TOUR: Lucky Strike Social, Albany [PHOTOS]

EDIT: LOCATION HAS CLOSED

A few weeks ago I had a chance to check out this awesome new place that’s opening in Crossgates Mall and I can’t believe it’s almost time for it to open so I can see it finished! Lucky Strike Social opens in less than a week on June 10th and I can’t wait to share with you what you’re about to experience!

When you walk in the main door, to your left will be the restaurant called TBD for Tacos, Burgers and Dogs which will specialize in, well, I think you can figure that part out. The best part is that the prices are really decent. The most for a base taco is $3.50, burgers range from $5-7 and dogs are $3-5. Justin Rosenberg, the regional director of operations for Lucky Strike Entertainment, was explaining to me his vision for this space. His goal is to have 80-90 canned beverage choices and if you’re looking for Pepsi vs. Coke, he said he’d go with whoever can get him Yoohoo (which is owned by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group but distributed by PepsiCo in the US FYI). What I loved about the idea of this place is the integration of iPads.

Though there will still be servers to bring you your orders, you order via the iPad and my favorite part is that you can actually time your orders as well. Don’t you hate when you’re the only one that ordered an appetizer and everyone’s waiting for you? This way, you can tell your server that you want it all at the same time. Or, even better, you finished your drink and you’re trying to get the attention of someone? Time out your drink orders!

Next, you walk through the restaurant Community. Rosenberg described to me that he didn’t want it to be Lucky Strike’s restaurant but a restaurant that just happens to be inside of Lucky Strike. At the center is a giant table that seats about 50 people so everyone can eat at a community table. I got a preview look at the menu and I’m so excited to try everything on it! Rosenberg mentioned wanting to use as many local ingredients as possible. Always on the menu are local breads and spreads that they found searching through all of our great farmer’s markets. They’ll offer brick over pizzas, sandwiches, pastas and sushi- anything you want, you’re gonna have a hard time deciding what to order!

Moving further back you move along the bar with its own seating back to the bowling lanes that line the entire back wall. Want to have a bachelorette party but are afraid of being next to an 8th birthday party? All they have to do is pull a curtain and you don’t even know they’re there. In the middle of the lanes will be what was described to me as a Rec Room with ping-pong and shuffleboard which will be cleared every so often to feature local bands. A real rock-n-bowl!

Keep walking through and you’ll get to the arcade named FTW (For the Win) styled from the steampunk era. It features the World’s Largest Pac-Man as well as other innovative games that you didn’t have as a kid but wish you did! No tickets here though, everything will be through a point system on a card.

The last place to check out is the Jupiter Room, an auditorium that will seat 700-900 people. This will be for concerts and rented out to companies as well. One of the first concerts, if not the first in that place, is FLY92.3’s Summer Kickoff Concert featuring Charlie Puth with Timeflies on June 21st, tickets at FLY92.com.

I didn’t get a chance to try any of the food since the kitchen wasn’t functioning but as I mentioned earlier, what they’re going to serve looks amazing. As you can see in my pictures, when I got my tour, they were still working and some of the colors and appliances weren’t exactly right. I can’t wait to go once it’s opened and show you everything completed. Or, check it out for yourself, they open June 10th.

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