Online lane booking
Live lane availability, per game or per hour pricing, shoe hire and bumpers added at checkout.
Bowling alley software: lane bookings, parties & food
Bowling alleys: lanes booked, parties packaged. More strikes, less admin.
Lanes get booked over the phone, parties get sorted over ten emails and the kitchen finds out about 40 hot chip baskets when the kids walk in. We build lane booking, party, food, corporate and league systems for bowling centres that all talk to each other. Then we host them and look after them.
Looking for bowling lane booking software that handles parties, food and leagues too?
A bowling centre is a few businesses under one roof: lane hire, a kids party venue, a kitchen and bar, a corporate function space and a league club with its own politics. Most centres run it on a scoring system, a POS, a diary at the counter, an inbox full of party enquiries and a league secretary's spreadsheet. School holidays hit and the whole thing creaks.
Wollopit builds custom bowling centre software around how your centre actually runs. Families book a lane and add shoes and food in one go. Parents pick a party package, pay a deposit and send invites from their phone. The kitchen sees every food order before the day starts. Corporate groups get a quote in minutes and leagues run themselves. We connect the scoring, POS and accounting tools you already use, replace the ones holding you back and look after the lot on our own servers.
01The problems
What we hear from bowling alleys
Does your bowling centre have these problems? Here's how we'd fix them.
Most bowling centres we talk to are great at giving people a fun night out. The admin behind it is held together by the front counter staff and a lot of phone calls.
- The problemThe phone never stopsEvery lane booking is a phone call while there's a queue at the counter waiting for shoes.How we fix itOnline lane booking with live availability, game or hourly pricing and payment up front, so the phone goes quiet.
- The problemParties organised by emailTen emails back and forth about dates, kid numbers, food and whether the cake can come in.How we fix itParty packages booked online: pick a date, numbers, food and extras, pay the deposit and it's locked in.
- The problemThe kitchen gets ambushedFood for a party of 20 gets ordered when they arrive and the fryer falls behind for the whole centre.How we fix itFood packages pre-ordered with every booking and a daily prep list sent to the kitchen each morning.
- The problemLanes double booked at peakSaturday afternoon, a party and a walk-in group both think they have lanes 7 and 8.How we fix itA live lane board that knows every booking, party and league, with buffers so lanes turn over cleanly.
- The problemCorporate quotes take daysA work Christmas party enquiry sits in the inbox while you build a quote from scratch in Word.How we fix itCorporate packages with instant quotes, deposits, run sheets and invoices that go straight into Xero.
- The problemLeagues live in a spreadsheetTeams, handicaps, fees owed and fixtures all in the league secretary's laptop.How we fix itLeague management with teams, fixtures, handicaps, standings and fee tracking that bowlers can check online.
- The problemNo-shows on busy nightsA group books four lanes for Friday night, never turns up and you turned walk-ins away.How we fix itDeposits or full payment at booking, SMS reminders and easy reschedules so lanes don't sit empty.
- The problemInvites and RSVPs are guessworkParents have no idea how many kids are coming until the day, so food and lanes are a guess.How we fix itDigital party invitations with RSVPs, dietary notes and a final headcount that updates the booking.
- The problemSchool and group bookings by formSchools email PDFs, ask for invoices and change numbers three times.How we fix itA group booking portal with school pricing, purchase order fields and invoices on their terms.
- The problemQuiet weekdays stay quietTuesday afternoon lanes sit empty while Saturday is chaos.How we fix itOff-peak deals, member offers and email and SMS campaigns aimed at the slots you actually need to fill.
02What we build
Solutions
What we build for bowling alleys. Usually all talking to each other.
Pick the one that's hurting most or join the whole lot up. Everything is built around how your team works, not the other way round.
Birthday party packages
Lanes, food, party room, host and extras in one package with deposits and balance reminders.
Digital invitations & RSVPs
Parents send invites by text or email, guests RSVP and the headcount flows back into the booking.
Food & drink packages
Pre-ordered party platters, pizzas and drink packages with dietary notes and a kitchen prep list.
