Problems with equipment deliveries are being blamed for the delayed opening of the Lucky Strike Lanes in the Houston Pavilions project Downtown. The party and pool venue, 16-lane bowling alley, and restaurant was originally supposed to debut this Wednesday, but now may not open for business until the beginning of next year. There are 20 other Lucky Strikes open or planned; the Pavilions location will be the first in Texas.
Meanwhile, all is swell at the new 300 Houston, the reimagined and rebranded former AMF Bunker Hill Lanes bowling alley that opened earlier this month near the Memorial City Mall:
. . . instead of an apathetic teen in a ill-fitting polo attending bowlers’ needs, each lane is outfitted with its own personal lane captain who is outfitted in a tuxedo vest.
“[The captain will] get them their drinks, get them any food and beverage that they want, take care of any issues on the lane – if they have a scoring issue, they miss a frame, one of the pins gets stuck – the lane captain takes care of all of that and they close out with the lane captain,” [Sales Manager Jill Maxwell] says. Before that you head to an equipment specialist who sizes you for a ball, gets your shoes and escorts you to your lane.
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The 300 Houston is the latest in a family of similarly numbered venues in 7 other cities, including Dallas and Austin.
“Everything is served on fine china. We have an executive chef who was [formerly] with [Morton’s] Steakhouse and has studied all over the world,” Maxwell says. There’s also a full bar and a couple of tables and chairs in the entry way as well as a small lounge with large, leather chairs and sofas.
Inside Club 300, a 7-lane private bowling suite with bar:
- Bowling on hold as blues start with blast at Houston Pavilions [Houston Business Journal]
- Ignore The Coming Depression By Bowling Luxuriously [Hair Balls]
- Lucky Strike Lanes
- 300 Houston (automatic soundtrack)
- A Soft Opening for Houston Pavilions [Swamplot]
Images of 300 Interiors: 300; Photo of special-event food at 300 Houston: Dusti Rhodes
Wow. Those Bunker Hill lanes were an ultra dump. What a transformation!
How can they stay in business with those kind of overhead, food, and labor costs? Sure looks like the margins on any bowling alley I’ve ever seen are pretty slim.
I gotta admit, pulling this off profitably would be quite a feat. Cool concept, but still a stretch. That place is in an interesting spot. There’s quite a bit of affluence around there, in addition to a complete transformation of the surrounding commercial landscape in progress. With that amount of money going into this project, the principals had to have done a significant amount of market study. I think it’s a very interesting project.
I don’t think it will make it. When I was younger, it was all high school and middle school kids. Where are they going to get their customers now?
I have been to the Lucky Strikes in Denver and Louisville, they are awesome and the food is amazing! I can’t wait until it opens!
I work for the Greater Houston United States Bowling Congress in Mid Town/Downtown Houston. I received calls everyday from companies looking for a center with a party venue but mostly wanting a place in downtown. Trust me when I say that I think this center will thrive and be completely successful.