![]() ![]() The great thing about bowling is that anybody can do it.” Tang stressed that they operate family-oriented businesses, catering to customers “from 3 to 91 years old. ![]() “Cosmic Bowling” anyone? These lanes are part of the “TapHouse Bar & Grill” inside KingPins. When the opportunity became available for us, we thought this would be a great place to open a center.” “We knew the east side of Portland was an under-served area. “We have a great business in Beaverton,” Tang said. When co-owner John Tang joined the conversation, he told why the pair chose to invest here in outer East Portland. “With tables and couch seating in a lounge style environment for up to about 80 people, it makes this area a good place for company team-building events, group gatherings, and casual bowling,” Whitford said. In place of ten of the previous lanes, KingPins installed a 4,000 square foot game room, featuring some 50 of the latest video and redemption games, and a “Winner’s Court”, where guests redeem tickets for prizes.įinally, on the south end of the building, there’s now a “TapHouse Bar & Grill”, offering a casual dining menu, craft beers, wine, and spirits, served to eight TapHouse lanes. This new game room features the latest games of skill and chance. But we also know that we have to appeal to a larger audience,” explained Whitford. “Bowling leagues are still a very big part of what we do here. The new owners decided to offer 32 lanes in a more traditional setting for club and league play. “Now, consumers expect more nowadays they want an ‘entertainment experience’, which means an upgraded bowling facility, good food, and a really good game room,” Whitford said. Traditional bowling centers – the former one featured 50 bowling lanes – had little else to offer, Whitford pointed out.Ĭhef Pete Fiume takes a pizza from the oven in the remodeled kitchen. “It’s Portland’s newest and most modern bowling, arcade, food, and event destination, with 40 lanes – equipped with modern flat screen displays, automatic scoring, and HD televisions.” “So, what you see here is far more than a new coat of paint on the walls and varnish on the alleys,” Whitford grinned. “When we first took it over, it was just a shell of a building with walls, floor, and a roof the previous owners had removed everything,” Whitford said.įrom top to bottom, KingPins has been totally renovated. It was closed for about nine months for the transition during that time it went through a complete remodel from top to bottom. “Last year, John Tang and Tom Burke, who also own Sunset Lanes in Beaverton, purchased the building,” Whitford told East Portland News. “For many years, the Bowlmor AMF was corporate-owned,” remarked KingPins General Manager Aaron Whitford. KingPins General Manager Aaron Whitford, and co-owner John Tang, invite folks to come in and check out the new entertainment center. One after another, traditional bowling alleys east of the Willamette River have been “closing for renovation” – and never reopening.īecause of this, many people driving past the landmark Bowlmor AMF Lanes at 3550 SE 92 nd Avenue, which closed last year, probably thought when the fencing went up around it that this long-established family fun center would be replaced by a warehouse.īut not so! In late June, KingPins held a “soft opening”, followed by a grand opening on July 9. The old bowling alley on SE 92 nd Avenue in the Lents neighborhood is again all new, thanks to the private owners who took over the operation. Take a look inside the all-new ‘KingPins’ – an outer East Portland amusement establishment that offers a lot more than bowling …
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |