BOWLERO ACQUIRES AMERICA’S LARGEST CENTER

Little more than a year after the passing of proprietor Tom Stobl at the age of 81, one of America’s legendary bowling venues — Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan — is being sold to multi-unit operator Bowlero Corp.

The acquisition brings the company’s center count in Michigan to six.

Thunderbowl opened in 1962 and was purchased by Strobl and his brother Jim in 1997. In 1999, the center hosted the PBA’s first World Series of Bowling, a budget-stretching venture that enabled the PBA to tape multiple telecasts without the costs involved in moving from city to city. The center is the largest in America with 90 lanes.

Now, Bowlero Corp. owns both the Professional Bowlers Association and Thunderbowl Lanes. See the June issue of BCM for more.