Ravi J
Google
Disappointing New Year’s Eve Experience
We had a very disappointing New Year’s Eve experience at Lucky Strike, Bellevue, which unfortunately ruined what should have been a special night for me and my family.
We arrived at 9:00 PM, as clearly stated on both the event listing and our email confirmation (9:00 PM–1:00 AM). At the entrance, security checked our confirmation and then told us the event actually started at 10:00 PM, saying the 9:00 PM time mentioned in the email was a mistake. Trusting this information, we left and spent an hour walking around the mall in the cold.
When we returned at 10:00 PM, the front desk informed us that we were expected at 9:00 PM. After explaining what security had told us and pointing out the guard we were told there had been a staff error.
We were then escorted to our booth, where all the food had already been laid out for over an hour and was completely cold. At that point, we were hungry and frustrated, and seeing cold food was a major letdown. Staff acknowledged the mistake and offered to replace the food, but by then the experience was already soured.
To make matters worse, our assigned lane was the second-to-last, which made bowling extremely awkward everyone seated had to stand up and move each time someone bowled. The group next to us, at the end by the wall, didn’t have this issue at all. It felt like poor planning and unfair seating.
The food quality overall was also below expectations. Considering we paid around $500, the confusion, lost hour of time, cold food, uncomfortable seating, and general disorganization completely dampened our New Year’s Eve celebration.
Management offered arcade tickets, champagne, and later bowling gift cards, but after such a negative experience, we weren’t interested in returning or spending more time or money there.
Losing an entire hour of a prepaid event due to staff miscommunication is unacceptable. This experience lacked basic coordination and customer care, especially for a premium NYE event. Unfortunately, we left disappointed and would think twice before booking another special occasion here.