Lucky 66 Bowl / Great 66 Entertainment Center Bar Rescue Update – Still Open?

Is Great 66 Entertainment Center still open today?

Status: >> CLOSED <<
(keep reading to learn what happened)

Season: 7 | View All Season 7 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: March 8, 2020
The Bar's Original Name Was: Lucky 66 Bowl
Great 66 Entertainment Center Address: 6132 4th St NW Albuquerque, NM 87107

Lucky 66 Bowl / Great 66 Entertainment Center Bar Rescue Update

Episode Recap

Lucky 66 Bowl, later renamed Great 66 Entertainment Center, is an Albuquerque, New Mexico bar featured on Season 7 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Lucky 66 Bowl Bar Rescue episode aired in March 2020, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place much earlier.

It was Season 7 Episode 2 and the official episode name was “Gutter Ball”.

Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lucky 66 Bowl is owned by a Vietnam vet named Mike Draper.

It has a pretty unique location as it’s located inside a bowling alley, which isn’t something you see every day on Bar Rescue.

Definitely a first for the show.

Mike Lucky 66 Bowl Bar Rescue

Personally, I’m always a fan of bars inside bowling alleys, so I think it’s pretty cool.

It’s not just a random theme, though – Mike’s father was a pro bowler, so he bought the bar in honor of him.

That’s a great way to pay respects.

Mike’s son is the general manager, and his granddaughter is the bar manager.

It’s a real family affair.

One day Mike hopes to give them the business.

Unfortunately, Mike has a bad attitude toward his customers and staff, which is causing major problems.

By the time the Lucky 66 Bowl Bar Rescue episode is happening, the bar is over $1,000,000.00 in debt. 

Jon arrives at the Lucky 66 Bowl with Alex Goode and Chef Anthony Lamas, mixologist.

The bar is not an ideal hangout spot, even with the bowling alley attached, in part because the entrance to the bar is down a sketchy, unsafe-looking alley.

Jon thinks this bar could have potential with over 50% of the population being single. 

The interior looks good, with an elevated bar and windows overlooking the bowling alley.

The bar area, though, is worn out and out of date.

Lucky 66 Bowl staff on Bar Rescue

Vanessa is a new bartender who has only been at Lucky 66 Bowl for a few weeks.

Chef Joel leases out the food with his son, and it is a separate business.

The food is too greasy, and people complain it affects their bowling. 

Miles Sr. and Miles Jr. manage the bowling lanes.

Miles Sr. has been fired several times and keeps getting hired back.

Jon and his companions order three lemon drops, but the bar has no lemons.

When they do get their drinks, they are awful.

They order more drinks and the drinks are still bad.

Mike, the owner, is rude and cuts them off. 

Jon is upset and confronts Mike, who tries to defend himself.

Everyone agrees with Jon that Mike is an ass.

Jon Taffer even reconsiders helping Mike because he won’t take accountability.

Jon leaves and tells Mike to clean the bar. 

Jon finds out that customer service is a clear issue, and the staff turnover rate is high since most of the staff members are family who has been there for a long time.

For example, Daphne was a great bowling mechanic, but she left due to Mike’s poor attitude.

They call Daphne, and she agrees to come back.

The stress test is kicked off, and drinks begin coming out slow. Customers are left waiting.

The bar uses a handwritten ticket system which quickly turns into chaos.

Food is being served raw, and some people never get their food at all.

Overall, it’s just a total disaster – you can definitely see why the bar is in so much trouble.

Jon shuts down the bar as they have a hard time catching up. 

The next day the staff is trained by Alex Goode on simple cocktails.

The team is also taught a grease-free quesadilla dish.

As part of the relaunch, the bar has been renovated and Jon Taffer renamed it from Lucky 66 Bowl to Great 66 Entertainment Center.

There is a bold new sign and an updated interior.

There is also a new DJ booth and pager system for drinks. 

Jon tells Mike that he will give the bar $10,000 to cover expenses for at least one month, which is an incredibly generous offer as it takes a lot of the pressure off the bar staff.

The relaunch is underway, and the staff loves the new pager system.

The bar keeps drinks coming out on time, and the customers love the new menu. 

So was the Great 6 Bar Rescue episode a long-term success?

Keep reading to learn what happened next and if The Great 66 Albuquerque bowling alley is still open in 2024.

Great 66 Entertainment Center Update - What Happened Next?

Now that we’ve recapped the Lucky 66 Bowl Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Albuquerque, NM.

Within six weeks, bar sales have increased and everything seems to be going a lot better.

What’s more, the staff turnover is lessened as Daphne returns full-time as the bar manager.

Mike continued to stay positive and keep a good attitude.

