Ever-changing Bowler enjoys continued success
By Jonathan Knutson
The Forum - 07/17/1999

The Bowler is a south Fargo trailblazer.

The establishment - billed "as the finest of its kind in the Northwest" when it opened in 1959 - was one of the first businesses to set up along what's now South University Drive. The site wasn't even in Fargo at the time. Early advertisements gave The Bowler's address as "one-half mile south of Fargo on U.S. 81."

Four decades later, The Bowler, 2630 S. University Drive, is surrounded by other businesses - and going stronger than ever.

It now offers 24 bowling lanes, a restaurant, three bars, banquet and meeting rooms, charitable gaming and off-track betting.

"This is a place with a lot of tradition and history and it's still doing well. We're proud to be part of it," Jim Tandeski said.

Tandeski and his wife, Lorna, both Fargo businesspeople, recently bought The Bowler from a group of local investors.

The couple rely heavily on four key managers to operate the business, which has 45 employees.

Jolene Tandeski, their daughter-in-law, has been named office and business manager. She's been with The Bowler for more than two years.

Mike Emerson, with 15 years of experience at The Bowler, has been named lanes manager. Greg Skog, bar manager, and Matt Settel, kitchen manager, have each been on board for a year.

The Bowler's history began in early 1959. A group of local investors figured there were big bucks in bowling and decided to build a recreational center featuring it.

The investors were in a hurry. They wanted the center up and running in six to eight months.

Easier said than done.

A steel strike was under way. Certified bricklayers weren't available in this area. And 80 tons of Georgia yellow pine and Michigan maple had to be shipped in for the lanes.

But contractors found the necessary steel. The U.S. government gave permission to bring in bricklayers from Canada. The 80 tons of wood arrived and the lanes were built.

The Bowler had a "soft" opening in December 1959 and its grand opening on Jan. 9, 1960.

One problem: Water lines hadn't been hooked up yet, so Bowler employees had to haul in thousands of gallons of water.

Jim Tandeski said the business has grown and changed through the years.

In 1965 the Bowler remodeled and added an enclosed entrance on its west side.

In 1968 it added banquet and meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 400 people.

The Bowler later began offering a "smorgasbord buffet" that developed a big following, especially on Sundays. The smorgasbord's popularity declined in the 1980s and it was discontinued about five years ago.

Charitable gaming was added in the 1980s and off-track betting came in the 1990s.

The Bowler must be doing something right.

"The past five years are probably the best we've ever had," Emerson said.

Part of that is because South University Drive was rebuilt and expanded in the early 1990s. Though business suffered while work was under way, the bigger and better South University now makes it easier for patrons to reach The Bowler.

The establishment also has benefited from offering glow-in-the-dark bowling, which is popular with young adults and parents with young children. Participants bowl in the dark with glowing balls and pins, usually accompanied by loud music.

Traditionally The Bowler has relied heavily on organized weekly bowling leagues. Emerson figures a half-dozen perfect games have been bowled in league competition.

But that's changing. Casual non-league bowling - known as "open-play bowling" - looks to be the wave of the future.

"The leagues are still important, don't get me wrong," he said. "What we're seeing more of, though, is people who don't want to commit to bowling every week. They'd rather get a group together after work once in awhile and then go bowl and have a few beers," Emerson said.

"So bowling is still as popular as ever. Maybe more popular than ever. It's just that bowling doesn't revolve around the leagues quite like it used to."

He noted that The Bowler's annual handicap tournament, which began 34 years ago, remains popular. It generally attracts about 600 teams from across the Upper Midwest.

Despite the changes at The Bowler over the past four decades, one thing remains the same, said Gina Skov, who has tended bar there for 27 years.

"People like coming here," she said. "This is a good place. They come here and have fun."