How 810 Billiards & Bowling Built a New Experiential Dining Category That COVID Couldn’t Defeat

As businesses across sectors struggle to stay afloat amid a tumultuous economic climate shaped by an ongoing pandemic, the list of brands not only surviving but thriving in this landscape has dwindled. However, we can now add 810 Billiards & Bowling to that list. The three-unit emerging franchise out of South Carolina that has established a new model for food and entertainment in the franchise industry — a model that has quickly proven lucrative, even during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the brand is preparing to leverage its early success for widespread growth with plans to reach 12 units by 2024.

A New Category in Franchising

810 Billiards & Bowling’s key innovation is the combination of a full-service dining-and-bar model with a range of entertainment options that appeal to all demographics. “It goes well beyond bowling and pool,” said Michael Siniscalchi, 810’s founder and president. “We’ve taken upscale entertainment options — the kind of things you usually find only in big cities — and made them accessible and affordable for everyone, in every market.”

Walk into any of 810’s three locations on any evening and you might find live music, a bustling arcade, a full 18-hole mini-golf course and a number of other games and entertainment options before even noticing the private “back alley” where the bowling takes place. That’s not just a lot of options for customers, it’s also a lot of highly lucrative revenue streams for owners.

“Food and entertainment can be an incredibly profitable combination, but it’s proven difficult for a lot of businesses to pull off,” Siniscalchi explained. “We’ve created a model that is so simple and streamlined, there’s really nothing else like it in franchising.

A Model Built for Profitability

Crucially, that range of revenue streams also offers far more favorable margins than those found at traditional full-service restaurant concepts. Games and entertainment come with very little overhead, which “provides a nice profit cushion for franchisees,” Siniscalchi said.

“Our environment is suitable for families, adults and business professionals,” said 810 franchise owner Ronak Manek. “It’s nice to offer that versatility to customers.”

Throughout 2020, all three of 810’s locations — two in Myrtle Beach and one in Conway, South Carolina — have remained profitable, even accounting for a two-month state-mandated closure and a 75% reduction in capacity for weeks afterwards. In fact, two of 810’s locations recorded higher sales in 2020 than in 2019. In addition to the franchise’s rewarding revenue model, that success can largely be attributed to Siniscalchi’s stalwart dedication to ensuring the growth and profitability of his brand’s franchisees.

A Focus on Franchisees

A former franchisee himself, Siniscalchi was disillusioned with his experience as a franchise owner, which he said was tainted by a lack of transparency and support from his franchisor. Creating a better, more successful experience for 810’s franchisees “is my top priority,” Siniscalchi said.

Siniscalchi’s introduction to franchising happened about five years ago when he and his father were looking for an opportunity to support a local women’s shelter. The Siniscalchis’ decided to invest in a low-cost franchise where they could provide director-level job opportunities for women from the shelter. Profits from those businesses would be shared with the franchise’s employees and support new units and new opportunities for more women.

“The hope was that this would turn into something really productive — something that would give back to the community and perpetuate itself, creating a bigger and bigger impact,” said Siniscalchi.

The Siniscalchis found a franchise that supported their mission, but after getting a couple of locations set up, they soon found that some of the franchisor’s financial projections for their business were misleading.

“They wowed us with impressive AUV [average unit volume] numbers, but they didn’t account for the fact that those numbers represented the average of the entire franchise system and that success skewed towards certain markets,” Siniscalchi said. “We were not in one of those markets where the brand was well positioned for success, so our numbers didn’t come anywhere near what was advertised to us.”

Worse, Siniscalchi said the franchisor offered little support, telling him that it was up to his team to do more grassroots marketing to drive sales in a market that had little interest in the brand’s offerings. “They put all the blame on the franchisee, but there was just no demand,” he said.

Ultimately, the experience was not a success, but Siniscalchi said it was instructive. “I learned what kind of support franchisees need, and I learned how critical transparency is in every aspect of a franchise operation,” he said.

A Pathway to Growth

With 810 Billiards & Bowling, Siniscalchi built a franchise model that prioritizes support and transparency, sparing franchisees the challenges he faced in their shoes. Critical to that mission is a model that is reliably profitable in every market.

“810 has been refined to be not just viable but a profoundly valuable opportunity wherever you take it,” Siniscalchi said. “We’ve designed an experience that appeals to a range of demographics and income levels and is not dependent on a supply chain that is limited to certain regions.” 

Now, 810 Billiards & Bowling is gearing up to make good on that promise, with 2 new locations opening in Arizona next year and plans to scale up to 12 units in markets across the U.S. by 2024.

Siniscalchi said he has no doubt his team will find talented and eager franchisees to help the brand grow in markets across the country.

“There’s nothing else like this in franchising, and that’s an exciting opportunity for prospective franchisees,” Siniscalchi said. “This is an incredibly valuable opportunity, and any entrepreneur who knows what to look for is going to see that.”

The initial investment to franchise with 810 Billiards & Bowling ranges from $1.8 to $3million, including a $50,000 franchise fee. The brand is actively seeking franchise owners in markets across the U.S. For more information on franchising with 810 Billiards & Bowling, please visit 810bowling.com/franchising.