Page 34 - BCM July 2024

REINVESTING

Taking the Plunge

Sun Valley Lanes & Games has been one of the great success stories in

transforming a traditional bowling center into a multi-attraction FEC.

f you are a Starbucks regular, McDonald’s franchisees, the pace of from the center of the building to the
I expect your in-store experience change is dictated by the parent com- “high side,” by lane 32, to accom-
to be changing before too long. e pany, which typically contributes 55% modate an outward expansion of the
global co ee giant is revamping its to the cost. (During the pandemic, the building.
U.S. store portfolio with a new inclu- company allowed franchisees more “I still had a strong bowling busi-
sive framework to give the customers time to nish their overhauls.) ness,” he explains. “I didn’t want to
“minimal friction” when ordering. Modernization tends to come at a take out lanes like a lot of my friends
According to FOX Business, the slower pace in the bowling business, in the business had done. e only
new framework is designed to help because a vast majority of the centers answer was to have a larger foot-
customers, particularly those with are family-run operations. But the print.”
disabilities, communicate and navi- investment can pay dividends, as A single row of parking spots in
gate the stores easily. From here on 2017 BPAA Proprietor of the Year the front of the building, along with
out, every new and renovated store John Losito explained on a recent epi- the purchase of a vacant lot next
will be modeled after this framework sode of Bowling University’s “Pro t door, provided the needed space for
to some extent. Break,” hosted by John Karabatsos. Losito’s initial vision. Soon after work
As was the case for virtually every Sun Valley Lanes was a traditional began, a neighboring landowner
business, Starbucks was impacted by 32-lane center in Lincoln, Nebraska, asked Losito if he’d like to buy his
the pandemic. While stores typically that was built in 1972 and where building. e answer was yes, and
weren’t forced to close since they Losito had worked while going now Losito had all the space he
were in the “essential” food-business to school. He worked his way up, needed to build a multi-attraction
sector, many did because the big eventually became a partner and later FEC with both indoor and outdoor
cities they served saw o ce buildings bought out his partners. at’s when spaces.
shuttered. ose that stayed open had he decided to begin exploring the “At that point, the project was on
to enforce draconian distancing rules, possibility of transforming the center steroids,” Losito recalls.
in many cases. into more of an FEC model. e original lounge had a low
But those mandates motivated the “I could see the handwriting on the ceiling and could accommodate
company — and many others — to wall,” he said. “ e late ’70s and early about 30 people, “but it couldn’t meet
rethink how they do business and ’80s were the boom years for league the demands of what I wanted the
to redesign stores to accommodate bowling, but those numbers were center to become,” Losito says. e
the “new normal.” Mobile ordering going down and open play went up. new lounge has seating for about 90.
picked up steam and the dedicated Today, bowling works better as an ere’s another small area for about
space for those orders was expanded. anchor attraction. People want more 20 people, and the removal of a pool
As part of the new initiative being things to do.” table made it possible to add two high
implemented, ceiling heights are ere was a lot for Losito to do to tops that seat six.
being dropped to cut down on the make the
noise level — which gures to bene t transition
customers and associates, as Star- happen.
bucks employees are called, alike. e rst
Virtually every business that “faces” big change
the public has a regular plan of involved
modernization in place, although the moving
time between projects does vary. For the main
Starbucks, it’s every ve years. For entrance

32 • BCM • JULY 2024 www.bcmmag.com

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