Level up your venue: How bowling alleys can unlock new revenue

Bowling has an “alley” problem and a big opportunity

Bowling venues built their reputation on tradition, and it still brings people together. But for today’s digital-native audiences, the overall experience can feel too limited if it doesn’t offer more variety. When your offering stays narrow, you risk being left behind and not just by newer competitors, but by your own guests.

You’ve known it better than anyone: that in this business,  idle time adds up, especially on weekends. Guests can spend too long waiting for lanes, often just scrolling on their phones. Even when they buy food or drinks, the wait can feel unproductive, and when they finally play, the experience can feel like something they just rented for a few hours, with nothing lasting or worth sharing.

Meanwhile, at-home entertainment is getting better and better. From mobile games to Nintendo Switch-like bowling, your audience already has other options. To get them off the couch and into your venue, you need to offer something more.

That’s where this series comes in.

Level Up Your Venue. Each short piece shows operators how to expand their offer without losing their identity. This article focuses on bowling: what’s changing, why it matters now, and one practical, group-ready step beyond the lanes. 

Level up your venue: Why a wider mix wins

Right now, the leisure industry is growing fastest in places that offer a mix of experiences. Bowling operators who modernize their space with new offerings can:

• Welcome a wider audience across ages and group types
• Increase bookings for events like birthdays, school trips, and corporate outings
• Keep guests engaged during lane wait times instead of losing them to their phones
• Boost weekend business, especially on Saturdays, which is the most profitable day of the week

This trend is already playing out in the USA and Europe, where young adults spend more on experiences than physical goods. In fact, 69% of people aged 18–24 say they prefer spending money on experiences rather than things.

The bottom line is simple: Family entertainment centers (FECs) that combine games, group activities, and social play in a welcoming atmosphere are seeing double-digit growth even as traditional bowling centers struggle.

The narrow lane - your bowling alley’s new challenge

The gap shows up in several ways:

• Idle time adds up: Guests often wait too long for lanes, with little else to do but sit in the F&B area or scroll on their phones. Idle time doesn’t build loyalty, and it rarely leads to extra spend.
• Guests want more than a ‘rented’ experience: Too often, people leave with nothing lasting to share. They feel like they only rented the fun (lane) for a few hours. That makes it harder to earn repeat visits or word-of-mouth.
• Your audience may be shrinking: Relying on league players and a handful of loyal groups is risky. League participation is dropping, and younger guests are looking elsewhere for more modern, social fun.
• Competition comes from everywhere: From newer entertainment centers to at-home options like video games and streaming, guests have plenty of alternatives. They expect more reasons to leave the house.

Many operators pause at the idea of change, and that’s natural. The biggest questions are always the same: Will this hurt my core business? Will the numbers work? How hard will it be to manage?

Widening the alley - becoming an Entertainment Center

Most operators want to grow, but not everyone wants to start from scratch. The fastest-growing venues today are Family Entertainment Centers (FECs), and their secret is variety.

When you expand your offer beyond lanes, you make room for:

• More group bookings: birthday parties, team building, corporate events, and family outings
• Longer visits: guests stay engaged instead of drifting away during idle time
• Higher spend: people buy more when there are multiple ways to play
• Stronger Saturdays: your busiest day of the week becomes even more profitable
• Attract new segments: like school groups, during off-peak times (mornings and afternoons on weekdays)

Across Europe, some bowling operators are even replacing a portion of their lanes with new attractions designed to drive repeat visits and group bookings - a clear signal of where the industry is heading.

‍This is the heart of competitive socialising: giving people ways to connect, play, and share moments. Bowling already has this at its core, and by adding the right attraction to the mix, it takes it to the next level for digital-native generations.

A traditional alley is narrow. It’s hard to fit everyone in. An entertainment hub is open and adaptable, where every visitor finds their own lane to fun.

What you can do right away: turn idle time into revenue!

And as the popular meme goes: “Modern problem requires modern solution”

That’s where ValoArena fits perfectly.

ValoArena 4-player: A modern attraction you can retrofit right now

It’s a modern, group-ready attraction you can easily retrofit into your space without compromising what makes bowling unique.

• Compact footprint: The 4-player arena fits into tight spaces. You keep your lanes and add a “wow” factor, not a renovation headache
  

• Group-ready: Four guests can play at once. Quick games mean high throughput - perfect for walk-in groups, birthday parties, and busy Saturdays

• Fully automated: There’s no need for extra staff, controllers, or cleaning routines. Guests step in and play, and you keep operations simple and smooth
  

• Fits your business model: You set the price, bundle it with party packages, or offer it as a paid add-on while guests wait for a lane

• Keeps everyone involved: While some guests bowl, others can play: friends, parents, siblings. Nobody is left waiting around or glued to their phone

• Built-in video booth to give guests something they can “own”: Every player gets their gameplay footage with your branding that they can easily share on their socials with their friends and families

Bonus: interested in making birthday parties your next profit driver?

Many bowling centers still don’t tap into the full potential of group events. We’ve created a free resource with proven strategies. See our Birthday Profit Formula series for practical guides that make party bookings easier, more profitable, and stress-free.

A partner who plans it with you

Changing course can feel big. You don’t have to do it alone. When you work with Valo Motion, you’re getting a partner who understands the real questions you’re asking:

• How does this fit in my space and staff setup?
• How does this work with my birthday packages, my booking system, or my marketing efforts?
• Am I still a bowling center if I do this? Or something more?

We’ve helped over 1,000 venues around the world answer those same questions with our solutions by looking at their full picture: audience, goals, space, budget, business model, and long-term growth.

Just bring us the puzzle pieces. We’ll help you click them into place.