Please, if you have questions that are still unanswered, e-mail Info@NeedhamBowlaway.com We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Why can't I just wear socks? Why can't I have a group of more than five people to a lane, even if only five are bowling? Why are there only 4 adults allowed at Birthday Parties? Why is the minimum age 5 years old at Birthday Parties? How many lanes do you have? Do you have any pool tables or video games? Are reservation deposits refundable? Do you serve/allow alcohol? Why can't I just wear socks? There are many dangers in a bowling alley. Especially to your feet. You must wear the bowling shoes to protect your feet from splinters, thumbtacks, and worst of all dropping a ball on your foot. This could easily break bones in your foot. This is especially dangerous for small children which is why we are adimant on having toddlers and small children wear bowling shoes. Back to top Why can't I have a group of more than five people to a lane, even if only five are bowling? This rule is actually because of fire laws. We would love to let you have as many people as you like to come and watch you bowl, but due to the small size of our bowling alley, the maximum people allowed is a little more than 40. With 5 people per lane and 8 lanes, thats 40 people. We also have staff and sometimes a wait for lanes which usually gets us to the maximum allowed for fire safety. Back to top Why are there only 4 adults allowed at Birthday Parties? This rule is also because of fire laws (see the question above), but it also has to do with space available. Since we do not have a seperate party room, with a large crowd of parents as well as kids, The party starts to block the pathway to the lanes for other customers. We only have enough room at the tables to seat up to 17 children, so anyone else would be standing eating off a plate if they do not find space on the one bench left over. Standing up and eating wouldn't be a problem if we had a seperate party room, but since there are open bowlers walking through the party area to reach the lanes, this becomes a hazzard. Any food that may fall to the floor, could possibly get tracked to the lanes on the bottom of someones shoe. When that person goes to bowl, they could stick instead of sliding and trip, leading to serious injury. Back to top Why is the minimum age 5 years old at Birthday Parties? The minimum age allowed at Birthday Parties is 5 years old. We are very strict about this rule. When we first started having birthday parties we tried a few 4 year old parties. Every single one had children getting hurt. For some reason 5 year old parties seemed to do better. Perhaps The children are able to listen to rules better? Or maybe they are a little more coordinated than the 4 year olds? We don't have a solid answer, all we do know is we don't want kids to get hurt. When families come in on their own and have one or two children under the age of 5, it is a challenge for them to watch and make sure they don't get injured. Imagine a whole party of small children with a maximum of 4 adults to watch. This is why we do not allow parties for children under 5. Some of the typical injuries you might see happen are: Fingers getting smashed between balls dropping the ball on ones foot dropping the ball on another ones foot getting hit by a ball running down the lane and getting hit by a ball dropping a ball on ones fingers Back to top How many lanes do you have? We have 8 lanes. Small by today's standards, however back in the day when the Bowlaway first opened it was considered large. Back to top Do you have any pool tables or video games? No we do not have anything other than bowling. No game room, no pool tables, no Keno. We try and keep the Needham Bowlaway as family friendly as possible. Back to top Are reservation deposits refundable? Sorry, the deposits recieved for reservations are non-refundable. If there is a problem with the date or time for your lane reservation or party, you may reschedule it for up to 3 months after the original date. Back to top Do you serve/allow alcohol? Sorry, Alcohol is not permitted at the Bowlaway. We do not serve it, and we can not allow it to be brought in for any type of party. The Town of Needham is very strict on their rules about Alcoholic beverages, and they will not grant us any type of permit to allow it on our premisis. Back to top Please, if you have questions that are still unanswered, e-mail Info@NeedhamBowlaway.com We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Back to top