King Pinz was one stop of several on a triple-date night with some great friends. Â Â The location is easy to get to - lots of parking. Â One of the guys made reservations and I'm glad he did - we would've been waiting awhile otherwise. Â It was nice to head right in and get bowling. Â
The staff at the cashier were extremely friendly, especially one gal I wish I had the name of; she was very friendly and happy to be there. Â The wait staff was also very attentive and friendly though they were pushing the beverages very strongly - that obviously is their profit center. Â The TV projection behind the lanes was pretty sweet - having the Nats game live was more fun for me than the bowling itself.
The bowling itself was fine - plenty of clean new bowling balls, the return was unusually fast, the LCDs were new and bright. Â The deck was well cleaned, no scratches or dings. Â
The problem with King Pinz is that the seating areas are extremely compact - you have to step over each other just to get up to the lanes - makes for a tight experience. Â With 6 people, it was almost unenjoyable. Â If it weren't for the great company, we wouldn't have finished the round. Â As it was, we left after a single game opting for somewhere with more room and better food.
That's why I won't be back - the service was great, even very friendly, but the core part of the experience was no good.
I'm seeing some people complain about their bills being over $100... my story should make you feel a lot better.
Went in on a Sunday with 3 friends, and 4 kids between us (total of 8 people). Waited a while for a lane to open (we actually had 2 lanes, I think). Bowled 3 games, shoe rentals, got the kids some drinks, a pizza, and the cookie shooters (which are pretty cool). Also ordered one round of mixed drinks for the adults. I expected it to be a pretty high bill, but was shocked when the total was almost $500!!!
$500... for bowling. I paid $500... to bowl.
That one really hurt. It was our own fault for not grasping that we were being charged for 8 people per game. I'm not really complaining, just trying to make you guys who were shocked at $100 bills feel a little better about your outing.
Overall, it was fun- but not even remotely worth what we paid. The place is very clean, big TV screens above the lanes, and the food is average. It's a nice place... but very expensive. Have fun, but be mindful of what you're paying... to bowl.
I have been to King Pinz before with my friends and were always told what the price for each game was at the counter when checking in. Â This time, the front desk guy told us simply that it was "$8 a game". Â
WOW! Â On a Friday night it's going to be only "$8 a game"? Â We'll do two! Â Well, after finishing up our 2 games we asked our waiter (or bartender- not sure) how much an additional game would be. Â The waiter (or bartender) told us it would be "$8 a game". Â Awesome! Â
So we tacked on another game as well as another 100 Oz beer tube thing. Â After we finished our game and our drinks, we asked for the bill. Â ONE HUNDRED AN SIXTY DOLLARS LATER we came to the realization that it was "$8 a game" PER PERSON. Â
Not only did we ask twice the price for the price of the games, but we were intentionally duped into believe that the games were only $8. Â What was their response to my claim of highway robbery? Â "Well, it's kind of implied". Â Implied? Â That's the service & value of your dollar you get at King Pinz. Â Got to Dulles Golf Center and play putt-putt because at least you know there it's $8 a person per round. Â Ridiculous. Â Wont be back.
Took 4 children there on a Saturday. Â Had a lane reservation. Â 1 hour of bowling, plus the game tokens (can you really say no to the kids?), shoe rentals, and food came to $100. Â Not exactly a cheap 90 minutes.
The lane was available when we arrived. Â They neglect to tell you that upon "checking in" the meter starts running. Â By the time the kids got their shoes on, fussed around to find suitable balls, etc. we saw on the overhead screen that we had 54 minutes of bowling left. Â We hadn't rolled a single ball. Â After complaining to the waiter, a manager arrived and said they added 10 minutes to our time. Â Happy they did that, but not happy I had to complain. Â Advice is to arrive early and get all your gear and then check in so you can bowl straight away.
If you do open bowling you pay by the game, but you risk lanes being unavailable. Â If you reserve a lane as I did, please note that you will be timed out abruptly. Â We got through 15 frames for five people in our hour. Â When the time is up, the lane goes dark. Â It was my turn at that time and could not finish my second roll. Â The kids were mildly disappointed because they had entered a playful guessing game of my final score, but I couldn't finish.
