Round-A-Bout Skating Centers — Attraction in Fayetteville

I started going to Round-a-Bout skating back in 2014, shortly after I moved to Fayetteville. I went to both locations--the one at Eutaw and the one on Raeford Rd. I preferred to go to the one at Eutaw because the music was better. I went religiously every week. I was skating so often that I decided to order my own pair of skates. I ordered my skates from the Raeford Rd. location. The manager was nice, and he gave me 6 free skate passes with my purchase. He told me I could use the passes at both locations. I started using the free skate passes at the Eutaw location since that's where I went most. The first two times I used the passes, I had no problem. With the third pass, the older white man who always works at the front ticket counter (I believe his name is Brett Johnson) started giving me a hard time. He was very rude and questioned me about how many passes I had. He had an accusatory tone that suggested he thought I either counterfeited or stole the passes. I explained to him that the manager at the Raeford Rd. location gave me free passes with the purchase of my skates. When I presented the 4th pass, Brett told me he couldn't accept it. When I asked why, he became very rude and condescending. He pressed the pass up against the glass and said loudly, "Did you read this?" He told me that I was using the pass on the wrong day of the week. I reminded him that I come on the same night every week, and he accepted all the other passes that I presented without a problem. I just so happened to have the receipt for the skates I purchased in my bag. On the receipt, it was written that I would receive 6 skate passes. I showed the receipt to Brett and explained to him, once again, that I got the passes with the purchase of skates from the Raeford Rd. location, and I told him the Raeford Rd. manager said I could use the passes at the Eutaw location as well. Brett finally took the pass, but rolled his eyes at me. When I presented the 5th pass, I tried to be nice and asked Brett how he was doing. Brett ignored me, rolled his eyes once again, and snatched the pass from my hand. I was extremely upset. That night, I spoke with one of the veteran Round-a-Bout skaters. She told me that she had been coming to Round-a-Bout since she was younger, and the owners/management have been known to be racist towards black patrons, and the man at the front counter is always rude to people. She said many years ago, the black patrons staged a boycott. They stopped going to Round-a-Bout, and started skating in Raleigh. She said they received a lackluster response from Round-a-Bout management regarding the boycott--according to her, management said they didn't care because the building was paid for. Sadly, the veteran patron told me the boycott disbanded because it was too cumbersome for people to drive from Fayetteville to Raleigh every week to go skating, and since there's no where else to go skating in the Fayetteville area, and they all love it so much, they returned to Round-a-Bout. I was sad to hear that the maltreatment was such a systemic problem, especially when the majority of the patrons at the Eutaw location are black. As a black person, I was very upset and offended. I sent an email to Round-a-Bout complaining about the poor treatment I received from Brett Johnson. I never received a response. I used my last free skate pass at the Raeford Rd. location to avoid any further confrontations with Brett, but, after that, I never went back to Round-a-Bout Skating. I haven't been back since 2015. I refuse to support a business that mistreats its customers. I see from the reviews below that people are still complaining of rude treatment from Brett, so it appears not much has changed. Since I never received a response to the private email I sent to Round-A-Bout, maybe this public comment will help others when making their decision of where...

To The Manager of Round-A-Bout Skating located on Elm St, I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to bring to your attention a concerning issue that I recently experienced at your skating rink. On 15 February, 2025, I visited your establishment with my family and encountered an employee named Mr. Brent whose behavior was not only rude but also appeared to be racially biased against African Americans. During our visit, Mr. Brent displayed a dismissive and unwelcoming attitude towards us as we set up the party area that we paid for. Mr. Brent’s tone was condescending, and he made several inappropriate looks that made us feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. When I entered the establishment holding party decorations, he yelled “what you here for”. This behavior is unacceptable and goes against the principles of respect and inclusiveness that I believe your establishment upholds. As we were tearing down the party items, Mr. Brent decided that he would add insult to injury by announcing my daughter’s name over the intercom and directing her parents to come to the front to pay the bill for the party. As a loyal customer who has enjoyed visiting your skating rink in the past, I am deeply disappointed by this experience. It is disheartening to witness such behavior, especially in a place that should be a fun and safe environment for everyone, regardless of their race or background. I kindly request that you address this matter promptly and take appropriate action to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. It is important for all employees to receive proper instructions on creating a welcoming atmosphere for all patrons. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon and hope that my concerns will be addressed...

We had a birthday party at the skating rink on Elm str. Eutaw branch. Over $250. The birthday area is nice. The hostess was very nice. However, an old white man that works the front door, is very, very, very, rude. The place transitions at 4pm. You have to leave your party area at 3:30 so they can clean up for the next party (which they didn’t tell us). Around 3:40ish the old white man is staring at us and others. He gets on the microphone and tells the birthday children happy birthday and to gather your belongings and exit. It was a very dry expression. We stood near the exit waiting for our party to finish returning their skates and he told everyone who was waiting to leave. He specifically pointed at my children, including the birthday boy and said, “get out” as he held the door open. He said, “it’s 4 o’clock, get out”. I was helping my younger son take his skates off because he had a knot, and the old man did not care if the children were with an adult or not, he just wanted them to leave. I literally walked out at 4:03 with him staring at me by the door. He didn’t even say bye or anything. I felt so uncomfortable. I paid over $250 for that party and have had many birthday parties, at different places, and I’ve never been so disappointed, uncomfortable and rushed. You could have been a lot nicer and obtained the same result of us leaving. The whole time was fine until THAT happened and I HAD to leave a review. I also don’t leave many reviews unless you’re really good or really bad, and in this case that old man needs to work in the back, not the front. I’m literally sitting in my car, in front of this place. I haven’t even driven off yet. So if you visit, please beware of how rude he will be, especially to...