The Alley — Local services in Gadsden

First of all, the alley's conditions are very nice, everythings up to date, and the lanes are usually properly oiled/maintained. However, while it's a good place to bowl, the problem is that it's very hard to actually get a chance to do so.

They have league events seemingly every weekday night, which hardly leaves any lanes left for everyone else to use, and weekends usually are sold out, too. I've had numerous instances where I tried to bowl here, on various nights of the week, and then been turned down because of this.

They really need to post schedules on their website of when leagues bowl that way everyone else knows not to come here while that's taking place.They also rarely answer the phone anymore when you try to call to make inquiries.

So in my experience, it's only worth coming here to bowl if you either make reservations well in advance, or come here early on weekday mornings, within the first few hours of them being open. If you try to show up at any other time of the week than that, you run a very high risk of being turned away.

Also, this is the only bowling alley I've been to that charges by the hour, instead of by the game. Which might be fine for casual guests, but for serious bowlers, it's a downside because your time could run out in the middle of a game, so you won't be able to finish it. Not really the best system...

Bumped their price up significantly and made it to where you pay an extra $12.50 per person on weekdays and an extra $15 per person on weekends. Saw where the owners claimed in another review that it was because they encompassed the shoe rental in the price but the shoe rentals were only $4. On top of the insane price jump they got rid of the waitresses that come to your lane and take you order/bring your food and drinks. So now you have to walk to get food or drinks and wait in line (which if you want to get something from the bar on the weekend you’re gonna be waiting almost 30 minutes) so you get to pay more for more inconvenience. It’s not like the owners are hurting for money, they live in a gated mansion with a bunch of acreage. Now I’m not hating on them for living like that, they earned it by starting good businesses and filling a need for the area, however, if you are going to live like that you have no excuse to be greedy, which there’s no denying is what they are doing. The Alley used to be a great place to go and well worth the price. Not anymore, I feel like they think they can get away with it because they have a monopoly on entertainment pretty much in the county but I was fine before The Alley came along and I’ll be fine no longer supporting the...

After paying $100 to bowl for 1 hour and $30 on food. Would have like to have had a better experience. I made reservations. Showed up on time. Of course I expect a wait to check in. It's always a long wait line at the desk everytime I've came. Got the kids shoes. Everyone is picking out balls. I Had to go back to the counter to wait in line again. To ask for toddler balls and a slide. Anytime I've gone to Franks or Spare time. When checking in. They have mentioned "hey if the smaller kids need a ball make sure to grab this # and we will bring you a bumper. " wait in line to be told "hey go find that employee over there (points to group sitting) to get you a ball and bumper? All that cut into our bowling time. Once we were finishing up our last 3 rounds of bowling. It's a family waiting at our booth for us to leave so they can bowl.....it felt rushed. There were only us and 2 other family's on the other end of the alley. So I'm confused why they were waiting on us to leave. And not placed elsewhere. We had to hurry and get 7 kids shoes on. Get up our food (which we were still eating on) and belongings. To move to sit else where to finish eating. I'm sure us trying to get our stuff together cut into their...