A local third-grade class made a field trip to Incredi-Bowl.
Bowling is only part of the story at this popular Guthrie Center business.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times
Most bowling alleys are busiest in the winter months, since cold weather forces many people to seek indoor recreation. But the staff at Incredi-Bowl in Guthrie Center stay busy throughout the year by offering food and fun in a variety of ways. Manager Jenny Myers shared some history and details regarding Incredi-Bowl.
“I’ve worked here for about two-and-a-half or three years, and I’ve been the manager for a year and a half,” Myers said.
Since 2015, the business has been owned by Chris Long.
“Before that, it was Gutters, owned by the Atkinsons,” Myers said.
Incredi-Bowl offers electronic scoring of bowling.
“It comes through the tablet and the television screens up top,” Myers said.
Jenny Myers cooks up a food order at Incredi-Bowl.
Starting in the fall, the alley offers a variety of bowling leagues.
“We have a Monday afternoon league that usually starts around 12:30 p.m., then we have a Monday night at 7 p.m., a Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and a Thursday night at 7 p.m.,” Myers said. “Those usually start at the end of August or start of September.”
Those in-season leagues are fairly busy.
“Monday afternoons we had six teams, Monday nights we had six teams, Wednesday nights we have seven teams, and Thursday nights we had six teams. So, we always have more room for people to come and join,” Myers said. “We usually have open bowling on Tuesday nights, Friday nights and Saturday nights.”
During the summer, only one bowling league runs.
“We just started a summer 9-pin league on Thursdays,” Myers said.
The 9-pin league is more forgiving for casual bowlers, since knocking down nine or 10 pins with the first ball counts as a strike. Also, any first ball resulting in a split is automatically scored as a spare.
“That’s popular, so in the wintertime, we offer it again on Sunday nights,” Myers said. “We call it a farmers’ league.”
Incredi-Bowl also offers bumpers for kids/beginners and has black lights and disco balls that can be turned on for bowling parties.
However, bowling is only part of the story at Incredi-Bowl. Three electronic dart boards are available for casual or league play, and the bar and grill are very popular.
Myers estimated that around 75% of the revenue comes from food orders. The rotating menu includes Taco Tuesdays, fish and chips, biscuits and gravy, chicken wraps, sloppy joes, chili, cowboy beans, sandwiches and burgers. Beer and drinks are also available.
“The one big thing is that a lot of people like our loins,” Myers said. “We hand-bread everything. We cut it, trim it, all of that.”
Currently, Incredi-Bowl is running abbreviated summer hours.
“Our summertime hours are lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. and the grill closes at 9 p.m.,” Myers said. “We do offer birthday parties, and we’ll open up early for them.”
Besides Myers, Incredi-Bowl employs two part-time and two full-time staff to perform the cooking and bartending duties. The business has an active Facebook page showing recent and upcoming events, food specials and other updates.
When asked about the best part of the job, Myers had a ready answer.
“My favorite thing is watching a kid bowl their first strike,” Myers said. n