Turlock’s much-anticipated Ten Pin Fun Center opened its doors yesterday for a soft opening, allowing eager members of the community to drop by and see if it was worth the wait.

As of right now, the staff at Ten Pin Fun Center, located on Countryside Drive across from Hobby Lobby, are preparing for its grand opening this Friday. This highly anticipated event will showcase the 32 bowling lanes, 60 interactive arcade games, the freshest food at built-in restaurant and sports bar Deadwood Social, two additional bars serving beers on tap, and more fun and entertainment for the whole family. Additionally, two-story laser tag is still under construction, but is expected to open within the next few months.

The head investors for this project weren’t there for the soft opening but will be at Thursday’s closed to the public ribbon-cutting ceremony. For today, Gary Soiseth and Nathan Straubinger of Central California Advisors were able to talk to the Signal about the launching of this passion project.

The Signal’s very own marketing alum, Nathan Straubinger, helped run both the social media and marketing aspects of the project and said that keeping the details under wraps wasn’t as hard as many might think.

Straubinger said, “Everybody here takes pride in this bowling alley. All the workers had a hand in putting this facility together really takes pride in it, nobody felt like spoiling the surprise. This is something great for the community and I think that everyone was respectful enough to let it happen organically to where it is a surprise for everybody.”

For the community who have been eagerly waiting for an opening day, their patience was finally rewarded.

The project was originally approved in February 2010 but was then dropped in 2014, until July of 2017 when plans were finally underway. Ten Pin’s investors saw potential and couldn’t let the project go unfinished.

Straubinger said the cause for many of these delays were because of the magnitude of the floorplan. “As one of the engineers for the City of Turlock put it, this is one of the most complex buildings that this city has seen in two decades,” he said. “After taking a tour, you can see all the work and detail that has been put into this to make it what it is. Everybody wanted to make sure that it was perfect, everybody has been waiting for a bowling alley, so we wanted to make sure that it was the best thing that we could offer the city.”

In addition to giving the community a new source of entertainment, Ten Pin has brought 125 jobs to the Turlock area, with many positions filled by Stan State graduates. One of these Stan State alums is the center’s Restaurant General Manager and Director of Food and Beverage, Robert Provencio.

Provencio graduated from Stan State in 2011 and spent four years as the executive chef at Turlock Golf and Country Club before moving to Ten Pin. He shared his passion for the Turlock community, and his focus on filling his kitchen with local ingredients. Provencio explained that every dish at Deadwood Social, Ten Pin’s restaurant, is made in house in order to give guests the freshest food possible.

“The only thing in the freezer is ice cream. We don’t want to rely heavily on grabbing stuff out of a bag and dumping it,” said Provencio. “So we want to really put heart and passion into what we make.”

“This kitchen is made for high volumes so, in theory, we could make about 900 plates in an hour, so it’s built like a commercial place but we really push for the farm to fork style,” said Provencio, who also emphasized his focus on providing delicious vegan and gluten free options to guests.

David Patterson is another General Manager at Deadwood Social. He was excited about Tuesday’s soft opening but was eager for a busy grand opening on Friday.

“We can’t wait till later so we can rocking and  rolling and take care of everything for them. I’ve been here since 7 a.m. and will probably be here today until about 11 or 12 p.m., and then we come back and do it all over again. But that’s what makes it fun, fun times,” said Patterson.

This sense of excitement was reflected by all Ten Pin employees,  both in and out of the kitchen, who were eager to help guests show off the building’s beautiful and high tech features.

Gary Soiseth, a familiar face as Turlock’s former mayor, is the official Public Information Officer for Ten Pin. Soiseth said that for those who are still interested in a career with Ten Pin can keep an eye on openings and apply at http://www.tenpinfun.com.

“Like any business, we hired out what we needed to get opened, but with any business, there are always new positions that will open,” Soiseth said. “As demand increases, there will be more openings so if there is anyone interested in applying for a position, please do so and we’ll have it at the ready.”

As of right now, the employees who have been trained are excitedly awaiting this Friday’s grand opening. Ten Pin’s hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. “It’s a late night venue so you can come here and stay later,” said Soiseth.

Ten Pin’s massive 62,000 square footage required the purchase of two lots during construction, said Soiseth, but the center is fully prepared to entertain a large volume of guests.

“We can hold 1,300 people in total in this venue and we are prepared for that many people,” Soiseth said. “We hope people will carpool or take public transportation here, but we do have an agreement with Hobby Lobby and Lowes for people to park in their lots if our parking lot gets filled.”

Currently, the closest Turlock Transit stops to the Fun Center are behind Panda Express on Countryside Drive (Route 1), in front of Chili’s on Countryside Drive (Route 2), and on the corner of Golden State and Monte Vista (Route 3). Buses run until 8:30 p.m., and rides are free for Stan State students with their Warrior ID. Bus routes are viewable at Turlock Transit’s website.

Soiseth shared hopes of adding a bus stop in front of Ten Pin. As for now, Wayne York, the City of Turlock’s Transit Manager, said that community surveys are being conducted and possible transit improvements, including the addition of stops, are still in the planning stage.

With brand-new bowling alleys, a multitude of arcade games, delicious food and drink, bocce ball and more, Ten Pin offers something for everyone. Ten Pin Fun Center will be closed tomorrow before their grand opening this Friday, May 17. Hope to see you there!