Mystery Bowler: Lucky Strike Lanes - Strike Out on “Profiling” Rules
June 2nd, 2007 by PG Chic
I went to Lucky Strike Lanes at Gallery Place in Washington, D.C. recently to celebrate a friend’s birthday on a Saturday evening. Here’s my experience (the review you probably will not see in the Washington Post)…
STRIKE ONE - I know there are knuckleheads who exist in the world that ruin it for everyone. So, I suppose that I “get” not wanting to let a certain element into an establishment by having a dress code. However, when rules seem to be tailored too specificially to a certain “kind”, that’s more of a problem for me. It’s bowling, not fine dining. It didn’t make me feel welcome to know some of my guests had to undergo scrutiny to be let in when I saw counterparts wearing the equivalent of beach wear…tank tops, flip-flops, and shorts, which would not be acceptable in many establishments.
For example, one of our male guests was asked to take his hat off…fine. But, he couldn’t just take it off and go in. They collect baseball hats and display them on a table at the entrance. What? Ridiculous. What manager signed off on the bright idea to display the hats there? It looked like a flea market table selling peoples sweaty hats in front an “upscale†bowling alley. Leaving hats at the door, in my book, is equivalent to having your receipt checked before you leave Target in “certain” areas. Or, going to buy Enfamil at the Mitchellville Food Lion to realize it’s not in the baby aisle, but locked up in a case at the front of the store with the cigarettes. Offended. (rant complete) Anyway, the specific rule on hats is “No headgear” but the last time I checked a hat was not headgear. On the real, I was envisioning some crazy orthodontic equipment…
The dress code rules are vague and left up to the discretion of some guy at the door. Also, another rule is “No MC colors” — I had to ask about that one. I saw it on the website before going and had no idea what they were talking about. It was explained to me that MC stands for “motorcycle colors” which could be motorcycle group affiliations, leather pants, leather motorcycle jackets, etc. You have to wonder why “motorcycle colors” is not written out on their website. Maybe because Hell’s Angel Harley Davidson riders would be up in arms across the country? LOL. I bet “Grease 2″ mystery motorcyclist Michael (Maxwell Caufield) would’ve been allowed in because does Michael really fit the MC colors profile? 
STRIKE TWO - I arrived at 5:30pm and hardly anyone was there. However, my party was told the wait would be 1 to 1 1/2 hours. I agreed to wait and the lane was ready in 30 minutes. Another guest of mine arrived at 6:00pm and put his name on the list for a lane and was told that the wait would be 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Hmm? My point…sounds like certain people are being discouraged from waiting for the lane reservation. Most people would say, “Forget it…that’s too long of a wait.” There was hardly anyone there! I have heard that it gets packed after 9pm, so I would assume a 2 to 2 1/2 hours wait would be common during that time, but not at 6pm. Did I mention that the place was practically empty? Just a quick note — my guests were not “riff raffs” (whatever that means). We are all 30+ professional folks.
STRIKE THREE — While ordering at that lane, my friend asked the waitress if there was a drink menu. The waitress proceeded to point to the area behind the main lane to tell her where it was. Um, thank you? Would it have hurt to actually walk a few steps to actually physically give us the drink menu?
The last straw involved the rule about guests under 18 not being permitted without an adult before 9pm. After 9pm, you must be 21 or older to enter. My 30 year old girlfriend arrived by herself around 7pm dressed in a trendy summer outfit. She was carded!! There is no way in the world that she looks under 18. Profiling. Discouraging guests. It is not completely overt, but you know when it happens. It made our group feel unwelcome and put a damper on the birthday celebration, which is unfortunate.
Overall, the customer service to get shoe rentals, my initial waitress (while I wanted for our lane to open), and lane concierge were good, but the rest of the experience was the typical “profiling” treatment that I have sadly grown accustomed to in some parts of the Washington D.C. area. I enjoyed the general atmosphere, which put me in mind of Arundel Mill’s Jillian’s (now D&B) circa 2002. Last, but certainly not least — the food was just okay, but nothing to write home about (as my mom says). lol
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