The Turnaround Bet: A Struggling Center Reimagined

IBI (International Bowling Industry) magazine featured Pla-Mor Del Rio in its November 2026 issue, in an Inside the Venue story by Stephanie Davis. Here’s a look at the story.

By 2022, Roque Vela knew something had to change at his family’s bowling center in Del Rio, Texas. The Vela family, which operates three centers, bought the closed 16-lane Del Rio property in 2001 and reopened it the following year. Two decades later, aging equipment and the difficulty of finding a qualified mechanic were taking their toll.

“You’re either growing or dying,” Roque says — and at the time, Del Rio was “dying a slow death.” He was initially considering little more than paint and a facelift. Then his son Tristian Vela joined the family business and took over Del Rio, and the modest facelift became a complete reinvention.

Key takeaways from the article:

• A partner’s unexpected recommendation. The Velas shut the center for nearly a year. A market analysis led Brunswick to recommend removing four bowling lanes and turning that space into a laser tag arena. “You know you have a quality partner when they want you to take out equipment that they sell because it’s a better fit for your market,” Roque says.
• Boost ST solved the mechanical problem. The old pinsetters were a constant source of interruptions. “They’re a lifesaver,” Tristian says of Boost. Staff can be trained to handle occasional issues without years of specialized experience, and many minor problems resolve within seconds. League bowler concerns faded quickly — after a few weeks, “they realized that it is just bowling.”
• One system, less friction. Already using Sync at their Laredo locations, the Velas wanted the same integrated approach in Del Rio. Servers take orders and payments on handheld tablets anywhere in the center, kiosks keep lines down, and staff learn one system instead of several. “The less we have to teach staff, the better,” Roque says. Sync also emails him daily reports so he can monitor the center from three hours away.
• Bowling came back strong. Business is now roughly 50/50 between league and open play, with two leagues, regular tournaments, and bowlers returning to practice. Plans include a pro shop and more youth bowling.
• The numbers changed dramatically. Overall revenue is now roughly four times what it was before the renovation. Bowling revenue from games, lane rentals, and shoes comes close to one of the family’s 24-lane Laredo locations, and even a bad month outperforms what the center once considered a good one. The Velas expect the reinvestment to pay for itself in about five years.

Before the renovation, Roque dreaded the three-hour drive to Del Rio because it usually meant another problem needed attention. Today he may go six months between visits — and when he makes the trip, it’s because he wants to, not because he has to.

Read the full story from IBI magazine here.