Other than those annoyances, it's an interesting place to hang out. Â Food is pub grub quality (I mean, who has any expectations of bowling alley food?). Â Kids will have fun.
Pros: Offers amusement park and arcade games until you're ready to bowl (i.e., skee-ball, punching bag, golf and first person shooter arcades.) Â Bar Available. Â Movies across the street if you get bored and waited too long to bowl.
Cons: I've been here twice, but have yet to bowl. Â Really busy.
Bottomline: Â If you really want to bowl, you will probably have to wait a while. Â If you just want something to do for fun, it's a good area.
Well, here comes another negative review for this place. Â Maybe they should take note? Â
Anyway, I will preface this with saying that I DID have a good experience here last Christmas. Â I rented out the VIP area for my employees last holiday and we had it catered through them. Â The customer service then was great, the food was....ok, and I didn't have any complaints! Â Everybody had fun and got hammered (and I got the bill!). Â Not surprisngly, we did have good service. Â That will happen when I drop a few thousand and the waitress knew she was going to get a couple of hundred off of me in tip so I am still not overly impressed. Â Good service should be a constant, not just when a few grand is at play...
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Some friends of ours invited us to go bowling here with them so we went. Â We got out shoes and then went to the bar where the bartender was friendly and helped us figure out what the more cost effective way to drink a lot of beer was. Â That was nice and she was great. Then we moved over to our lane.
Our server was another female (wish I had gotten her name) whom was very short with us and not friendly at all. Â It took forever to get refills (the place was at least half empty!!!) but she was quick with rudeness. Â At one point we pressed the call button and had to wait about 10 minutes for her to get to us (keep in mind, she wasn't working a bunch of lanes) and when she did, I guess I wasn't loud enough because she said "Look at me when you speak to me!!". Â Am I 4? Â No, I am in my 30's and in charge of how much I tip. Â She stormed off and reset our lane. Â The timer had been running on our lane this whole time and when I brought that to her attention she said she will do what she can (with a pissy attitude) and did add 10 min. to our lane which was nice. Â I did after this point out to her, in a nice manner, that she was rude and that I didn't appreciate being talked to like a 4 y.o.. Â We never saw her again except when she brought our check. Â
My friend gave me cash and I gave her the cash and my card and said "Please use the cash towards the bill and put the rest on my card". Â She neglected to do that..but instead, kept the cash and charged me for the whole thing!!! Â That wasn't your tip!!!!! Â I was about to not tip another dollar but my buddy threw in come cash and I signed my tab. Â She then goes to a bartender and loudly says that we stiffed her!!!!
At this point I ask for the manager who was pretty much a customer service idiot but he did apologize and he did comp us 4 free games (about 1 hour for 4 of us) in the future. Â Whatever. Â I won't be back. Â They really need to keep tabs on the wait staff. Â If you have a crappy attitude and don't like your job, find another one.
Just hosted a corporate luncheon/bowling party at King Pinz and it was tons of fun. We had the VIP suite for our group and it worked out perfect. The service was great and the food was good. We even had booze and still came in under budget.
Monica was great to work with for planning purposes. Would definitely bring the office back for another outing.
Pretty decent bowling alley. I don't go bowling often, but it's a nice diversion when you're looking for something different to do.
This place gets props in my book for being in a good location (5 minutes away from my apartment), decent prices on bowling, and wasn't too crowded when I went there with a group of 6 people on a weekend. Did not order food while we were there, so I am not inclined to comment on the quality of their eats, and also did not check out the bar or the arcade. As far as bowling goes, it does its job quite well and won't leave a hole in your pocket.
On the negative side, the staff seemed irate at the fact that we had opted not to order any food or drinks from the menu, and even more irate when we politely asked to split the check for the cost of the games we played.
So lame. After out group's second round of drinks in roughly an hour we were told that we would be cut off if we ordered more drinks too quickly. Our underage brothers has ordered sodas and were told they were being watched so they didn't try to sneak our drinks. Drinks were weak and WAY overpriced. Will not be returning. Would not recommend.
