Splitsville — Local services in Fredericksburg

I GIVE THIS PLACE NEGATIVE 10!!!

Yesterday, my family and I decided, like we do every Sunday, to go to the alley to allow the kids some time to wind down before the start of the week. My spouse made it there before I did, so he was already sitting in the dining room at a booth with drinks for everyone and menus. He notified me at the time that there were no lanes available at the time for bowling, but that he had reserved a lane, and that they would let us know when it was ready. We got the phone call about 15 minutes after I sat down letting us know the lane was ready, and that we could move. We moved all of our drinks along with the kids to the other side of the alley where we were given the lane and proceeded to order our meals.

The kids start to bowl (we paid for 1 game, as we knew we wouldn't be there long because we had other errands to run after), and they inevitability finish up, right as the food is being delivered to the table. Within 2 minutes of our food being brought to us and we start to eat, the server comes back over and ask us if we "could please move back into the dining room". I looked her directly in her eyes and gave her my firmest, most sincere "absolutely not". I told her that we were NOT moving, that we had already moved once, and that we had no intentions of shuffling our food, drinks, and children around for a second time. She explained that the lane (that they placed us at, mind you) was reserved and that they needed it. I told her that that was not our problem; that if management and staff planned poorly that we were not going to be inconvenienced because of it. I pointed out 5 other lanes that were not being utilized at the time (lanes 1,2,3,4, we were # 5, and 8.) and that she should ask one of them to relocate. I informed her that we had paid for our game and that we are now enjoying our meal. She goes to notify the manager.

About a minute later, 2 "managers" come over, one sloppy little boy probably graduating with my daughters class NEXT year, and a girl who clearly wanted to be the stereotypical idea of a "black woman" and began to tell us that we "have" to move because they need the table. I asked her where in writing does it indicate that once people are finished with bowling that they must vacate the table in the middle of their meal. Her response: "I'm TELLING you that's what you're going to do"! I say "Whats your wager? - I'm not moving. Sorry". She then states that if we "did not move immediately, the police would be called". I told her "we'll wait, we're not moving". She walks away - never comes back. The Spotsy mall cop (laughable) comes in, and tries to find out whats going on; I explain. Shes pissed because these "managers" have wasted her time. She then lets me know that the "managers have called the sheriffs' department, and because you did not move, you are TRESPASSING" Really?- Ok, Starbucks. My response? "Great - I'll wait for them too!"

As we are finishing up our meal and waiting, another (more reasonable) manager comes over to find out what is going on. I explain again. He is flabbergasted and annoyed because he understands its nonsense; the detriment that can come from a slick mouth child put in a position that she and he were obviously not trained or prepared for. He comps our entire meal. We ask for the server to come back so that we can tip her. She was annoyed. We collected our things, went to the front and waited 45 minutes for the cops who never showed up. I asked, "Where are the police, we've been waiting to speak with them". The young idiot manager who initiated this entire mess says "Well, I wasn't involved so I don't know whats really going on". Huh??- Am I in the twilight zone?!

The embarrassment that we endured due to poor management was is enough to warrant this place ZERO stars. I will NEVER spend my money here again and will notify every person I come in contact with about how disgusting their customer service is and how they treat their patrons. A suite...

I sincerely hope corporate sees this because this location—along with many others—is being poorly managed due to greed. I genuinely feel bad for both the employees and the customers who spend their hard-earned money only to receive a terrible experience.

The biggest issue is the severe understaffing, which is a direct result of not paying employees properly. Every time we visit, it's nearly impossible to get service or assistance because the limited staff is overworked, scrambling to keep up with everything.

I brought my wife and five kids here, hoping to enjoy the arcade while we waited the four hours for a bowling lane. We spent $186 on six play cards, only to find that half the arcade games were out of service! The ones that were working charged an outrageous 4 to 8 credits per game—essentially $1 to $2 per play. That is blatant price gouging, made worse by the fact that the arcade itself was dirty and unkempt because there simply aren’t enough employees to maintain it.

Corporate, pay your employees fairly, hire more staff, and stop prioritizing profit margins over customer experience. At this rate, you will continue to lose customers because the service and product you provide are subpar. You’re charging premium prices for a poor and frustrating experience, and that’s unacceptable.

I don’t blame the staff—I blame corporate. This needs to be addressed immediately. Until you start valuing both your employees and your customers over profit, I will actively work to raise awareness so others don’t fall victim to this same...

I hadn't bowled in over ten years. I'm 64 and figured I'd go give it a try on my own since I had a double hernia operation back in September 2023 and I thought that would improve my ability to bowl. I showed up here yesterday and asked how much to bowl. What? $25 for 30 minutes? $50 for an hour? Outrageous but I figured since I was already here I paid for 30 minutes. I got up there and delivered my first ball and went down hard on one knee. There was gum on the bottom of my bowling shoe. Then I noticed there was several spots of dried gum on the lane where the balls come out. I changed shoes. They kept the clock running. While I managed to very very quickly bowl three games in the allotted 30 minutes I did not enjoy one second of it. Even with the different set of shoes my foot kept sticking on delivery. So EVERY ball I rolled I was expecting to be halted in my tracks and and pitching forward so I ended up delivering most balls from a mostly upright position. WHICH IS NOT HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED FOR MOST PEOPLE!! I pointed out the gum to the girl and she seemed very dismissive. Too expensive ($8.33 per game and I felt rushed the whole time) and a lousy experience on top of it. Lucky I didn't have to use the bathroom during that time. The restroom would have cost me about 83 cents a minute to do so and I would have lost out on...