Northside Lanes — Local services in Winchester

I’m disappointed with the establishment after paying an arm and a leg to go bowling and be given free hotdog/ice cream tickets from a parent at another lane. The lady at the front desk offered our family two options, 5.75 per game or hourly. We were not sure how long we were going to be there since it was my husband’s first time, so we chose hourly. 48$ isn’t horrible for a family of 4, I wasn’t upset. We were okay when we paid over 50$ for food. The pizza is okay, I wouldn’t suggest taking it home. Mac n cheese bites were burnt. Bacon cheese fries were great and those fried pickles are amazing. Bowling has evolved and they are able to offer a variety of bowling games including angry birds. My kids thought it would be a fun game but it kept skipping turns and freezing. We waited for the pins multiple times. After waiting for their staff to fix the lane, I went to ask the lady at the front about our lane, she informed me they were working on it but when I asked for more time, I definitely felt the attitude. When I explained the problem, she explained how she has had others have the same issues. ?!? Wait, why do you continue to let people play games that are not properly working and taking valuable time away from the customer? That makes no sense to me. I wasn’t happy with her answer but I went along with it. I understand things happen that are out of our control but what has me upset the most is that your establishment offers students a free game and tickets for ice cream/hotdogs and we had no idea. Another parent walked over as she was leaving and explained all of this to our family.

Why? Why doesn’t your staff have the experience to notice I had a student or at least even ask? After checking out the website, your establishment even offers that discount for college students which I had one of those too! If the point is to get people to come to your establishment more, I think you failed yesterday because I had...

I never leave reviews, but this experience was frustrating enough to make me write my first one. I’ve always enjoyed visiting Northside Lanes, but my most recent trip was disappointing due to poor customer service. I understand that we arrived close to closing time (40 minutes before closing), but that shouldn’t be an excuse for rudeness—especially after paying over $40 for our visit.

First, we tried to order from the snack bar around 9:26 PM, not realizing it closes at 9 PM instead of 10 PM. Instead of politely informing us, the female employee responded with unnecessary attitude, waving her hand dismissively and saying, “Nahhh, we’re closed.”

Then, when our game automatically ended at 10 PM—before we finished our last frames—we noticed another group still playing. After paying $40+, we were confused as to why we couldn’t finish our frames while others could. When I asked why, I was told, “You have to request an extension anytime throughout the day if you want to finish your frames.” This was confusing because, in all my visits—both day and night—I’ve never had to “request an extension” to finish my frames (rows). When I asked for clarification—meaning if I have to ask for an extension when it comes close to closing—the employee kept contradicting herself, first saying “No, anytime throughout the day,” then insisting that you don’t have to request it at all, only when it’s close to closing time.

I completely understand that employees want to go home on time, but customer service still matters. A little courtesy goes a long way, especially when customers are paying good money to be there. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression, and I hope management addresses both the inconsistencies in their policies and the attitude of some staff members. Our family night didn’t end as fun as...

Been bowling here for 14 years, so I am pretty familiar with the place and the folks who work here. The prices are competitive (compared to other cities since this is the only bowling center in town). I always take advantage of the weekly dollar a game special as well as the summer bowl all you want for $10 special. Coupons are available online as well. I know sometimes the staff seems a bit stressed but considering how busy it can get, I can understand why they not always at their best. I read complaints about cleanliness, but frankly, it just depends. On busy summer days, with lots of kids in, the customers can leave the place messy and make it hard to keep the bowling center sparkling clean 100% all the time. I think the snack bar ladies do a good job, again especially on days and nights when they are really busy and customers are lined up at the counter. If there are any issues, I find it easy to talk with the manager or the marketing director. They have done a number of renovations in the last year or so to keep the center as modernized as possible. The only things that really bother me are other bowlers who may not be aware of the rules and etiquette involved with bowling, such as getting on the lane when someone next to you is about to bowl, causing a distraction to that person. One customer gave a one star rating because some teenagers laughed when his mother slipped--how is that the fault of the bowling establishment? Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, we tend to complain...