Review Source:A little suprised by all of the negative reviews.
(yeah a 3 star doesnt look like a great review, i get that but i have to drop atleast one star as i was drinking and dont want to drunkely say great job)
Stopped in for some bowling, drinking and make some snacks.
Mission accomplished.
Was a good pregaming activity before a night out and the pitchers are well priced.
Will update following a sober visit.
I thought the facility was really nice and the food, albeit a little pricey, was pretty good considering it's a bowling alley. Thought our waitress was great, she was attentive and moved quick.
The only thing I was annoyed with, was we were the only group in the entire place until a group of young kids (10ish?) came in - and they were put on the lane right next to us. With an entire bowling alley open I would've appreciated it if they spaced us out a little more. We left as soon as our game was over. If that hadn't happened, 4 stars.
Worst place I've been in a LONG time! Do NOT go there! Horrible food, bad service, management has NO sense of customer service!
We went with 3 couples for dinner, drinks & bowling. Â The steak on my salad was ice cold along with surf and turf, soups were luke warm if that, both slider orders came out on full burger buns cut into quarters?, sides were wrong, appetizers came out with the meal, 2 drinks took 30 minutes to get to the table (which were awful!)... And that was just dinner! Manager came to the table to talk to us about what happened and all he did was say "I'm sorry about that" and walked away! After further complaining he finally compted $6 off my salad, one order of the sliders, and the 2 martini drinks that we made them take back!
The bowling was WAY over priced for the quality of the balls & lanes, $48 for a lane for an hour!?! Â And the bathrooms looked like they hadn't been tended to since who knows when... I will never go back and neither will any of the group I was with, or the people I share my story with. Â I wish I wouldn't have wasted my Saturday night there, and I'm so upset that I'm thinking about calling the GM or even trying to a hold of the actual owner...
Cute place and great location if you're in Leesburg. Don't let the guys reading this be swayed by "cute," but that I mean: huge TV's, flowing beer, appetizers aplenty and bowling everywhere.
Great for with a few friends, or for a private party.
Parking is close by in the garage down the block.
My suggestion to anyone who is interested on trying this place is to NOT go. I have been trying to go to this place for awhile and when I finally decide to go I cam honestly say I had the worst time of my life. My boyfriend and I walk in there on Wednesday night around 8 pm we wanted To eat and than bowl.after sitting ourselves at a table we wait 15 minutes and no waiter to attend us. I finally get up and asked one of three waiters to please have someone serve us. Needless to say not only did I have to get up 2 times to ask for a waiter but the bartender was nothing but rude. After about 30 mins of waiting I got really pist and told her she could shove it because they were unprofessional and useless! At some point I really thought they were being racist towards us because the waiters would look at us and pass us by. Terrible service don't waste your time. It's obvious the managers or owner need to educate their employees and teach them how to treat customers. King Pinz suck!!!!!!!!
Review Source:I went to King Pinz with a large group so we rented two lanes. For the most part, we had fun. It was bowling, so there's not much you can do to make it fancy. The fun is in the people you go with. Anyway...my boyfriend and I were the last to arrive. So we just joined our group after showing our IDs at the door.
The first sign of trouble was when this tall, skinny, black kid walks up as my BF bowls his first frame and tells him - somewhat rudely - that he has to get shoe rentals. He huffed away after getting his shoe size, but never said anything to me so I followed him. I ask if I can play in my sneakers and got a rude eyeroll and huffy 'No'. I just shrugged it off and went back to my group.
It turns out the guy was the server for my group. He was good natured while we bowled. However, when the bill came that all changed. He hadn't split the bill between lanes like we asked and had charged us for more shoe rentals than we'd used. He was huffy about taking off the extra charges, and basically refused to split the check. So we tried telling him who ordered what and he rolled his eyes and acted all put upon. One of my friends snatched the check from him and told him we'd write down the split for him. I'm not saying that was right, but his response was to send a security guard to watch us. THAT was completely uncalled for. We figured out the group split and left a $5 tip - even though he truly deserved nothing.
