A striking change: Paragon Bowl remodels

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After years of wear of tear, Paragon Bowl owner John Mueller has remodeled his business.

“Dickinson’s been doing really well and it was time for an upgrade,” Mueller said.

The remodel has been going on little by little since last summer, he said. The upgrades cost about $100,000.

The bowling alley was closed last week from Monday to Thursday so the lanes could be refinished. New seating, stereo equipment and scorers have also been installed.

“They (the old scorers) were just older and black and white,” Mueller said. “Now they're in color with all new animation on them now.”

Music videos play on the new TVs during cosmic bowling, which is held Thursday through Saturday. During leagues, football games or other sporting events will play on the screens.

“They’ll just enjoy it so much more, it’s so modern,” Mueller said.

Flashing runway lights along with other special effects lighting will continue to be utilized during cosmic bowling. New black-light sensitive bowling shoes are also available to go with the glowing bowling balls and lanes.

“Once they come in and see how nice everything is then they usually come back,” Mueller said.

Summer Patterson, who runs Champs Sports Club at the Paragon, said the bowling alley brings in a lot of business.

She expects the changes to bring in even more.

“It makes a big difference to our bar sales,” Patterson said. “I like it. It’s a great improvement.”

The Paragon restaurant has also received a facelift.

“We pretty much gutted out the whole restaurant and did all the booths and cabinets in there,” Mueller said. “It was time for an upgrade.”

Kitchen manager Mike Sullivan said the remodeling was a huge improvement.

“Everything in the dining room has been redone,” Sullivan said. “Since we’ve remodeled the dining room, we’ve had a lot more people, a lot more business.”

The counters, booths, chairs, tables, refrigerators and freezers have been replaced. The dining room also has new paint and flooring has been replaced in the kitchen.

The dining room, which is open 24 hours a day, stayed open while they remodeled, Sullivan said.

“We worked all day and all night to get it done,” he said.

They also purchased new pizza ovens and will be getting a new grill and broiler.

“The new pizza ovens are going to make a difference,” Sullivan said. “They cook a little bit faster than the old ones and the pizza come out better.”

The Paragon is offering new food, such as sautéed mussles with garlic and butter, but will continue serving old favorites, like prime rib, Sullivan said.

Mueller said there will likely be more upgrades.

“We’ve always got stuff planned,” Mueller said. “Everything is changing all the time.”

The Paragon Bowl and Champs Sports Club is located at 1125 West Villard in Dickinson. Mueller and his staff can be reached at 701-225-2345.

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