Live lane board
Every booking, party and league on one screen at the counter, with lane turnover and buffers built in.
Corporate & group events
Function packages, instant quotes, run sheets, deposits and invoices for work groups and clubs.
School & group portal
School holiday programs and excursions with group pricing, permission notes and purchase orders.
League management
Teams, fixtures, handicaps, standings, fees and bowler logins to check scores and ladders.
Memberships & loyalty
Bowler memberships, game passes, stamp rewards and birthday offers in a phone wallet card.
Gift vouchers
Digital gift cards and party vouchers sold online and redeemed at the counter.
Reminders & marketing
SMS reminders, review requests after a visit and off-peak campaigns by email and SMS.
Staff rosters & checklists
Shift rosters, open and close checklists, lane machine logs and RSA records on staff phones.
A website that books
Hand-built, quick on mobile, with live lane availability and party packages, built to rank for 'bowling near me'.
03The systems
The big ones
Your whole centre, on one system.
These are the systems bowling centres ask us about most. Each one works on its own and they get properly clever when they're joined up.
Lane bookings
Book a lane in a minute. Without ringing anyone.
Families and groups see real lane availability, pick their games or time and add shoes and food before they pay. Bookings land on a live lane board at the counter so staff know exactly what's coming and when lanes free up.
- Live lane availability online
- Per game or per hour pricing
- Shoe hire, bumpers and ramps at checkout
- Peak and off-peak pricing
- Deposits or full payment up front
- Lane buffers between bookings
- Walk-in waitlist with SMS when ready
- SMS reminders and easy reschedules
- Live lane board at the counter
- Works alongside your scoring system
Birthday parties
Birthday parties booked, paid and invited online.
Parents choose a package, pick a date, choose food and pay the deposit without a single email. Invitations go out from their phone, RSVPs roll in and your team gets a final headcount and run sheet before the day.
- Party packages with clear pricing
- Date, time and party room picker
- Food and lolly bag add-ons
- Deposits and balance reminders
- Digital invitations by text or email
- RSVPs with dietary and allergy notes
- Final headcount updates the booking
- Party host run sheet
- Cake and theme notes
- Review request after the party
Food & kitchen
The kitchen knows before the kids arrive.
Every party platter, pizza and drink package is ordered with the booking. The kitchen gets a prep list each morning with timings and dietary notes so the fryer isn't swamped at 2pm.
- Food packages added to any booking
- Party platters and per-head menus
- Dietary and allergy flags
- Daily kitchen prep list
- Serve times matched to lane times
- Drink packages for adult groups
- Sold-out toggles
- Orders pushed to your POS
Corporate & groups
Work parties quoted in minutes, not days.
Corporate groups, sporting clubs and schools pick a package and get a quote straight away. Deposits, run sheets and invoices are handled in one place and land in Xero or MYOB without retyping.
- Corporate and Christmas party packages
- Instant online quotes
- Exclusive use and lane block hire
- Drinks tabs and food packages
- Purchase order fields for schools
- Run sheets for the floor team
- Invoices to Xero or MYOB
- Repeat group bookings
Leagues
Leagues off the secretary's laptop.
Teams, fixtures, handicaps and fees in one place that every bowler can check from their phone. Scores flow in, ladders update and nobody has to chase who still owes for the season.
- Team and bowler registrations
- Fixtures and lane assignments
- Handicaps calculated automatically
- Standings and ladders online
- Weekly or season fees with reminders
- Sub and absence notices
- League lanes blocked on the lane board
- Bowler logins for scores and stats
04How it changes
Before and after
A birthday party, wolloped.
Here's how one kids party could change. Every bowling centre is different, so we map yours first.
Before
- Mum emails asking about Saturday parties
- Six emails to sort numbers, food and the cake
- Kids turn up and the food order goes in on the spot
- Lanes clash with a walk-in group
- Final numbers are a guess
- Invoice chased the week after
After
- Mum books the party online in five minutes
- Deposit paid and package locked in
- Invites sent from her phone with RSVPs
- Kitchen prep list ready that morning
- Lanes allocated and blocked on the board
- Balance paid automatically before the day
05Services
Everything under one roof
Software, websites and systems for bowling alleys.
