The anticipated opening of The Ballroom Bowl in Yorkville is finally here and will deliver a luxurious bowling experience. Guests can expect traditional bowling with a modern upscale twist and the space will have eight state-of-the-art bowling lanes including two VIP lanes. The space will not just be used for bowling, but for social gatherings such as corporate events, team building events, and birthday parties. The company also has plans to expand in the future with locations within the GTA, outside of Ontario, and in the United States.
The first location opened in Toronto in 2010 located on John Street in the city’s Entertainment District, and is a popular destination within the city. The Ballroom Bowl is not just about enjoying pastime, but modernizing bowling to be an experience resonating with Toronto.
“If you had told us that we were going to get this kind of opportunity to move into these kinds of locations, I wouldn’t have believed it – I still actually can’t believe it. It is something very different and there is nothing else like this in Canada,” says Paul Donato, President and CEO of The Ballroom Bowl.
The Ballroom Bowl will also be adding a third location at Dundas Square, on the third level of ‘The Tenor’ at 10 Dundas Street East, and will be opening for November.
New location, different feel
Each location has a different concept and will match the feel and vibe of its surrounding neighbourhoods.
The first location on John Street is described as having an “old warehouse” feel, the Yorkville location given the neighbourhood will have an upscale concept and Donato says “visitors won’t believe it when they see it, and the Dundas location will have a very industrial look with “a lot of steel, wood, and will be open concept – It will be really neat and different from the other locations.”
The new Yorkville location design was from mcCallumSather, a Hamilton-based design firm, and guests can experience a “sophisticated leisure-inspired aesthetic.”
Each location will allow returning guests to have a different experience with the same services and people should try all three locations once they are all open.
“I get goosebumps just talking about this because I can’t believe it myself. We are very fortunate, very lucky, and very proud. Year after year, you just watch the bowling balls go down the lanes at the John Street location and we are just really proud – it has really been a well kept secret that is obviously getting out there now and that is okay. There is also a lot of room for growth in the bowling industry in Canada, and I am just very excited to be part of that.”
“Canada has forgotten about bowling”
Donato says Canada has “forgotten about bowling” in the last decade and says he is bringing it back as it brings people together, especially when it is needed the most during difficult times.
“With our different cultures, Canada is so diverse and when you go into The Ballroom Bowl on a Saturday or Friday night – it is just people. It is the United Nations and everybody loves it. You might not want to go out on a Friday night, but when you chuck that first rock down the lane, it is a different mindset. You can have a nice cold beer, a nice martini, and some nice food – it is just fun and is really for everyone.”
Aside from the bowling, The Ballroom Bowl treats guests as they would like to be treated and provides an atmosphere where people can let go and have fun.
Social Events
All three locations have space for social events such as corporate events, team building, birthday parties, charitable events, and even bridal parties.
“The team building is constant. So Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, the bowling lanes are always busy. And starting soon, you have Bank of Montreal coming in to do a team building event, like it is just constant and we believe that will continue at Yorkville and the Dundas locations as well. There is only so much space in the city to put bowling lanes in and it is not easy to find, and I don’t think we are saturating the market. The team building in the corporate events are a big part of the company.”
Donato says with the Yorkville location, he thinks a lot of birthday parties for kids will be hosted there. “If I am a kid living around the corner – this will be a top destination.”
“I would like to have expanded yesterday”
Currently, Donato says he is working on his biggest deal right now, but unfortunately couldn’t announce the location yet.
When looking for future locations, Donato says the brand is looking to keep it simple and look for places that are mixed in with some great companies: “It is a pretty wide open map in the GTA and other areas to set up The Ballroom Bowl.”
The Yorkville location will be surrounded by Nike, Scotiabank, Mango, and Altea Active while the future Dundas location will be around the Hard Rock Cafe and Shake Shack.
Alex Edmison of CBRE negotiated the lease deal on behalf of Ballroom and is representing the brand nationally for any potential future location expansions.
Outside of Ontario, Montreal and British Columbia are two areas Donato mentions for possible expansion locations and expressed he would have liked to expand to these locations “yesterday.”
Donato also wants to take The Ballroom Bowl internationally by expanding it into the United States. The company was planning to expand into Nashville, Tennessee back in 2013 and although this never happened, Donato is now looking into the US for future growth opportunities.
“Our second store was planned in Nashville in 2013, and I still have the work sitting in my files. I travel extensively throughout North America looking for opportunities and checking out everything that is going on in the marketplace, and you can go anywhere with the ballroom. We would have loved to be in Montreal yesterday, we would have loved to be in British Columbia yesterday, and we have the opportunities that are present. The reality is, there is so much to do in my own backyard first.”
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Additional Photos from The Ballroom Bowl Yorkville (Photos: Ryan Emberley and Kennedy Pollard)
