Fairfield Bay Lanes — Local services in Fairfield Bay

First of all, great folks working there. Service was awesome and friendly.

The main problem is the equipment. It is old... as in 1960s old. We spent a large amount of our time either waiting for our balls to be returned or waiting for the pins to cycle. We had to go get help a lot. The machine put the pins down with pins missing sometimes and with them laying on their sides as well.

The other issue was that the software that keeps score for you is wildly inaccurate. It is a known issue so they give you a scoring sheet to fill out yourself. While this is a solution, very few people know how to fill one out and frankly it's inconvenient at the least.

Overall we had a great time, the food was good and the drinks reasonably priced. Service was great as well. Only issue is the equipment is extremely outdated and unreliable. We ended up just bowling for fun, without keeping score. We decided to let the crazy scoring computer just "pick" the winner since actual scores had nothing to do with it. Lol

If you're a serious bowler you'll lose your mind. If you're there just to have fun and cut up with the family, you'll enjoy yourself for sure.

Edit May 2023: Went back for more fun and they have upgraded their equipment! Score is accurate and machines were working...

Memorial Day Weekend so they were slammed. Put our name in for bowling and were slated as 4th in line so we decided to eat. Only 2 people working the floor, the manager and the blonde lady (both nice) then the black guy (not nice) telling me that we can’t stand at the bar because I had young daughters but feel free to grab a table in the back. The blonde comes back where we seated ourselves and tells one of my daughters that she can’t bring a bottle of water in the building. Same daughter orders water. Food came out quick and was good. After about 1.5 hours were done and cashed out for food. Made sure we were still on the bowling list. Waited another 30 while I watched an empty lane. Blonde asks me what I needed and I said “I was next in line remember?” Then she consorts manager and they said they had a birthday party reserving 2 of the lanes…

Moral of the story for the establishment, don’t promise a family a lane and then tell them it’s not happening after spending money and waiting without offering a refund or some type of incentive to come back.

Moral of my story, don’t try to expect a lane on a busy rainy Memorial Day weekend.

Still mad...

Today was the first time to go since the remodel and the place was really dusty and dirty and the food isn't cooked there anymore it has to be delivered from another business. We had our own ball (we did see the sgin about not responsible for damage to our own ball) but something in the machines did chip the ball in about 4 places. We could hear it making some noise when the ball was coming back. Was told they wouldn't fix the problem so we won't be able to use our own ball unless we want it damaged. We got moved to another lane but it didn't help at all so we just stopped using our ball. We went alot before the remodel and it never messed up the ball and we had alot of fun but we will drive to Conway to bowl now since they don't want to fix...