| Q. | Why can't I have a group of more than five people to a lane, even if only five are bowling? |
| A. | This rule is actually because of fire laws. We would love to let you have as many people as you like to come and watch you bowl, but due to the small size of our bowling alley, the maximum people allowed is a little more than 40. With 5 people per lane and 8 lanes, thats 40 people. We also have staff and sometimes a wait for lanes which usually gets us to the maximum allowed for fire safety. |
| Q. | Why are there only 4 adults allowed at Birthday Parties? |
| A. | This rule is also because of fire laws (see the question above), but it also has to do with space available. Since we do not have a seperate party room, with a large crowd of parents as well as kids, The party starts to block the pathway to the lanes for other customers. We only have enough room at the tables to seat up to 17 children, so anyone else would be standing eating off a plate if they do not find space on the one bench left over. Standing up and eating wouldn't be a problem if we had a seperate party room, but since there are open bowlers walking through the party area to reach the lanes, this becomes a hazzard. Any food that may fall to the floor, could possibly get tracked to the lanes on the bottom of someones shoe. When that person goes to bowl, they could stick instead of sliding and trip, leading to serious injury. |
| Q. | Why is the minimum age 5 years old at Birthday Parties? |
| A. | The minimum age allowed at Birthday Parties is 5 years old. We are very strict about this rule. When we first started having birthday parties we tried a few 4 year old parties. Every single one had children getting hurt. For some reason 5 year old parties seemed to do better. Perhaps The children are able to listen to rules better? Or maybe they are a little more coordinated than the 4 year olds? We don't have a solid answer, all we do know is we don't want kids to get hurt. When families come in on their own and have one or two children under the age of 5, it is a challenge for them to watch and make sure they don't get injured. Imagine a whole party of small children with a maximum of 4 adults to watch. This is why we do not allow parties for children under 5. Some of the typical injuries you might see happen are: |
| Q. | How many lanes do you have? |
| A. | We have 8 lanes. Small by today's standards, however back in the day when the Bowlaway first opened it was considered large. |
| Q. | Do you have any pool tables or video games? |
| A. | No we do not have anything other than bowling. No game room, no pool tables, no Keno. We try and keep the Needham Bowlaway as family friendly as possible. |
| Q. | Are reservation deposits refundable? |
| A. | Sorry, the deposits recieved for reservations are non-refundable. If there is a problem with the date or time for your lane reservation or party, you may reschedule it for up to 3 months after the original date. We do require at least 1 weeks notice to reschedule a party or lane reservation. |
| Q. | Do you serve/allow alcohol? |
| A. | Sorry, Alcohol is not permitted at the Bowlaway. We do not serve it, and we can not allow it to be brought in for any type of party. The Town of Needham is very strict on their rules about Alcoholic beverages, and they will not grant us any type of permit to allow it on our premisis. |
| Q. | What happens if my personal property/possesions go missing at the Bowlaway? |
| A. | While at the Bowlaway, you are responsible for your own possessions. We reccomend that you take your shoes, pocketbook, and any other personal belongings to the lane with you. We do not allow street shoes on the lanes, however we do have carpeting behind all of the scoretables, and under the scoretable seating which is the perfect area to store your shoes while you bowl. If you do find that something is missing after visiting the Bowlaway, we will be happy to take your name, phone number and description of what is missing, and call you when it does turn up. The Bowlaway is not responsible for any items lost or stolen, and does not re-imburse customers for such an occurrance. |
| Q. | What does a professional Candlepin bowler average? |
| A. | A professional Candlepin bowler averages 115. Candlepin Bowling is the hardest form of bowling. A 300 game or what they call a "perfect" game in Tenpin or Bigball bowling has yet to be acheived in Candlepin bowling. A perfect game in Candlepin bowling is when you get a 10, spare, or strike in every box. Thats harder to do than you may think! Try it next time you come in bowling! The highest score officially on record for one string of Candlepin bowling is a 245. |
| Please, if you have questions that are still unanswered, e-mail Info@NeedhamBowlaway.com We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. |