Man rolls out mobile bowling alley

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — When you can’t get to the bowling alley, why not bring the bowling alley to you?

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That’s the idea behind Luxury Strike, a business that’s rolling around the Detroit area.

Terence Jackson Jr. came up with the idea of what he calls “the world’s first mobile bowling alley,” WDET reported.

When the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of restaurants, bars and bowling alleys in Michigan not once but twice, Jackson made a strike with the mobile, rentable bowling alley and lounge.

The bowling alley is housed in a tractor-trailer and includes two 25-foot lanes, an automatic ball return, automatic pin setters and digital scorekeepers, just like a standard bowling alley, WXYZ reported. It also has neon lights and a seating area at the top of a staircase.

The only difference is the weight of the bowling balls. Instead of bowling balls that weigh 16 pounds, the ones used in Luxury Strike Bowling come in between 3 and 4 pounds each and are about the size of a grapefruit, similar to duckpin bowling balls. But unlike duckpin, the pins are standard, not the short, fat ones of the duckpin variation, WDET reported.

While he used the spare time brought on by the coronavirus pandemic to launch the service, Jackson actually started developing the idea about two years ago, WDET reported.

He started building the truck in March, rolling it out in June. It was fully booked for weeks after launch.

Jackson had built party buses before developing the mobile bowling alley, and was inspired by arcade trucks and ax-throwing trailers.

He said that bowling appeals to all ages.

Luxury Strike rental starts at $500 for two hours, with a cap of five hours for $1,000. That includes 10 to 15 bowlers. Jackson said it is so popular that it’s been booked 20 to 30 times a week. The trailer is fully sanitized between rentals, WDET reported.

Jackson’s idea was so popular that he is considering creating a second mobile alley, WXYZ reported.

Cox Media Group