KINGS OF ENTERTAINMENT
Bowling chain rebrands as ‘adult playground’
Kings Bowl America is rebranding to emphasize its culinary offerings and wide variety of entertainment as it marks its 15th anniversary and prepares to open a $7 million flagship venue in Boston’s Seaport District that’s billed as an “adult playground.”
The Wellesley company, formed by the Hub’s Lyons Group in 2002, is changing its name to Kings Dining & Entertainment. Since its first location in Boston’s Back Bay opened in 2003, Kings’ culinary direction has evolved from an “afterthought” with a handful of appetizers and pizzas to a 70-item, from-scratch menu that’s been one of the driving forces of its repeat business, Chief Operating Officer Josh Rossmeisl said.
“People don’t go out to bowl as much as they go out to eat, and we’ve really embraced that culinary culture in all our units,” he said. “There’s a stigma that goes on with bowling alleys — hot dogs on rollers and frozen corn dogs and frozen chicken tenders, and there’s not a single microwave in our kitchens. We use local ingredients. We’re using more organic ingredients and focusing more on the clean eating. No GMOs. We smoke our own meats in-house.”
Food generates about 35 percent of Kings’ revenue, up from the 15 percent to 17 percent when Rossmeisl started about 18 months ago. Takeout accounts for about 10 percent of those sales.
Kings’ rebranding also reflects the company’s entertainment beyond bowling. It has a live music room in its Nashville location, a private screening studio with 48 stadium seats in Burlington, karaoke suites and social table games.
“If we were just a bowling alley, we would not be able to have five (Boston-area) locations within 10 miles of another,” Rossmeisl said. “To be entertained is really what people are looking for right now, because dining isn’t the entertainment anymore.”
The 22,000-square-foot Seaport Kings, opening in October on the second level of The Benjamin & Via development at One Seaport Square, will be the 11th overall in five states.
“We’re rebranding the whole company, but we’re kind of rolling it out with the Seaport location with the new logo and the look and feel of our venues,” Rossmeisl said.
The venue is designed to cater to the large companies and young professionals in the Seaport. It will feature a Draft Room sports bar with 14-foot LED screens, a new menu and 40 craft beers. A separate retro gaming “barcade” will have 15 to 20 games, such as “Pac-Man,” “Super Mario Bros.,” pinball and air hockey. The location also will sport a 150-speaker, 20-amp sound system, DJs seven nights, three corporate event rooms, 50 TV screens, billiards and a private King Pin bowling room.
“It’s really an adult playground,” Rossmeisl said. “The Seaport District location will be our flagship — sort of coming full circle from all of the locations that we’ve opened so far.”