Lucky Strike Philadelphia this month hosted the first LGBT night at a bowling establishment.
Lucky Strike Philadelphia will host LGBT Night every Tuesday from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. at its Center City location, 1336 Chestnut St. The first event was held May 13.
The night includes all-you-can-play for $30, including bowling, pool, ping pong and shuffleboard, and $5 drink specials with music all night long.
Lucky Strike Philadelphia general manager Cory Gallant said that, with the business being located right in the Gayborhood, it seemed natural to host an event for the LGBT community.
“We are the premier bowling company across the country and here we are sitting in the middle of the LGBT community of Philadelphia and we are proud to be a part of it, but we haven’t had much of a presence in it,” he said. “We never had a strong-enough existence in it and I felt that it would be a cool thing to do. It is something different and it will reintroduce us to the community.”
Lucky Strike has more than 20 locations, including establishments in New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles.
Gallant said the event is still in development but that it will offer the community a safe space, as well as a great night out.
“We are trying to build a fun and different kind of night,” he said. “People can come in and hang out. We have drink specials and all-you-can-play wristbands. It is good for the entire night and a fantastic deal. There will be great music playing and, a little down the road, we may add a DJ, but we just want to have a night where we celebrate the community. We love being in the neighborhood.”
Gallant said last week’s inaugural event was a great start.
“We’ve been getting the word out about the night through word-of-mouth and through the community,” he said. “We know it will be a slow grow. We’ve always appreciated the LGBT community’s loyalty to establishments that they come to all the time and that treat them right, and that is exactly what Lucky Strike is all about. We are upscale and have a beautiful lounge, great lighting, great art on the walls and no one cares what the score is up on the board. We hope the community embraces us and enjoys the night.”
For more information, visit www.bowlluckystrike.com.