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The AMF Rip Van Winkle Lanes at 701 Connecticut Ave. in Norwalk shuttered for a remake Aug. 10. It opened Dec. 4 as Bowlmor, under the Bowlmor AMF banner, with a splashy, searchlighted kickoff that attracted 300 to 400 people.
For attendees who had not bowled in a long time ”” anecdotally betrayed by halting deliveries and occasional gutter balls ”” the Norwalk Bowlmor version of the sport presented a revelation.
The longtime, Pat Boone-backed mainstay of the cathode-ray TV era has morphed into, essentially, all things flat screen and Brooklyn these days. The appeal has crossed generations as the event demonstrated, with youthful hipsters in designer glasses and businesspeople in skirts and pants suits or ties and jackets reconnecting with what might be termed high-energy bowling.
Among changes to traditional bowling, the lanes are tinted blue and the black-lighted pins would make contextual additions to a “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” video. Yet for all their neon visibility, the pins are no easier to knock over than conventional ones ”“ the lane, pin and ball dimensions remain official and the 7-10 split remains a heartbreaker. Spares and strikes are registered on overhead flat screens.
Historically forgettable bowling alley fare has been replaced with a full-service kitchen serving proprietary items such as the 5-pound and made-to-share Behemoth Burger, The Ultimate Grilled Cheese, the Dolce Pollo Barbeque Flatbread and the Monster Cookie Melt. The menu was crafted by Bowlmor AMF Executive Chef Edward Porter, recent winner of the cable TV Food Network”™s “Guy”™s Grocery Games” cooking competition.
“For the first time ever, Fairfield County residents can enjoy an upscale gaming and entertainment experience right in their own neighborhood,” said Tom Shannon, CEO, chairman and president of Bowlmor AMF. “Bowling brings people together for fun, games and a guaranteed good time so the holiday season is the perfect time for Bowlmor to open its doors in the Connecticut area.”
The 38-lane facility, one of 340 AMF Bowlmors nationally plus eight in Mexico, is available for corporate events.
Bowlmor AMF was created in 2013 via the merger of Bowlmor, a bowling and entertainment company with roots in Greenwich Village, and AMF Bowling Worldwide. The original Bowlmor closed in July after 76 years on University Place following a lease dispute.
Bowlmor AMF acquired Brunswick”™s bowling center business in 2014. The company”™s brands now include AMF, Bowlmor Lanes, Bowlero, Brunswick Bowling, Brunswick Zone and Brunswick Zone XL.
The facility features oversized video screens at the end of each lane, high-definition flat-screen TVs throughout and a fully equipped DJ booth. The facility also hosts a laser tag arena and gaming center. Bowlmor refers to the lanes as “Connecticut”™s first boutique bowling alley.”
The event attracted Bowlmor employees from around U.S., including company server-trainers Elissa Ramirez, who works in Bowlmor”™s Times Square facility, and Chris Sanders, who had traveled from the company”™s Houston facility to participate.
