Myron K.
Yelp
I visited on a Friday night with a reservation for 8 pm. You pay by the hour; however, you pay to rent shoes and that is where the issue is. The rental fee is $4.33 per person, but I noticed that the cash register does not carry coins, which led to discrepancies in the change given to customers paying with cash.
When I brought this issue to the attention of one of the staff members, she mentioned that the rounding of change would ultimately benefit customers. However, in my case, I paid with a $10 bill for my shoe rental and received only $5 back in change. As part of a party of seven, 5 members were similarly shorted by 67 cents (the others paid with a card), that could accumulate to $4.69 across our group. Considering how many customers they serve daily, this could result in significant extra profit at the expense of patrons.
This experience left me feeling uneasy, which affected my desire to continue bowling. While it may seem minor, the principle behind it is important to me. The computer on the lane would only add 6 people which they said they could fix however, I decided to forgo bowling and request a refund for my shoe rental.
Upon returning the shoes, I was surprised to receive only $4 back. I explained that I had paid with a $10 bill and expected a $5 refund, highlighting the inconsistency in the change I had previously received. After some reluctance, the staff provided the correct amount.
As I left the restroom, I overheard a conversation among the staff indicating that "people don't usually make a big deal out of the change". This reinforced my impression that this practice may be intentional.
While the amount in question may not be substantial, I believe it reflects poor business practices that can undermine customer trust. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I have decided not to return. I hope people start speaking up so they can change this business practice, or just eliminate cash and go to card only and stop short changing their customers.
Now I do have to give a complement to the Server Tonja. She was was amazing. She was very busy taking care of the many customers and yet was attentive, efficient, and everyone's order came out correct and in a timely manner. The food was also very good. Especially the pizzas. She earned the place 3 stars. I still won't be back though because I don't like shady business practices.