Karaoke Bar - Bowling Alley Business Plan

Rockin’ Roll customers can be divided into three groups: bowling leaguers, youths and seniors.

1. Bowling Leaguers. New customers are likely to be introduced to Rockin’ Roll bowling by friends. The reason for this is that most people only go out to their regular hang-outs, to places they feel comfortable, or to places where they will find their friends.

   This type of customer will find the Rockin’ Roll bowling alley when their friends ask them to meet for a Rockin’ Roll nine game bowling league. Once in the door, these customers will be greeted by Pelvis Restley and will be treated like kings and queens in the bowling alley, restaurant and lounge.

   Then, they will come back to meet their friends or to find their comfort zone in the Rockin’ Roll bowling alley. Pelvis will also be able to access his contacts within the Professional Bowling Association to stimulate televised touring tournaments. By year two, bowling leaguers will introduce their friends to Rockin’ Roll. During year two, Rockin’ Roll will thank its regular bowling leaguers by offering them fame and fortune in the Bowling for Dollars televised tournament.

2. Youths. These clients will be interested in finding a fun place where they can spend time outside of the house with people their age. The attraction for teenagers of similar age groups will be two-fold.

   First, Saturday mornings, Rockin’ Roll will host a teenagers bowling league. Second, Rockin’ Roll will have all the latest video games the youths love in a sound-proofed fishbowl room where they can play their favorite tunes on the jukebox and their parents can see them from the bowling lanes.

   The youths will be encouraged by their parents to frequent Rockin’ Roll because the parents can come listen to their Rockin’ Roll and bowl while feeling the security of knowing their children are safely near by. The restaurant will also cater to the youthful palate, offering the breadth of fryer food and low-fat fruit and veggie snacks.

3. Seniors. These clients are on limited income and will come to Rockin’ Roll for the prices. Senior discounts will play a large role in the food and drink menu preparation.

   Once the seniors are in the door they will be reminded of their childhood by the bowling alley’s plastic molded seats and the King’s music.

   Seniors will also be stimulated by the youths in the game room and the adults competing to be champions of the bowling leagues. The comfort and excitement will continue to draw these customers back in. Rockin’ Roll will acknowledge their value and leadership potential by asking seniors to participate in organizing the adult and teenage bowling leagues.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Bowling Leaguers will be of varying age ranges and will be identified through workplaces, social events, and clubs. A core league of bowlers will be recruited from Pelvis’ local and Professional Bowling Association contacts for the first nine game bowling league tournament. After the first tournament the core league of bowlers will be cultivated for future participants and league organizers.

Youths will be under twenty-one years of age. They will provide a consistent customer base during non-league hours.

Seniors citizens will be over sixty-two years old and will contribute a consistent customer base to the restaurant and lounge and a source of low-cost organizers for the bowling league.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Rockin’ Roll Bowling Lanes will be targeting bowling leaguers for two reasons.

1. Bowling leagues develop a core group of customers. These customers will begin to identify their social and athletic events with Rockin’ Roll bowling. Once one group of friends begins congregating together at Rockin’ Roll Bowling Lanes for league events, they will bring other friends to join them for other occasions.
2. Bowling packaged with Rockin’ Roll flavor is Pelvis’ area of expertise. Rockin’ Roll bowling will cater to everyone’s desire for fame, fitness and fortune. Beginning with a nine game bowling league tournament will give participants the flavor of athletic competition and will give the winners a little extra spending cash and fame. Those feelings will stimulate more interest, and more interest will support more tournaments, which will in turn stimulate more reward. The tournaments will culminate in a Bowling for Dollars televised tournament by the end of year two.

Rockin’ Roll will focus on youths for two reasons.

1. Bowling alleys are one of few places that under age customers can go to congregate and find entertainment.
2. Catering to youths and teaching them to bowl now will develop a future customer base for years to come.

Rockin’ Roll will cater to senior citizens because they are consistent customers. Once they find an affordable, comfortable place, seniors will come back for more.  Seniors also tend to congregate together. Therefore, accommodating a small core group will lead to potentially exponential growth as the Baby-Boomers become a majority of the population and they introduce each other to Rockin’ Roll’s senior citizen discounts. An added value is that senior citizens, shown the importance of their time, may be encouraged to contribute low-cost labor as volunteers for youth and adult bowling league events.

4.3 Service Business Analysis

Bowling is an entertainment industry in Seattle with a customer base that has diminished over the past few decades. Today’s senior citizen’s were once yesterday’s avid bowlers. As the Baby-Boomers questioned the actions of their elders, they also turned away from bowling. Eventually, without innovation, bowling lost popularity as America’s favorite athletic event. As competition increased amongst bowling alleys for a dwindling customer base, Seattle lost bowling alleys. Fewer bowling alleys further diminished the number of future bowlers. The loss of bowling alleys has meant the loss of community centers and athletic events. Seattle needs no replacement for the athletic and social event bowling once offered, it simply needs innovation and reminder of the forgotten culture of bowling. Pelvis Restley understands the trend of revitalization in the bowling culture from his youthful participation in bowling and through his work in the Professional Bowling Association.

Customers in the entertainment industry flock to the most comfortable and affordable place they know. Rockin’ Roll offers the comfort of separate Rockin’ Roll environments for seniors, youths, and bowlers, in the visible, but not audible rooms of the restaurant and lounge, the gaming room and the bowling alley. Rockin’ Roll also offers affordable prices to seniors through senior citizen discounts, to youths through low-cost foods and video games, and to bowling leaguers by offering tournament rates for nine games at a time.

Pelvis also has the advantage of bringing contacts in the local bowling community and the Professional Bowling Association.

4.3.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

The competition for local customers amongst bowling alleys is localized, meaning each urban district can support its own bowling alley. Customers will choose the provider they think offers the most comfortable, affordable and convenient location. Due to the decline in the number of bowling alleys, many districts are without bowling facilities. Fremont currently does not have a bowling alley. Being located in Fremont, Rockin’ Roll will enjoy the advantage of having no local competition in a densely populated, mixed-age area with good public transportation making it conveniently accessible for locals.

Bowling leaguers will contribute to the success and reputation of Rockin’ Roll Bowling Lanes as they consistently choose Rockin’ Roll for their social events and athletic activities.

Seniors will provide a consistent customer base as they purchase discounted food and drink and gamble.

Youths will come for the video games and the Saturday morning teenager bowling leagues and they will bring their parents with them.

The competition for tournaments city-wide and nationally depends on the bowling alley’s reputation and the reputation of the bowlers. Pelvis has the advantage of working in the Professional Bowling Association and playing in local bowling championship tournaments for many years. This advantage may lead to televised bowling tournaments, which will in turn contribute to Rockin’ Roll’s reputation.