K.R. M.
Yelp
This is a story about a near-fiasco of a birthday party, about a cold reception, about empathy, and ultimately, about redemption and a long-lasting favorable impression. TL;DR: I would trust the Seaport Kings D&E team for my next Big Night Out.
To celebrate her 16th birthday, my daughter wanted to take her friends bowling in prom dresses. For weeks, she had been hitting up thrift stores and managed to find six or seven evening gowns totaling about 40 bucks. One week before the event, I called Kings to ask about reservations. They said they don't take them unless the party is huge, but that if I arrived around 6pm on a Saturday night, we should have no problem getting a lane.
It was a freezing cold night in December when these six gorgeous young ladies showed up (coatless, of course) to get their bowl on. That's when the fiasco hit us: a huge party had arrived and the waiting list for a lane was now THREE HOURS LONG. With Kings switching to 21+ at 9pm, this meant the sweet sixteen party was over before it even started. There we were, six girls who were simultaneously overdressed and underdressed for roaming around the Seaport on a frigid winter evening.
I begged, I pleaded with the staff at the cash register, but they said there was nothing they can do except offer us an arcade voucher while we waited. The girls headed for the air hockey table while I scrambled. Working with my spouse at home, we called every bowling alley in Boston Metro, but all had the same answer: long waits, no reservations, and certainly no guarantees at this eleventh hour.
After about 45 minutes of crossing out all the options, I was ready to give up. It was at this moment that one of the waitstaff noticed me in my state of high anxiety (and did I mention wearing a tuxedo?) and said, "Hey buddy, you OK?"
I said, "Well, no, actually," and quickly explained the situation. He said, "Listen, there's a manager here, kinda short woman with glasses, you find her and tell her what you told me." I said thanks and started looking around, but still, I didn't have much hope. I mean, what was she going to do that the staff at the register weren't?
After 15 minutes of not finding her, I decided to go with Plan Z, which was just to go to any nearby restaurant and blow a few hundred bucks on dinner. Not very exciting for a 16th birthday and I was sure my daughter and her friends would be disappointed (though honestly, they were all so appreciative and understanding through all of this).
I was just about to go when a petite, bespectacled manager--her name was Terri--approached me. "I heard you've got a 16 year old girl celebrating her birthday," she said. "I've got a daughter that age, too, and I'm going to help you out." Terri put us next in line for a lane!
So what happened here? Sergio, the empathetic waiter who saw me in distress, went out of his way to follow up on his advice to me, got a hold of the manager, and even explained the whole situation to her.
Sergio hooked us up for the rest of the night, treating the girls like royalty. "Ginger ales? How 'bout virgin mojitos!" As their time on the lane was running out, he gave them a free extension. He even brought a bowling pin for them all to sign with a Sharpie for my daughter to keep as a memento. Heck, Sergio even bought me a beer!
Together, Sergio and Terri saved this father from an epic calamity and ensured that my daughter will forever remember the AMAZING time she and her friends had at Kings Bowl on her sixteenth birthday. Kings Bowl is lucky to have them... and should pay them what they deserve!
My advice to Yelp readers who deigned to get this far:
(1) Don't risk all of your party's expectations on a location that doesn't take reservations--that was my biggest mistake, and I am forever grateful to Sergio and Terri for saving me from myself. And...
(2) Wear a tux or a prom dress the next time you go out. People notice you.
(3) Always carry a $100 bill in your wallet and save it for those unfortunately rare occasions when a stranger shows you extraordinary kindness.