Whether you're starting fresh or upgrading what you've got, it's one team from the first sketch to the support call.
Custom software for bowling alleys
Built around how your bowling centre actually runs: online lane booking, birthday party packages and the admin in between, in one system you own.
Websites for bowling alleys
Fast, hand-built websites that rank for the searches your customers make and turn visits into enquiries, bookings or orders.
Bowling centre system upgrades
Running on spreadsheets, old software or a platform you've outgrown? We move your data across and upgrade in stages so the business never stops.
Apps and portals for bowling alleys
Digital invitations & RSVPs and food & drink packages: customer and staff portals that work on any phone without an app store.
Integrations and automation
We connect Brunswick Sync, QubicaAMF BES X and QubicaAMF Conqueror so information moves on its own and nobody retypes it.
Hosting, support and care
Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for your bowling centre, looked after by the people who built it.
06Integrations
Connections
Plays nicely with what you already use.
We connect to the scoring, POS and accounting tools you rely on, work alongside platforms you're happy with or replace the ones holding you back.
- Brunswick Sync
- QubicaAMF BES X
- QubicaAMF Conqueror
- Embed
- Intercard
- Square
- Lightspeed
- Stripe
- Xero
- MYOB
- Mailchimp
- Twilio SMS
- Google Calendar
- Google Business Profile
- Eventbrite
- Humanitix
- Deputy
07How we work
The process
Some people dip their toe in. We turn up in a rebreather.
We get properly below the surface of your bowling centre: the systems, the busy days and the jobs everyone hates. Then we fix the bits that matter most first.
- 01
Think
We spend time at the front counter, in the kitchen and at a league night, then work out what's actually slowing you down.
- 02
Archi-tech
We plan it before writing code: your lanes, packages, food, groups, leagues, scoring and POS, hosting and cost.
- 03
Build
Real engineering, shown to you early and often. Usually the most painful bit first, so you get a win before the next school holidays.
- 04
Look after
We host it, maintain it and keep improving it. When something breaks you call the people who built it.
08Questions
FAQ
Things bowling alleys ask us.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0423 011 252 and ask the people who'd build it.
Can parents send party invitations?
Yes. Digital invitations with RSVPs can be included. Guests reply from their phone with any dietary notes and the headcount updates the booking for your team.
Does it work with our scoring system?
We build around Brunswick, QubicaAMF and other scoring setups rather than replacing them. How deep the connection goes depends on your system, so we check that early in the planning.
Can we take deposits to stop no-shows?
Yes. You choose deposits or full payment for lanes, parties and groups, with SMS reminders and easy reschedules so lanes don't sit empty.
Can it run our leagues?
Yes. Teams, fixtures, handicaps, standings and fees in one place, with league lanes blocked on the lane board and bowler logins to check results.
Do we have to switch our POS or arcade card system?
No. If Square, Lightspeed, Embed, Intercard or your scoring POS is doing its job, we build around it. If something is holding you back we'll show you what replacing it would involve before anything changes.
Can the kitchen see food orders ahead of time?
Yes. Food packages are ordered with the booking and the kitchen gets a prep list each morning with times and allergy flags.
How much does a bowling centre system cost?
It depends on what you need, so we quote up front once we understand it. No surprise invoices, no lock-in and you own what we build.
How long does it take?
Smaller jobs like online party bookings can be quick. Bigger systems are planned in stages so you get the first win early instead of waiting for everything at once.
Who looks after it once it's built?
We do. We host it on our own managed servers and keep it updated and secure. When you need something you ring the people who built it.
We already have systems. Can you upgrade them instead of starting again?
Usually, yes. Most bowling alleys we work with keep what's working and upgrade the rest in stages. We move your data across, connect the old and new while we switch and retire the old system only when the new one is proven.
Contact
Got a bowling centre problem? Consider it wolloped.
Tell us what's slow, broken, manual or missing. You don't need a spec, just describe what's going on.