In a very short interview with a local news channel, Mike seemed to have good things to say about Jon Taffer.

You can watch it below:

However, like a lot of bars on the show, however, Mike decided to ditch Jon Taffer’s name change and go back to using the Lucky 66 Bowl name.

While business was up, the overall reviews were still really poor as Lucky 66 Bowl had just a 2.5 star rating on Yelp and a 3.9 star rating on Google Reviews.

While the overall ratings were low, recent ratings did seem to be a bit more positive after Jon Taffer’s visit.

For example, this four star review from Google Reviews:

Had my son’s birthday here, everyone was super friendly and helpful.

Had a couple issues with the lanes and a few games that didn’t work but overall it was great.

Very chill environment would recommend especially since it was the best deal vs everywhere else.

Or this five star review from Yelp:

Great place, good atmosphere, tons of fun!

The awesome retro interior alone is worth going there for, but the good food and drink make it even better.

Such a fun night out & the staff is great!

Or this five star review from Google Reviews:

Lucky 66 is a little gem.

The atmosphere is fantastic. Plenty of lanes and games.

Got a decently new pair of shoes for rent too.

Had a blast with my friends.

Definitely recommend going.

Maybe you’ll get lucky and get the haunted lane.

Unfortunately, it seems like Covid got the best of Lucky 66 Bowl and the improved reviews weren’t enough to save it.

Is The Great 66 still open after Bar Rescue?

The Great 66 Entertainment Center / Lucky 66 Bowl closed some time around 2021 or 2022, likely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There’s no explanation about why Lucky 66 Bowl closed or when it happened – the alley just was marked closed on all the online platforms, including Yelp and Google.

The most recent Google Maps street view picture of The Great 66 Albuquerque location still shows the Great 66 Entertainment Center sign, though, so it doesn’t appear that a new tenant has moved in.

That picture was from October 2022 – you can see it below:

If you live in Albuquerque and know what’s happening with the old Great 66 Entertainment Center property, please let me know in the comments section below.

Overall, this one seems a bit mixed.

The reviews were definitely better after The Great 66 Bar Rescue episode.

But at the same time, Jon Taffer visited just before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Being a bar and a bowling alley is just about the worst combination possible for Covid-19, so I’m guessing that’s why it closed.

Still, if you know anything more specific, please let me know in the comments.

If you want to see some other Albuquerque Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my The Sandbar / Playa Island Bar update and VFW Post 6216 update.

These three are the only times that Jon Taffer has visited New Mexico (so far!).

For some other bars in nearby states, you can also check out Garrison Tavern / Brickhouse in Colorado Springs CO and Havana Cabana / Rocky Point Cantina in Tempe AZ.

Thanks for reading!


More Information

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lucky-66-bowl-albuquerque



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Last updated: 2023-02-26 09:41

22 thoughts on “Lucky 66 Bowl / Great 66 Entertainment Center Bar Rescue Update – Still Open?”

All comments are the sole opinion of the commenter and are not endorsed by RealityTVUpdates.

  1. This show is a waste of money! Hey Paramount are u really all that stupid ?? Try a show that helps good bars be Great Bars!!
    BAR RESCUE IS A JOKE!!

    Reply
  2. I really wanted this one to work for Mike’s family & staff. Unfortunately Mike didn’t seem well. Maybe it was Vietnam. Sad!

    Reply
  3. I love the show and J.T.
    Don’t buy a bar or any business with customers if you are a drunk, lazy, have no desire or plans to learn how to run that business, and/or cannot get along with people. JT is an expert, and he cares, and he wouldn’t be a success or make other’s successful if he wasn’t or didn’t.
    I feel bad for the old Lucky 66…I think had covid not hit they would have made it. It is really awful and sad for them all, the families and all the staff. Even the community. I hope and wish better times ahead for them all.
    ☮, ❤, 🙂, & ☯️

    Reply
  4. When Mike said “I haven’t told anyone I needed them since Vietnam”, I teared up. Felt bad for that dude, even though he was such a dick to everyone. Sucks to see they couldn’t make it work through Covid, Daphne seemed like she could have run the place properly with time and support. Thanks for the updates, Admin!

    Reply
  5. I moved into the apartment complex behind the bowling alley/bar in 2020, the only activity I saw the entire time I’ve lived here, since I have to drive through the parking lot, was a demo crew coming through and gutting the place. That was 2021. I think they closed some time in 2020.

    Reply
  6. The show is more scripted, more acting, more rehearsing, more takes and out takes than a 5* Hollywood production.
    Also, I doubt these bars, especially the ‘dives’, are completley renovated i and turned around in 36 hours

    Reply

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