So in a nutshell, the atmosphere and food were fun. Not spectacular, but fun. And it was a little overpriced, but not atrociously so. But the service was horrible. Completely disrespectful. Â And we will NOT be going back for that reason alone.
This place is ridiculous and you could not pay me to go there again. They have an annoying bowling person that is also your server. To be honest I'm not even sure of their title and they expect to be tipped 20% of shoe rental/lane fees/food/drinks. After giving us a bill for over $300 (for 2 hours of bowling/food) our server rolled his eyes as we gave them a coupon for $10 off. Not to mention they charged us twice for shoes that our own people brought. You could also kindly ask to get a check split 3 ways as we did and what you get is to have your server give you an attitude, rip the check out of your hands, and have the security guard come over and watch you like a hawk. I don't know what tipping has come to in this country, but it is ridiculous. Our total bill was 300, our server wanted to be tipped on that. Why would I tip you for the price of bowling shoe rentals? Why would I tip you for the cost to bowl? Okay food and drinks yes, but that is it. I, along with the dozen people I was with will never go to this place again. It was a horrible experience with the worst server I have ever had. To top it off, he also rudely questioned the $15 tip he received. In my opinion he deserved nothing. It could have been a good experience, but it was ruined by ridiculous, wrong charges, and extremely rude behavior. If you want to overpay for bowling and be treated like dirt for spending $300 in 2 hours then by all means knock yourself out!
Review Source:If your bowling ability is beyond standing at the foul line and rolling the ball from there, then don't waste your time and money. As stated in another review, the approach area is not polished so you get little to no slide. Â Be aware of this or you may end up injuring yourself or falling flat on your face! The place obviously appeals to the younger crowd with the big screen TVs, neon and flashing lights, and distracting music. My 16 year old son even commented that it was too much. I normally shoot 120 - 150 but was unable to score beyond 70 at this place. We didn't order any food or drinks given the bad review of quality and price. I tried it out and will not return.
Review Source:This place is terrible. I have never been here and went to try it out for my husband's birthday on Saturday. We made reservations by phone much earlier in the day for 14 people for 10pm (2 lanes). We were visiting the movies across the street, so at 7pm, we physically walked into King Pinz and reconfirmed the time and number of lanes and how long we'll be staying for (they charge you by the time the lane is used, not by number of players). Everything was still great. We finished our movie, walked back to King Pinz, and we're told our reservation suddenly is for 10:30. After fussing a little, and getting no where, we hang around the half hour playing their games. Convinient. You F up my reservation and then I have to spend money either ordering food, drinks, or killing time playing games. Great business model there.
10:30 comes, 10:30 goes. We get a bullshit excuse that the person using the lane we reserved ran over his time. So tell me, how is this MY problem? 11:00 rolls around and our party of 14 people are LIVID. They give us 1 lane while they resolve the issue of getting the 2nd lane.
Yet, at 11:20, the second lane never comes. So we give them back our shoes (no one paid) and head out. A waitress has the audacity to ask the one lane that bowled 4 frames that they need to pay for their shoes. I honestly wanted to beat her face in.
This is the most stupid run business ever. How are you going to only offer 12 bowlings lanes, and then run it by the hour and not player, but then not do anything when some idiot goes over his time. HOW THE F IS THAT MY PROBLEM!?!?!?
The manager needs some serious help managing the reservations/time issue he has. I've been to so many bowling allies and it pales in comparison. You can't spend thousands on decorating and a DJ but then end up losing customers because your focal point (bowling) lacks in organization.
