North Raleigh News – The idea is to come and have fun
Original Article by Jennifer Gregory
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When you think of bowling, bistro-style food, large screen TVs and granite counters probably aren’t the first things that come to mind. But Sparians Bowling Boutique & Bistro at North Hills is not a typical bowling venue.
“Instead of hard plastic chairs, you sit on plush leather couches and have great food delivered right to your lane,” said Paul Prause, 36, of Raleigh, who has been to the complex several times with his wife.
Sparians has 12 public bowling lanes, a full-service restaurant and three suites with six additional lanes available for private or corporate events. While Sparians is family friendly during the day and evening, after 10 p.m. each night it is a 21 and older establishment, complete with a full bar.
Adam Ting, director of marketing and sales, said bowling is not the main focus of Sparians, but just a part of the whole experience.
“Most of our customers are social bowlers,” Ting said. “The idea is to come and have fun.”
Technology has been integrated throughout the venue to create a unique environment – special effects lighting illuminates the bowling lanes, Wii stations are located throughout the restaurant and floor to ceiling television screens are at the end of the bowling lanes.
Many of bistro’s tables have 32-inch touch screens that customers can use to order and play games while their food is prepared. Each booth has a camera installed to take photos and e-mail pictures from the table.
Customers also can watch movie trailers on the touch table and will soon be able to order movie tickets for nearby theatres.
Sparians opened in mid-December and hosted 60 private events in the first 10 days of business. More than 500 people celebrated New Year’s Eve there and more than 600 people showed up for the official grand opening party Jan. 7.
“It’s a great place to bring your kids and the food is very good,” said Abbitt Goodwin of Raleigh, who was at Sparians recently with his 4-year-old son. Both he and his son, Harry, enjoyed watching sports events on the large screens at the end of the lanes while they bowled.
Alan Fluke, 52, and Chris Angel, 42, the managing partners of Sparians, met several years ago when Angel coached Fluke’s daughter’s soccer team.
Fluke has worked in the entertainment business for more than 30 years and has been involved in other projects similar to Sparians.
The Raleigh men started brainstorming about a bowling and bistro combination and began construction last summer.
In addition to providing another entertainment option in Midtown, Sparians has provided jobs for more than 140 people.
While the entertainment complex will not host traditional competitive bowling leagues, Sparians plans to start a casual league on Sunday nights for people in the service industry.
Ting said they also want to have a Saturday morning instructional league for children in the near future.
“Sparians is very unique and vibrant,” Prause said. “It’s a great atmosphere for families, singles and couples.”