Candlepin bowling returns to Worcester, as American Flatbread set to open on Saturday
Photo | Courtesy of American Flatbread
The opening of American Flatbread on Saturday marks the return of a public candlepin center to the city where the sport was invented.
After a five-year hiatus, publicly-available candlepin bowling lanes are set to return to the city the sport was invented in.
American Flatbread is set to open its doors in Worcester’s Canal District on Saturday. The pizza-focused restaurant business and candlepin bowling center is located in The Cove, a 173-unit, mixed-use building which opened in October. The Worcester location will be American Flatbread’s 11th and its third restaurant to include candlepin bowling.
The opening of the 10-lane bowling center in Worcester marks the return of publicly-available lanes to Worcester, where the sport of candlepin was first invented in 1880, according to the International Candlepin Bowling Association. While the closure of bowling centers throughout Central Massachusetts once threatened the future of the sport in the region, the sport is growing, with some remaining longtime centers being taken over by the next generation of leadership.
The last candlepin center in Worcester was Colonial Bowling Center, which closed its doors for good in May 2020 after 60 years of operation.
“It’s an honor to bring a piece of Worcester’s history back with the return of candlepin,” Thomas Keane, owner of American Flatbread, said in a Tuesday press release announcing the news. “We hope the local food and drinks we provide, plus the camaraderie of a game of candlepin, add to the flavor of Worcester’s already vibrant downtown scene.”
Food at American Flatbread includes pizzas cooked in a wood-fired clay oven. The menu includes salads and dessert items like ice cream. The venue’s drink menu will include 10 beers on tap from New England breweries, as well as wine and cocktails.
Bowling at American Flatbread costs $35 per hour. Saturday’s bowling will be limited to walk-ins, but reservations for lanes will be available in the future.
In October, Ryan Family Amusements in Millis was the site of a new world record women’s score, when Jenny Rowe, a 41-year old woman from Franklin, bowled a score of 210 in mixed-team league play.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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