Nice atmosphere, but you'll pay dearly. Our tab for family of 6, lunch, 2 games, shoe rental-$185. There sofas are a nice touch, but who's idea was it to put those coffee tables that are so big, you have to turn sideways (and I'm slim) to get by anyone sitting when it's your turn to bowl? The food was not good. I had salmon that was dry and overcooked with the skin still attached to the bottom, and dry, lumpy mashed potatoes. My kids liked their pizza. We reserved the lanes for 2 hours but I felt rushed to get through the games and there was a reservation after us so the timer flashed on the screen warning that our time was almost up when we still had 3 frames left to bowl and that was my best game ever! So I begged the attendant to let us finish and she did. Overall, we had a lot of  fun, and I would go back but just with my husband and  adult friends( who will pay for themselves!) It's not budget friendly for families. I think they can work out the kinks if they want to stay in business. These are easy fixes, and hopefully, they will get someone in there to help them logistically and fiscally because they have a good spot where you can relax and have fun. The problem is, when the fun feeling wears off and you look at your receipt, you might feel like you got duped if you are not careful in there. If you are reading this King Pinz: I really like the place, but you better get it together and get real about your prices, get some slimmer tables, add some lanes, and manage reservations in a more sensible way, get better chefs in the kitchen, and keep your games in working order and then you can call yourselves KING Pinz.
Review Source:It's summer and the temperatures are soaring......close to 100 with the heat index approaching 120. My daughter's summer camp had to cancel their outdoor field trip due to the extreme temps, and headed to King Pinz in Leesburg instead. Lunch time hits and instead of being allowed to eat the REQUIRED lunch they bring to camp indoors at the alley, they are told they must eat it in the parking lot. By law, in these temps, the kids can't eat lunch outdoors with the camp...probably because it could become a health issue. Hmmm......does King Pinz make an acception to the rule for outside food indoors?...Nope! Not only that, they were extremely rude about it! Maybe they should have mentioned the fact that the kids wouldn't be allowed to bring their lunch to the alley.
Anyways...I have never bowled here. I have considered it, but after reading the negative reviews about customer service and the way they treated these kids, they will NEVER get my business.Hopefully they won't get YOURS either after reading this. Hopefully SOON, they will take their mediocre food, non-kid friendly environment, over-priced games, and crappy service, and either find new management AND employees, or shut down for good.
I've got one thing to say about this place. Â BARF. Â We did a last-minute stop in over one of the kids holidays from school and had lunch. Â We tried a variety of things, the best were mediocre, the worst were things that make my stomach wretch.
Service was 'meh' considering we were one of only two tables seated - we weren't even eating in the bowling area.
Our small birthday celebration for our nine-year-old and a few of her friends was poorly managed by King Pinz. They took us very late, there were problems with the lane, etc. They did compensate us for the trouble, but the staff was obviously exasperated--not by us, but by what appeared to be an all-too common experience for them.
Review Source:Bend over, grab your bowling shoes and be prepared. This isn't Bowl America. You're not gonna run into guys with wife beaters on, shoes that would be better served on a homeless person, or hot dogs rotating under a heat lamp.
For that, my friend, you will pay.
IF you can get past the amount of coin that would make 3rd world country dictators salivate, you'll be fine. Just put yourself in a "Vegas" mindset. It's just money, right? Little Timmy here is loving it! Another game, another round, some apps ... HOLY SHIT $130?!?! Did my wife buy the bowling shoes cause it matched her purse or something?!?
The ghastly cost aside, the place is nice. It's clean. It's modern. They've got lanes and computers that actually work, and bowling balls that aren't chipped to hell and roll sideways. The food doesn't suck. There's even a nice little arcade on the side for those who say to hell with bowling, I'm an air hockey god. You can actually have a good time here. You'll lose your shirt, but you'll have a good time. Just like Vegas!
Pretty cool place. Although rather expensive. I get the concept-I GET IT. But 60.00 for bowling for 3 people (2adults, one child) on a Friday-Thats a little absurd. We stopped by anyways to check out the hoopla. Hmmm lets see 10 lanes MAX. A crowded lobby with no real direction on where the lanes are, a noisy bar where drunks would take their kids and let them run around while they get hammered. Â Ok the lanes are nicely decorated with disco lighting and large screens to watch sports and stuff( 1 star) ..but wait i did say only 10 lanes MAX. I will give them props on the handicap ramp so that grandma can bowl also (+1 star). But only 10 lanes. No wonder they take reservations. The arcade is where we where headed, Its not your conventional arcade with tokens, more like a D&B with less games. A LOT LESS. This place is great if you are looking to spend a lot and impress someone. I would rather go to the old fashioned lanes and spend about half.
not gonna return.
