5 mo. ago • 98%

Private Equity–Backed Firm Bowlero Is Ruining Bowling

jacobin.com Private Equity–Backed Firm Bowlero Is Ruining Bowling

Bowlero, the biggest bowling company in the world, has grown rapidly in recent years. Fueled by private equity groups, the firm’s expansion has ruined the beloved pastime for many while its executives pull in massive profits.

27 comments

TLDR; Bowlero buys up local lanes and either closes them or renovates them into a new Bowlero. Then they cheap out at every expense, raise prices, and push expensive drinks and food.

They're clearly pushing for a monopoly like all these top big companies are doing.

The article spends way too long telling you about "Big Mike" and trying to get you to sympathize with their characters instead of using real interviewees as an example.

71
- TLDR; Bowlero buys up local lanes and either closes them or renovates them into a new Bowlero. Then they cheap out at every expense, raise prices, and push expensive drinks and food.
  
  That's private equity for you.
  
  31
- This is literally the playbook for all companies that are run by private equity firms
  
  20
- They just bought up the largest waterpark in Illinois..... yep, a waterpark.
  
  The last article I read on it said they had big ideas to increase profit at the waterpark and it was something the old owners never thought of, which is to start selling alcohol. I can't imagine how much a watered down margarita at a waterpark is going to cost.
  
  12
  
  Pretty sure the previous owners didn't sell alcohol to avoid drunk situations around drowning hazards and children.
  
  15
  
  You can't imagine how excited I am to take my kids to a water park for a bunch of drunken 30 year olds to hit on them or loudly brag about fucking Lois in HR in graphic detail or whatever else sober people keep to themselves when they are around kids.
  
  12
  
  More than a few lives
  
  8
  
  A couple of lives at least.
  
  1
Is there anything private equity hasn't made objectively worse?

68
- No, Private Equity makes things worse by definition. The incentives of a PE firm are misaligned with building a healthy business that builds consumer trust and treats employees well - if your company is acquired by PE you can expect worse working conditions, tighter deadlines or metrics, worse compensation... and having to deal with much angrier clients.
  
  31
  
  You know, the funny thing is that nominally, the point of PE is to take a struggling asset, get it back on its feet, and sell it for more than you bought it for. It's flipping for businesses. That honestly doesn't sound bad, it sounds like probably a good thing when you put it like that. IRL, though, it just ends up being vulture capital all the way down.
  
  21
- No, because it's about as dirty of a word as 'Shareholders' is. Anything that's done for Shareholders, is guaranteed to be shit.
  
  10
- Well yeah but also no. I feel like Sam from Wendover went over this quite well recently: https://youtu.be/XK8hpxR_r2Y
  
  5
Another industry becoming enshitified. I really wish there was something we, the people, could do about this, because this really fucking sucks. Average people won't care though, because shiny.

27
- I Dunno man I think this is really one where just not going to bowlero would do the trick. Maybe it's different because I'm in the midwest, but there are plenty of places way better and cheaper than bowlero and I think the local populous knows. Because the bowlero by me is only ever full if a company is doing an event there. Otherwise the general consensus is "wtf no I don't want to go to the loud dark bowling alley with 9 dollar drinks and microwave wings"
  
  15
  
  Sure, but the article was saying they're on an acquisition frenzy, scooping up any and every alley they can. Most smaller cities only have maybe one alley is the point, where Bowlero has an effective monopoly.
  
  9
  
  But you will, because the rest will close eventually. It's a long game. The mom and pops won't survive forever.
  
  2
  
  Almost every single bowling alley near me is either bowlero, bowl america, or amf bowling. They're all owned by bowlero. It sucks
  
  1
  
  The AppleBee level of service
  
  1
https://historicseattle.org/r-i-p-sunset-bowl-and-the-future-of-other-bowling-alleys-what-would-the-dude-think/

Different story, different participants, same sadness

13
corpos are really ruining everything huh

12
And thus the further enshitification of things continues along....

11
Bowling in general has gotten much more expensive because so many places love booking lanes per hour per person. And they are all very expensive. Makes the $4-$5 per game places of just a decade or so ago look dirt cheap in comparison.

4
It's too bad because bowling is fun even when you suck at it.

4

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