A new bowling alley has officially opened in the town centre, and we got a chance to talk to the owner.
The small chain of bowling alleys and cocktail bars started as a family business over a decade ago, and now Kurt Standish has taken over from his father.
"I worked there since I was 13 years old," he said. "We started in Bournemouth and also opened one in Fareham.
"We've now moved up here to open another place in Reading, and are excited to get stuff going."
Mr Standish went on to say that the business in Caversham Road very much caters to all.
They want to encourage groups of friends to come and have a go, families are welcome, and they also do corporate events.
"We do a lot of corporate workplace parties, as well as weddings, stag dos, birthday parties, and kids' parties," he said.
"Everything, you name it, we are prepared to do it. We want to emphasize that we are both family and student-friendly."
Bowl Central welcomes guests in the daytime and then has an 18+ limit on the doors when it gets past 8 pm.
"We hope to see lots of people come and have a look at what we've got going on," Mr Standish concluded.
Back in 2022, Bowl Central won approval for alcohol and late night food sales from 10am to 11pm from Sunday to Thursday, and 10am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/subscribe/
Mr Standish said: "We'll also have a restaurant and a cocktail bar with live TV, music and interactive darts.
"We've got a stone pizza oven, that's our speciality. We get constant high ratings on our pizzas, but we'll also do side dishes such as chicken tenders, wings, tapas, nachos, fries etc.
"The bar will have most drinks you can think of on tap and bottled, beers, ciders and alcohol-free.
Share