Went to King Pinz on a Tuesday at 12:30 with 4 other coworkers to celebrate a birthday.
Had lunch and bowled for one hour. Â Food prices are $10+ and sodas $2.50. Â The food is slightly better than an old school bowling alley. Â The food was disappointing. The menu design/colors/appearance gives the appearance that the food is going to be special. Â So, our expectations were not met.
The environment of the bowling alley is hip and cool. Â The sitting area for the bowlers is cramped, largely because a unmoveable table is situated between the two designer sofas. Â This is a real problem, I won't think of going back because this is a major inconvenience having to ask people to get up out of their comfy sofa so you can get your ball and bowl.
Service was decent, nothing unusually good or bad to report.
If they change the seating arrangements and improve the food, I will go back, I think the idea for a place like this makes sense. Â I'm not sure families on a middle income are going to be repeat customers unless they bring the prices down a bit. Â For customers with disposable income, the 'experience' will need to improve.
The bill for five of us was $157, not including tips, and did not include any  beer/alcohol.  Maybe we should have drank to feel better about the experience.
Final thoughts, the large screen TV's are great and the bar looked like it had a lot of choices. Â We arrived at 12:30 and most of the lanes were in use for an office Christmas party. Â They looked like they were having a lot of fun at this office party.
The z in Pinz should tell you everything you need to know. They apparently put so much thought into making it a hip place to hang out that they forgot it's also a bowling alley.
I mean, I get it. You want everyone to come hang out on the couches and bowl with their friends while spending a metric ton at the bar. You want them to reserve the VIP Suite for their parties and maybe opt for some catering while they're there. You want the giant projection screens showing ESPN to be so entrancing that people don't notice it's their turn and rack up the play time. It makes sense, in theory.
Only problem with that formula is I'm too distracted with all the things you've done wrong. Your coffee tables are so big that bowlers can't get to the lane without stepping over people or on their feet. Your cramped lanes had me feeling claustrophobic and the wall hemming in lane 12 is so close that it effected people's bowling. Don't get me started on a scoring system that doesn't show everyone's score at the same time if you have more than 5 players.
Really, they just need to stop trying so hard. Maybe I'm biased because I actually like bowling and am not an alcohol swilling 20-something. It's probably perfect for kid's birthday parties, but for my money I like the old crotchety Bowl Americas of my youth.
I came here with a group of 8, kind of last minute without really planning on it. So when we were told that the lanes had been reserved up until 10:30 PM (We arrived around 7 PM), we understood. However, disappointed because we didn't want to stay THAT long. We decided to sit near the pool table, and kill some time with a tube of beer, and appetizers. An hour later, we found out that due to miscommunication, our wait actually was extended to 11:30 PM. We didn't want to stay THAT long. Therefore, we finished up some games, and paid our bill.
The prices are a little high for the food, especially appetizers. They weren't really that good, and the beer was probably the best deal. A tube of domestic beer for $23 was good for sharing. I thought the service was standard and decent, minus the miscommunication at the desk to reserve a bowling lane. The bowling lanes looked very nice and cool, with the modern sitting areas to eat. However, I didn't actually get to experience it myself so can't really provide too much judgement on that portion.
Overall, standard but tad pricey.
Would I come back? Perhaps, only because we have family that are in the area. Would we make the hike and go into the area FOR this place? NO... I probably would just return to try the bowling and have some drinks. The food wasn't worth it here.
King Pinz is one of the worst, nicer bowling alley's I've ever been to. Â Last night we went in with a group 7 for some bowling, games, and beers. Â When we arrive around 10:50 the place was by no means busy but we were told it would be a 40 minute wait to bowl and that we should just play some video games in the meantime. Â So here we all are, mounting up our mandatory credit card type "tokens" to play some air hockey and what not only to find out the air hockey was broken. The basketball machine had flat balls or ones too large so they got stuck, and 2 games shut off right in the middle of playing. Â After only 10 minutes of bad games our bowling pager went off. Â Why did we just set ourselves up to play games for 40 minutes if it was only going to be a 10 minute wait?
