It seemed as if Neil Hupfauer was always a step (or two) ahead of the rest of the bowling industry, developing concepts that others followed and collectively transformed into trends.
Hupfauer has passed away, and a memorial service with military honors for the U.S. Marine Corps veteran has been scheduled for Nov. 2 at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas.
Hupfauer learned about breaking the mold while employed by the Jack in the Box fast-food chain. He had worked parttime at a Jack in the Box restaurant while stationed at the Marine Corps’ Camp Matthews training base and rifle range in La Jolla, California, and joined the San Diego-based parent company, Foodmaker, upon his discharge. A rising star in the company, Hupfauer became a division vice president with responsibility for a five-state region.
Jack in the Box was a leader in the development of drive-through restaurants in an era when drive-in eateries still dominated. The concept called for a customer to be able to drive up to a menu board, “staffed” by a large Jack in the box head, place their order, and have their food in roughly three minutes.
An entrepreneur at heart, Hupfauer departed Foodmaker in 1977 to open his own barbecue restaurants and then start of chain of hot dog restaurants called Dog House. He sold the 32-unit Dog House chain in 1984, and three years later began his foray into the bowling business by leasing Golden Triangle Bowl in Irving, Texas.
In 1988, Hupfauer formed a partnership with American Recreation Centers, introducing ARC to the Texas marketplace by building two centers and purchasing six existing centers.
That’s when the trailblazing began. In 1993, while proprietors across the country were fighting indoor smoking bans, Triangle Arlington opened as “America’s first commercial smoke-free center.”
Two years later in Addison, Texas, Hupfauer opened another smoke-free venue called Fun Fest. With its giant arcade and redemption center, Fun Fest became the model for what would become known as the family entertainment center. Some also have called it the first bowling entertainment center.
In 1997, AMF was in the middle of its buying frenzy, scooping up centers across the country — including the entire ARC chain and Hupfauer’s holdings.
But Hupfauer wasn’t on the sidelines for long. A year later, he built the first Main Event Family Entertainment Center with partner David Smith in Lewisville, Texas. It was considered the first business model to use bowling as the anchor attraction, include a strong redemption arcade and incorporate a significant, food-and-beverage component.
By 2006, Main Event had grown to eight locations, and Hupfauer decided to sell them to Australia-based Macquarie Leisure Trust. He and his wife Jan — who had suggested the Main Event name — embraced retirement by traveling the world until Jan passed away in 2015. They had been married for 34 years, building a family that includes six children, 11 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
A year after Jan’s passing, Hupfauer was named chief operating officer of Cinergy Entertainment, helping refocus the company’s business model to include bowling and other attractions in addition to movie screens at its venues.
In 2018, at age 77, Hupfauer opened Corky’s Gaming Bistro in Grapevine, Texas — yet another new business model. The venue includes axe throwing, escape rooms, darts, an arcade with classic pinball and video games, and an elevated food-and-beverage program — but no bowling.
BCM honored Hupfauer as the magazine’s Proprietor of the Year in 2007, and the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America inducted him into the BPAA Hall of Fame in 2020 as that year’s Victor Lerner Award recipient.
A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX 75225.
In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting donations to the Wounded Warrior Project in Hupfauer’s memory. To contribute, go to woundedwarriorproject.org.
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