Bowlero launches in Clovis

 

Bowlero Clovis, an entertainment destination for people of all ages, offers 40-lane bowling alley. (Daniel Leon/Clovis Roundup)

Bowlero, a leader in bowling entertainment, is celebrating the launch of its third Central Valley location this weekend in Clovis.

Located at 140 Shaw Ave. in the Rodeo Plaza, Bowlero Clovis offers a new spin on the traditional bowling alley. The renovated venue (formerly AMF Rodeo Lanes) features 40 lanes of blacklight bowling, soft lounge seating, high definition video walls, and a completely new bar and lounge area.

“We’ve put together a kind of hipster-rustic feel,” said Andrew Tauscher, District Manager of Bowlero Clovis. “We definitely cater more to the nightlife millennials. You come in here on a Saturday night and it’s going to be a club-style scene where drinks are flowing, we got blacklights on, music blaring. It’s just a very fun and exciting environment.”

In 2013, Bowlero Corporation purchased all 270 AMF properties and continued to operate under that name until recently converting over to the new brand.

Starting with new brand offers a fresh start and Bowlero took advantage of that by changing the atmosphere to offer a fun/party/hip kind of environment.

“You have to cater to the clientele and we’ve found our niche,” said Tauscher. “Our niche is being able to cater to everyone, that’s the big focus for us. Instead of limiting the guest availability, we’ve come to open that up to meet everyone from league bowlers to families to the late night crowd.”

To create that special environment, Bowlero spent about $1.4 million on renovating the property, $200,000 more than the average conversion.

“We’ve done everything from new seating, new flooring, revamped the desk, revamped the kitchen, put in a full-service kitchen, put in a full state-of-the-art arcade,” said Tauscher. “We’ve put up-to-date graphics throughout the whole property, and updated all of the lighting to be more energy efficient. We’re installing all brand new lanes that are blacklight lanes so they glow in the dark whenever you play. In order to create the experience that we’re going for, we pretty much gave the entire property a facelift from the ground up.”

Bowlero Clovis also has a restaurant/sports bar feel to it, offering a food menu and bar with a selection of cocktails, wines, and local craft beers. Within two minutes of coming down to the lane, a server will come down, greet themselves, and take any food or drink orders.

“With our service model, we want to give you a personal touch,” said Tauscher. “We work very similar to a restaurant where each lane has a designated server that will come down and personally take your order so you get that personal interaction with your guests.”

The Bowlero Clovis official launch party is scheduled for this Saturday, May 19 from noon to 4 p.m. The event is open to the community and will have free bowling, arcade play, food and drink specials, giveaways, and more.

A native of Woodlake, Daniel Leon is a recent graduate of Fresno State with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. Daniel served as Sports Editor at The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper, prior to joining the Roundup. Got a story idea? Email him at editor@clovisroundup.com