The waitress did an OK job taking care of us while we bowled but the score system messed up several times throughout our play so after 2 games we called it a night. Â When we asked for our check we were dumbfounded to find out that our tab was over $240 for 2 games, some shoes, and a couple of beers each. Â Then to make matters worse the waitress made a mistake and her extremely unqualified manager decided he would take over only to make things worse. Â He ended up charging our card twice the amount owed then, tried to just cross it out with a pen, then swore he couldn't fix it. Â Luckily I know Micros systems and was able to educate this poor sap but it was sad to see him so confident that he pushed the waitress aside when she actually DID know how to fix the problem. Â After nearly 40 minutes of arguing with the manager my friends were drunk, fed up, and ready to leave to go play some free shuffle board and pool back at the apartment.
Seriously this place is a ripoff with terrible service (1 waitress excluded) and prices higher than anyone should ever be charged for an otherwise typically inexpensive entertainment.
Woah - this place is a racket. Â My family of 5 (4 of us were bowling) arrived at 3:05pm. Â I went up to the counter to get a lane. Â There were none available as there were lanes already being used & a party holding 7 lanes that started at 4pm. So, for 55 minutes, there were 7 open lanes but they were being held. I thought this was a little ridiculous. Â I can see holding them if it was 15-30 minutes before, but 55 minutes for a family with 2 kids bowling seemed a little crazy. Â So, we decided to play games & wait for a lane, which the girl at the desk told me "I have no idea when a lane could open, it could be quite some time". Â So, I asked her to change my $50. Â She said she couldn't do that & I had to go to the bar to get change. I did & went back to the King Pinz Card machine (the machines don't take coins). Â The man was repairing the machine. Â So, I waited for him to finish & then got 2 cards with $10 on each. Â At $3 for each mini-bowling game, that was the most expensive game we played. Â Basketball & skee ball were average priced at 75 & 50 cents each. Â Our cards played out & my younger son with 95 "tickets" (which are saved to the card) got 2 small tootsie rolls & a Sweet Tart lollipop. Â My older son decided to save up more tickets for a bigger prize.
After spending the $20, we went over to the bar & had a seat at a table. Â We looked around for a waiter & there were 3, but none were coming over. Â My husband walked over to the bar & then one of the 3 waiters came towards him & asked him if we would like to order & see menus. Â We just wanted drinks at that point since we were still waiting for a lane. Â We got our drinks at 3:55pm. Â At 4:10pm- the party holding the 7 lanes arrived. Â It took them another 10-15 minutes to get shoes & get settled into lanes - again, plenty of time for my family to have played at least 1 game, if not 2. Â Our waiter told us at 3:55pm that lane 8 was almost finished & we would probably get that one.
At 4:10pm, my husband & I decided to give it 10 more minutes before we were calling it a day & skipping bowling. Â At 4pm, lane 8 cleared & was cleaned. Â At 4:15pm, the buzzer rang for our reservation. We did get lane 8. Â Lane 7 (again, remember it was saved for the party) was never used. Â They only used Lane 1-6, so that whole time, we could have been on lane 7 & not interuppted the party..
I went to the restroom during our game & went out the "back exit" which led me to the area behind the pins. Â I walked down the hallway instead of having to walk all the way through all of the games, crowds, etc... . Â After I was 3/4 of the way down the hallway, the man in the back (pin man for lack of a better name) stopped me & told me I couldn't go that way. Â So, I turned around & pulled the bathroom door handle, but it was locked. Â So, I had to go out the back exit & back in through a door that said "no entry" on it to get back in. Â I asked why there wasn't a lock on the door that I originally left from & the man said it was only to be used "in case of fire". Â Then how about a sign reading "Fire Exit Only" or "Employees Only"?
