As many of you already know, the purchase of Herrill Lanes by Danny Mohabir of Bowl 360 was finalized earlier today. Tears were shed, goodbyes were said and an air of uncertainty filled the center. Many questions were raised with very few answers. Upon my arrival to the center this evening, I was met by the man himself who holds all the keys, Danny Mohabir. I was told Mohabir wanted to speak to me personally and so we chatted for a few minutes before league started this evening. Here's what was said.
Please note, I'm paraphrasing this entire interview. While I didn't record the conversation, I recall basically all that was discussed.
- When did you first know you were purchasing the center? We tried purchasing it a few years ago, but the previous owner swooped in and got it. Over the past year we've really stepped up our efforts to purchase it.
- Will the center be staying the same? We upgrade every center we purchase using our Bowl 360 model. There will be renovations.
- What type of renovations? This place is a mess. I can't work in a dirty center and I can't have my business being dirty. The first thing we will do is clean the place. We will be bringing in all new, state-of-the-art bowling machines in the next few months as well as new LED monitors. You will see changes.
- How much money have you set aside to invest in the center? I've set aside $4M on upgrades alone.
- I know a few people have already been let go. How many more people are in jeopardy of losing their jobs? We don't just come in and X everyone out. We will interview every employee and determine which are staying and which are not. I know the mechanics are good but we will be interviewing everyone.
- What about leagues? I didn't even know about any of the leagues until today. The only league I actually knew about at this center before today was your league tonight and that's because I follow you on Facebook. I was given no notice about leagues before tonight. I make more money at the snack bar at Astoria then this center makes in a day. We have to set aside open bowling for every night of the week. With that said, the only league I can really promise I want back is the league tonight. Tonight's league is the premier league in the center and they spend money at the bar. We need to grow this league. There's no reason this league shouldn't fill up the entire center. Ultimately we'd like to grow this league to a foursomes league to fill the center. The ladies league that takes up the other 8 lanes can bowl any other night of the week. We'd like to move your league up a little earlier to make room for open bowling afterwards, but we definitely want to grow this league. We will make other determinations on a league-by-league basis.
- How about lockers? This is 2023. People can easily bring their bowling balls in their car. The lockers take up ample space that can be used for other things. Lockers will probably be removed.
- Did you lose the liquor license? We wouldn't have if we were informed a few months ago that it was expiring. It will have to be renewed in the coming months.
- Will the center be closing down for the summer? We don't plan on any closures. Renovations should take a few months.
- What about tournaments? We will handle tournaments on a case-by-case basis based on scheduling and lane availability.
- There were rumors that you had a 50+ team league at Ozone Park that you promised would stay only to then tell them they had to max out at 15 teams. What was that all about? Yes, we did because the league members were caught bringing in outside alcohol. We could have lost our liquor license and I couldn't jeopardize my business.
This is what I was told. Will it come to fruition? Only time will tell.
