the smart centers of the future.

Operations

Revenue

Cover Story