We were finished our games at 5:32pm, started at 4:23pm & had nachos, 2 beers, 7 games (a free coupon for one game) and 4 shoe rentals. Â The total with tax was $73.62!! Then, there is a gratuity calculator at the bottom of the bill. Â Are you kidding me that you want me to tip for bowling? Â I will tip for food, for drinks & for service. Â But, I will not tip for bowling. Â We picked up & returned our shoes - that is really the only service that could have been offered, again, except for food & drinks. Â So, we left a $3.00 tip for the food & drinks ($19) and rolled out of there vowing that we would not return anytime soon.
Gimmick is totally there - no question it is a moneymaker. Â But, for 4 of us even not to eat or drink would have been $53.00 - a little high for 1 hour of entertainment.
I totally agree with the previous reviewer about the lanes. Â They are not slippery at all. Â The shoes are pointless on this type of floor. Â We could hear the music over the tvs, barely. Â If you are looking to improve your bowling game, this is not the place. Plus, "Pin Man" walked in front of our lane - as we were bowling to walk by. Â I thought that was rude & completely disruptive of play. Â
If you are looking for an inexpensive place to take the kids for an afternoon, this is not it. I can't imagine a time when it would be ok to spend this much money for 1 hour. Â This being said, I have no doubt this place will make it in this area. Â But, it won't get me back there unless it is for a kid's party because the price for a non-party is way too much.
Update: I increased my rating from 3 to 5 now. I rated them when they were still new and are trying to get things together. We now love their food (better than what we get at Bowling places), drinks, and game time. We almost go there couple of times a week.
Great location, great atmosphere and fun place for kids birthday parties and friends hang out.
I like how the arcade area looks and the bowling alleys are excellent with LCD TVs displaying our scores. We celebrated our kids birthday there recently and all our guests were very impressed with the place and it's setup. One of them even commented that we finally have a good bowling place to hang out that doesn't look cheesy like those "Great America Bowling" places.
King Pinz Bowling is open in The Village at Leesburg (near the new Wegman's) so we went to give it a try.
I was really really wanting this place to be great. At first impression and just by driving by I thought it looked pretty awesome. Nice bar up front, a lot of TVs, 3 wall sized projection tvs over the lanes.
Here's a summary of the experience ( overall a huge disappointment):
Atmosphere: Good. I'd say they built it right. The TVs are great. The atmosphere "look and feel" is good as well. It was mid-week when we went so there was an average to small crowd and quiet in general. It would have been nice to have some music playing instead of TV's that were turned down to the point you couldn't really hear anything. Still, I reserve judgment until /if I revisit on a Thursday - Saturday.
Service: Bad. If you're bowling, you walk in and get shoes and then are assigned a lane. You pay for shoes, bowling and anything you order while bowling with a waitress. We get a lane and see no one for 10 minutes (we're a third through our game at this point). I go to the bar to get drinks. When we're ready to leave, I ask for the check. We wait at least 15 minutes. Keep in mind the place is not busy. I keep my eye on our waitress, and I think she just totally forgot. Meanwhile, if she just opened her eyes she would have seen us standing there, done bowling just waiting to pay.
Bowling: Terrible. I bowl maybe 3 times a year and don't think I have unreasonable expectations. When you bowl, you get shoes that allow you to slide a little when you release the ball, right? Ever bowl and have your shoe stick and you lunge / fall forward? This is what this place is like, except, it can't be solved with a new pair of shoes or cleaning the lane. It's like the lanes aren't polished or something to give them that slide. There's no point in shelling out money for renting bowling shoes when they serve zero purpose on these lanes. Now, if you're the type that walks up, stands there and rolls the ball down - you'll be fine.
I'll never pay money to bowl here again (unless this is corrected).
Menu: Good. After starting our game, we decided one beer / one game and we're done So we didn't order food. The menu looked decent with good choices.
Price: Average. Prices were what I'd expect them to be at this sort of place so nothing out of the ordinary. However, when you consider the poor service and horrible lanes, i can't really say the prices are reasonable. They're where you'd expect them to be in a place that looks like this and offers good service to match.
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