The Center's Original Name Would Not Do: Inside the Twisted Pin Transformation

BCM (Bowling Center Management) magazine featured Twisted Pin in its February 2024 issue, in a Modernization story by Mark Miller. Here's a look at the story.

Brothers Jon and Chris Dow knew their facility couldn't remain traditional. So they completely reinvented what a 24-lane center 45 minutes southwest of Chicago in Plainfield, Illinois, was. Originally opened as Pioneer Lanes and renamed Plainfield Lanes when the Dows bought it in 2014, the center changed so radically that it needed a new name: Twisted Pin.

"It's the story of a more traditional center that had a lot of deferred maintenance-type needs and issues but also quite a few opportunities to transition to more of an entertainment concept and better pay the bills by doing that," Jon says.

Key takeaways from the article:

• A snowball of changes. Saturday night leagues were eliminated, the shared-revenue arcade operator was replaced with a proprietor-owned redemption arcade, then Friday night leagues went too. "It kind of had a snowball effect on how we change, what we paint, how we change our floor, how we change our menu."
• A 16-month phased remodel. Working with US Design Lab, the Dows removed a wall and a lane to create a six-lane VIP suite, kept lanes 1–17 for traditional bowling, and repurposed a former escape room into a redemption arcade with nearly three dozen games. An LED video wall became a centerpiece of the new identity.
• The biggest change: string pins. The center switched from traditional free-fall pinsetters to Brunswick's Boost ST String Pinsetters—a decision made before USBC approval. "We started seeing the writing on the wall, and for the longevity of the business and where my future problems are going to come from, I saw a lot of pain points with the pinsetters," Jon says. "We knew when we decided to switch to Twisted Pin that we were going to shake up everything we could shake up, so why not strip the Band-aid?"
• Winning over leagues. Knowing string pins wouldn't be universally popular, they offered two months of free linage to all leagues, with five staying on Mondays through Thursdays. "We said, 'We don't know if you'll enjoy it or not, but we want to cater to everyone… so why not try them for free?'"
• F&B as a destination driver. They remodeled the bar, added a 28-tap self-serve beer wall, revamped cocktails for a restaurant/bar vibe, and improved the food menu. Staff grew from 11 in 2014 to 40 today.

Jon's reflection on the process: "We took a very successful 24-lane center that was Plainfield Lanes, balled it up, threw it in the trash, and went kind of crazy. We went back to the drawing board and rethought it."

At a Glance: Twisted Pin, Plainfield, Illinois. Proprietors: Jon Dow and Chris Dow. Bowling: Brunswick Bowling (Boost ST String Pinsetters, Sync Center Operations). Furniture: Brunswick Bowling, Fixtur World. Branding, Concept and Design: US Design Lab.

Read the full feature from BCM magazine here.