Bowlero Mar Vista — Attraction in Los Angeles

" Born in NYC, Raised in Texas, Takin' LA by Storm. "

Slow down there buddy :) I've lived in NY, TX, and LA and you're hardly reigning supreme or ending any drought here. If anything you are enabled

So a part of me really, really, REALLY wants to give you guys a bad review, but I didn't actually "bowl' and I understand that you're still new, so I don't want to be too rough while you try to find your footing.

Food: Ordered the Seoul Sliders, while they stuck to their ingredient list, it really had nothing beyond that. The portion was half a burger short. Even 1 more mini-slider would've had me 'content". The price point of 7+ tax was alright, but I'd rather just get double the portion, with more ingredients / flavor at a local happy hour like Killer Shrimp, Yardhouse, etc.

Drinks: Good variety of drink offerings and decent prices. Although I wish I had order the Premo cans which are 8oz, just like the cups which draft beers also come in and cost double. Blythe was on point with her service and hospitality, and realistically the only reason I sat down, and stayed til last call. My goal was to check out the new aesthetic/decor, music, etc etc and her taking care of my requests at the bar and checking in on me made me feel like a valued patron, as opposed to some random barfly?

Music & Decor: The music was way too loud, and I heard the same songs multiple times in a short duration. It was worse than the current Do-Over. The selections were equally bad, you are not a nightclub, EDM should be stricken from your playlist. Maybe try some 80's/90's or recent indie rock and hip-hop/r&b? I felt like I was forced to listen to a top40 radio station but instead of commercials, they decided to play the song over.

If you need a DJ, you can hire me and I definitely won't blow people's ears off or let things get repetitive. The decor/aesthetic looks like the designer just bit the style sheets from The Good Hurt. Blue lights in restroom mirrors will make people look like they needed to stop drinking yesterday. The layout is kinda cramped near the lanes, I feel like the branding is kinda lost in the design aspects of the place. The print collateral/materials were all done well though (Menus, Promo Cards, etc ) as a graphic & web designer, who also does marketing and sound+lighting at special events I can really respect when a place knocks it out of the park, and truly wish I could say more positive things on this. Although, I guess it's better than the former? :\

Games: No Pool Tables; the website had an image of the floorplan showing pool tables, I was kinda upset about this, as my friends who don't wanna dump their $$ in bowling, would've likely be down to play games of pool & eat/drink. There wasn't much for an arcade I think if you looked at Shatto 39 for conceptual integrity you'd be hitting it spot on.

I've worked all positions FOH/BOH/MGMT and now do consulting for bars, lounges, and nightclubs. again I wish I could say more positive things, but this was my first impression, I'll give you guys another shot with some friends on one of your Monday unltd. bowl deals, but I'm afraid we're all gonna end up dropping $50+ which isn't cool either.

Regardless of everything above, I enjoyed my evening there sitting at the bar, taking it all in. ( Although, with the 8 cameras you have in the region, I felt like I was in a Big Brother house ). I would give this place 5 stars because Blythe made me feel at home, and I spoke with Todd, one of your chefs in passing for a bit too, her barback/bussers (Aaron and Max?) also seemed to care about what was going on. It seems like this place has potential and it's hearts 'in the right place' but they need to revamp and polish some rough edges to really wow the demographic they are going for. I hope my next experience is 3 stars better, I came in open minded without expectation or a goal of being critical.

If you guys need some help or want more information on anything, feel free...

I WOULD GIVE IT 0 STARS... Yeah, I've lived in the neighborhood for 9 years: I really used to enjoy Mar Vista Lanes... It was affordable and me and my friends could always find a free lane. BOWLERO IS JUST AN UTTER MESS, however ... When i went, I felt like I was in one of those disgusting, sketchy Roller Skating Rinks that I used to go to in fourth grade as a kid growing up in New Jersey. Bowlero is loud with BAD music blasting, (I could deal with loud good music blasting but it's just so bad), the red lights make it look and feel trashy, it smells horrible, the arcade has no classic games, just money wasters like the crane and hook machines. But the worst part is that the PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS, like totally out of control. Also the service was a joke... I got there at 4 pm on a Friday, and I can understand Fridays being busy for a bowling alley, but the idiot girls who worked there couldn't even give a loose estimate on how long it would take to get a lane, like they had no answer, they just kept telling us that we can leave an open tab at the bar and spend our time waiting there for a lane (I don't drink and if i wanted to I would've gone to the Cozy Inn, not a bowling alley) ... and let me tell you I am not just calling the girls who worked their dumb because I was unhappy with the service and I am throwing around a derogatory term, they were literally the dumbest group of girls i ever seen or heard gathered in one place. It was like you had to explain to them the concept of people waiting in line for service. All in all, this place is ruined. They f*ed with a good thing by trying to make it what somebody perceived as "cool" and they made it terrible and unaffordable. I would go find something else to do with your free time. Even the punny name of the place is stupid, "bowlero" ... but it makes sense for the way it turned out: trashy - wanting to be classy, and full of hot air. After reading all the other reviews, I am glad I took my cue and just walked out of there without dropping a dime or anything more then 20 minutes of my time, because it seems like they really screw people... They will never get my business (which is a shame because I used to go to Mar Vista lanes weekly with friends), I won't go back forsure unless I am jogging by it on my morning runs down Venice. Shame really. I am in my twenties too, just fyi, so I am not sure who they are trying to appeal to if they are isolating my demographic. You can tell the quality of a place by how many pandering, corporate responses they post to negative reviews... let's see if I get one since I've seen so many on here sofar ... maybe I'll...

I went during the day when it was mostly empty. It's very nice inside. The employees are very welcoming and the food/drink service is good. The prices are high but pretty mid-level for how much bowling costs in LA, so they are fair. This is a good place to have a small party or bowl with non-enthusiasts. About the bowling...

It's string pins. If that's a dealbreaker, no need to read further. I came because my preferred alley was closed and I didn't know. If I knew? I probably wouldn't have gone. I honestly didnt mind them THAT much in the moment, because I had no alternative, but upon bowling again at a typical free fall pin place, I'm not going to come back here. It is a severe difference that the birthday-party-once-annual-bowling-kind of person may not care about. For me, it is a death knell to the hobby. The pins react differently and sometimes in unpredictable, comical ways to the ball striking them. Then a curtain drops down while the pins reset in an effort to hide how hilarious it looks when the strings pull them all off the lane. I had only heard of Bowlero taking over alleys and replacing the pin setters for this cheaper alternative, so I wanted to try it myself before coming up with an opinion. And I sat on it for a while and bowled at other alleys before deciding it's awful. It makes the game feel more like a cheap carnival skill game than a potential hobby. For that reason, I cannot come back here again and pay for this experience, because I don't want to support the cheaper practice of replacing the pin setters with string pins.

It doesnt seem like the cheaper cost of the string pins is even passed to the consumer. Maybe if it were a couple bucks a game? But I was paying $10. And the lane approaches are shortened by a good 50%. The obvious ways they tried to cheap out while simultaneously keeping prices high is leaving an increasingly bad taste in my mouth, even while I type this. I better hit submit before the 3...