There’s no question that the reopening process has been a source of frustration for proprietors across of country — the degree of frustration based on the timing and restrictions dictated by each state’s governor.
Don’t get Mike Monyak started about what he has been dealing with in order to get the South Point Bowling Center ready for reopening Thursday in Las Vegas, attempting to adhere to the “Governor’s Roadmap to Recovery for Nevada.”
“We know there will be people coming in and inspecting the operation, making sure that we’re doing everything right,” said Monyak, South Point’s Director of Bowling Operations. “So I’ve been following the section called ‘Guidelines for Bowling Alleys.’”
The section includes a number of protocols, some deemed mandatory, and others categorized more loosely as “best practices.”
“It’s mostly common-sense stuff,” Monyak said. “It’s stuff we would have been — and have been — doing anyway. Not long after we were shut down, I began cleaning house balls.”
But this part of the section proved bewildering to Monyak:
* Ensure minimum 6 feet between people, adjust floor plan for tables or booths.
* Daily deep disinfection of high contact surfaces (e.g. door handles, light switches, seats, railings, cabinetry handles, light switches, seats, railings, cabinetry handles, appliance handles, toilets, countertops, phones, tablets, etc.).
* Regulate max number of people in alley spaces keeping at least 2 empty rows between guest[s].
* Alternate rows between customers.
* Utilize remote ticketing.
“When I read that second bullet point, I was confused at first,” Monyak said. “Why were they repeating things? Then it hit me: They were cutting and pasting.”
That made sense, since many businesses share similar features that would need to be cleaned regularly.
Then it got stranger, with protocols that had nothing to do with bowling centers. But Monyak quickly determined that whomever was putting the guidelines together had been doing more cutting and pasting — from the section dealing with movie theaters.
“That’s the challenge we’re facing here,” Monyak said. “We want to adhere to all the guidelines, but they sure make it challenging to do so.”
South Point and its bowling center did open as scheduled on Thursday. All other Las Vegas casinos housing large bowling centers also were scheduled to reopen Thursday, with the exception of Texas Station. No reopening date has been announced for that property.
