Paradise Alley — Local services in Mandeville

I was excited that our bowling alley opened back up but my family’s experience there this evening didn’t meet the expectations I had hoped for Mandeville. The outside needs some TLC. The inside decor is a better than it was before but could still use some upgrades.

The wait was over an hour so we decided to put our name on the list and get some food. We ordered at the bar and we were told we couldn’t sit at the tables by the lanes because the tables were all reserved for lanes but we could sit at the bar. When we sat at the bar we were asked to move because we had teenagers. I found a high top table for us to sit at but there were only 2 high top tables. The odd thing is that half the lanes were closed down and not functioning so why couldn’t we sit at the tables with non functioning lanes. The food for 4 people all came out at different times. Mine took 40 min and came out after everyone was done. All the food we ordered wasn’t good. There was only one pool table so there wasn’t much to do while killing the time waiting on a lane.

Despite the fact that we were there over an hour, I am not even sure how the bowling experience was because we didn’t get to bowl. Honestly wish they had a light up pager or some kind of system to know when your lane is ready- like your name on a board. They called my cell and somehow I didn’t hear my phone ring even though it was turned all the way up. When I asked about it they said they would have to put my name at the bottom of the list since I missed the call which would be another hour wait.

I would recommend light up pagers for the waiting list, allowing guests waiting on lanes to sit at actual tables while eating, improving the food quality, adding more game tables, and having more dedicated waitresses that aren’t doing double duty as bar tenders to make it a more family friendly...

I'm going to ask a simple question: What have you done over the past 3 years, and what do you have to show for it? Consider this statistic: 8 out of 10 people are likely to share a bad experience, while only 2 will share a positive one. How will you change that? The odds are against you from the start. First impressions last a very long time.

What’s another month to get your business ready? A soft opening? A website? As a small business owner, I’d never open unless everything was in order and staff were trained to handle issues. I experienced poor customer service while paying $60 for an hour. Why are lanes still not working? Are you using outdated equipment? You need staff to test each lane before opening and to be transparent with customers.

The owner should be present daily, engaging with customers to build loyalty. Gather real-time feedback and ensure employees know how to assist. Give an extra hour, since it's not by the game. There should be a mechanic or service person to fix any problems at all times until the equipment works, in real time. Not, "lanes 1-20 are not working."

I understand growing pains, but opening a business half-assed is disappointing. How do I know what goes on there without social media and website. I won’t return until I hear of someone having a positive experience, and that’s a risky position for your business to put...

I had gone to paradise alley a couple of weeks ago with my son and husband. We were all excited to try the new bowling alley and support local. As soon as we sat down at our lane the lane was not working. Waited a few minutes before going up and asking for it to be set up. Finally it was and then we started to play. Got through 1 frame before it broke again! Waited a long time for them to fix it before we decided we wasted almost a half hour of our hour game. We went up to get a refund which they did for the game but not the shoes! We literally paid 1 frame! Worst yet the manager was unapologetic and extremely unhelpful borderline rude. I saw a card with the general managers name and email so I emailed her reaching out about this situation because I believe it letting people know before writing a negative review to give them a chance to right a wrong. Well she emailed back 3 days later and asked for my number. I emailed back grateful for her response and gave her my number. That was May 19th. Still no call at all. Never got my $38 back either. Very disappointed in this local business. Fair warning they also are understaffed their own words as to why it takes so long for the pins to be reset if the...