South City bowling alley is staying put: Fundraising effort started to add new, improved amenities to Brentwood Bowl

Despues entered into a partnership with Millard Tong, owner of the bowling alley, to develop an upgraded food service and entertainment center at the proposed new site for Brentwood Bowl, which was going to be built across the street at the former site of the Century Theatres, at 410 Noor Ave.

But after plans for the new facility fell through, Despues focused on renovating the current facilities, since the bowling alley will likely be staying put at its current location, 237 El Camino Real.

The bowling alley had been approved to move and expand from 16 lanes to 39 lanes, but an inability to move forward on a proposal to develop housing at the former site caused the deal to fall apart, said Despues.

Despues, who grew up rolling on the lanes at the bowling alley, said he would like to update the amenities to offer residents the enjoyment he had growing up.

“We want to resurrect and save the place we have, and to introduce a new demographic, because I am hearing from the kids they have nowhere to go,” he said.

Despues said he expects the renovations to cost about $150,000, and he hopes the community will help.

He would use the money immediately to turn the pro shop into a food counter, and upgrade the restaurant, as well as build an entertainment system that could host bands, karaoke and standup comedy.

Despues, who has experience in the culinary industry, said he would also like to upgrade the facade in the bowling alley to make it more attractive to a younger demographic.

“I think we can be a destination here,” he said.

Roy Van Otten, who has served as general manager at Brentwood Bowl for 35 years, said he too was glad the bowling alley would be staying in its current location.

“We’ve been here for 64 years, and we’ve been a family establishment for about that long. When people come here, they feel like they are at home,” he said.

Van Otten said Brentwood Bowl is one of the last bastions of family entertainment opportunities in South San Francisco, and one of the few bowling alleys left in San Mateo County.

“We are the only real recreation facility that South San Francisco has,” he said. “It’s the only place where families can go and enjoy themselves.”

He said he has seen generations of families come through the bowling alley, and many members of the community continue coming back to capture the nostalgia of their childhood.

“This place is like a home away from home, and if this were no longer here, I don’t know where these people would come,” he said.

Van Otten had limited perspective on the crowdsourcing effort, or proposed renovations, but did agree that the facility would be well served to offer better, more healthy food options to patrons.

But ultimately, Van Otten said he was happy to see the bowling alley stay put at the same location it has long served the community from, rather than expanding to a different facility.

“At the newer center, it was going to be larger. I was going to attempt to be able to retain that family atmosphere, but the larger you get, the more corporate you become,” he said. “You are looking at the monetary side, rather than the individual side of the business where people matter, but without people, you’ve got no business.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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