Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article listed incorrect dates for the grand opening in Chandler.
An entertainment business that started in South Carolina is making a new home in metro Phoenix, thanks to power duo and first-time franchise owners Ronak and Poonam Manek. dsmb 144
A new location of 810 Billiards and Bowling in Chandler Fashion Center will kick off its grand opening on Friday, June 25. It’s a bowling alley with an "upscale twist," complete with 12 bowling lanes — four of which will be blocked off as VIP lanes — five billiards tables, corn hole, shuffleboard, darts, an arcade and a sports bar.
This will be the brand’s first franchisee-owned location — and the first outside of South Carolina since its birth in North Myrtle Beach in 2015. The company will open a corporate-owned location in downtown Phoenix in July. Three more franchises are expected to open within the next year in Arkansas, Texas and Greenville, South Carolina.
“There’s not anything like this in the Chandler area that we have seen,” Poonam Manek said. “Now that people are ready to get out and socialize again, we feel like we are in here at the right time when people are looking for things to do."
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The concept is best called "eatertainment," according to 810 Billiards and Bowling CEO Michael Siniscalchi.
The restaurant features classic American upscale bar fare, with pizza, wings and burgers headlining the menu. The three day opening celebration in Chandler will feature half-off bowling for the entire weekend, four Bud Light bottles for $10, a complimentary "810 Onion" appetizer with any food purchase, $2 signature shots and $3 crushes.
“We really are food first, and just happen to have bowling lanes and pool tables and lots of stuff to do,” Siniscalchi said. “We’re primarily a restaurant.”
The concept started when Siniscalchi, an options trader at the time, saw a run down bowling alley in South Carolina while vacationing with his family. Bowling had always been weekend fun for him in big cities and looking for a new career, he put in an offer on the place. Siniscalchi closed the sale in 2014 — and launched the first of three South Carolina locations in May of 2015.
Six years later, the Maneks are opening the company’s first franchise location — a decision that represents a major career shift for the two former healthcare professionals. They ran pharmacies in Chicago, but after selling their businesses, decided to dip into the completely different world of franchising.
Poonam dreamed of being a business owner for years. Born and raised in London, she moved to the United States as a first generation college graduate. Work ethic wasn’t valued in her family, she said. Her husband’s family introduced her to an entirely different world.
“When I saw the American dream, it just lit me up,” Manek said.
Now a mother of two, Manek said she is excited for Chandler to experience her "baby."
"There’s something for everyone to do here. It’s whatever is up your alley, pun intended,” Manek said, laughing.
Hours: 4-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 4-12 a.m., Friday, 12 p.m.-12 a.m., Saturday, 12-10 p.m., Sunday
Where: Chandler Fashion Center, 3455 W. Frye Road, Chandler. Near the Old Navy store.
Details:810bowling.com, 480-576-2449
Reach the reporter at sofia.krusmark@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram @sofia.krusmark
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