Mid-Town Bowl has been the bowling centre of Timmins for the past six decades.
But recently, the business has new ways to serve up food and fun.
Improved snacks, a 21st-century arcade area, more party options and big-ticket prizes have increased the fun for children of all ages.
Natalie Berry, owner Mid-Town Bowl, said changes had to be made following the pandemic shutdown.
“It was rough over the two-year period,” she said. “We were closed 208 days. In the moment it was horrible, but understandable. If it wasn’t for the subsidies, I would not be open today.”
One of the first big steps was upgrading the computer system for the bowling. The business received a donation from a local mining company, which didn’t want to be publicly identified.
“It was enough to get an updated computer system after 24 years,” Berry said. “We all know how fast technology advances. This had a really old hard drive, operating on Windows NT.
“It enabled us to upgrade. It was June 2022 that we got it done.”
When customers returned to Mid-Town after COVID closures, it was time to make changes.
“People are still coming out and supporting us,” she said. “We have been able to reinvest in the arcade. We’re up to 15 arcade games.
“We bought a brand new commercial popcorn machine. It’s quite large. At the same time, we bought a nacho warmer. This is simple, easy and convenient.”
The snack bar has a wide range of items, catering to people who just want something to nibble on and those who have built up a hearty appetite.
“The snack bar offers clubhouse sandwiches, and we cook our own turkeys,” Berry said. “We pride ourselves on our clubhouses. It’s not fast food, fake stuff. It’s real turkey.
“Another big one at the snack bar is poutine. That’s important in Timmins. Poutine is popular here.”
There is a full line of burgers, dogs, popcorn chicken and much more.
“We have chicken fingers, cheese sticks, mushroom caps,” she said. “We did try deep fried pickles. We try to do some new things every year. Some things go over well, some things don’t.
“We bought a pizza warmer, so we order pizza in. There are hot dogs, pogos, pizza sticks. We have a Slushie machine that does really well. The kids love those. Then, of course, chips and chocolate bars.
“And, of course, we’re licensed. When we bought the business in ‘94, we gave ourselves a year and if we couldn’t get a liquor licence, we wouldn’t have continued. That was a game changer for us.”
Before COVID, Mid-Town Bowl was known for hosting kids’ birthday parties featuring hot dogs and bowling. The upgrades have changed the way they do parties, and they’re not just for children’s birthdays.
“We used to do hot dog parties, then COVID hit and when we reopened you still couldn’t have too many people in a group,” she said. “Also, Little Caesar’s hadn’t been downstairs. We don’t offer the hot dog party package, although if somebody wanted to have one, it wouldn’t be a problem.
“We do the pizza parties. We do the pizzas and a jug of pop, and some order extra pizzas.”
The opportunities for fun have also expanded.
“Now that we have our arcade system, it comes with game cards,” she explained. “So, they get a game card, like a credit card, swipe and put whatever they want on it. Included in our party packages now are game cards. I find a lot of the parents are doing that now instead of the grab bags, so the kids go and play games. It’s been really popular.
Aside from no longer having to pump quarters into machines, the technology for arcades has advanced far beyond the days of Space Invaders and Asteroids.
“You don’t have the black cabinets side by side by side,” Berry said. “For example, we have a four-person, sit-down, Hungry Hungry Hippos game. It’s huge. We have Mindcraft, it’s a four-person game. Everything is huge now, with bright lights and music. It’s super cool.
“We get a lot of family parties. They come, have the pizza then the kids play the games. Especially on a Sunday. Instead of going out to a restaurant, they’ll come here. Do the bowling and pizza at the same time.”
Or a party can be a fun night out for adults. Food, drinks, bowling and arcade games. There is nothing like a spirited game off Hungry, Hungry Hippos against three friends to bring out the little kid in you.
Plus, there is an opportunity to win some awesome prizes.
“We have a couple of games that offer prizes if you’re lucky enough to win,” she said. “We do a lot of PS5s.
“We have from 36 to 48-inch teddy bears in one game. You find a key, you get an egg and each egg has a prize. A key will open the door to get a Mario, a Donkey Kong — right now we have a dragon in there.
“We could go with cheaper prizes, but then people wouldn’t play. If you put up something of significance, then people will play.”
Mid-Town Bowl still offers league bowling for adults, kids, and the 55-plus crowd. There are still opportunities for regulars to move on to regional, provincial and national competitions. There are also fun events like Rock ‘N’ Bowl and Glow Bowling (it’s best to call ahead for lane reservations).
The business features 20 lanes, updated screen graphics and scorekeeping, and they are equipped for groups with special needs.
“It’s been open since 1964, almost 60 years,” Berry said. “This is my 30th year. I’ve seen a lot come and a lot go. But it’s all been fun.”
Mid-Town Bowl is located at 70 Algonquin Blvd. W. in Timmins, upstairs in the Pick of the Crop plaza. It is open Monday and Wednesday from 3-9 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
For more information phone 705-267-3500, email [email protected].
