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Work on High 5 Exchange is underway at The Farm in Allen.
The entertainment venue, which will offer bowling, laser tag and more, is set to open along SH 121 in late 2027, High 5 Exchange President and Founder Scott Emley said. Project officials and city leaders gathered Aug. 31 at a groundbreaking ceremony for the project.
The specifics
The venue will serve as an entertainment destination for adults and children alike, Emley said.
The entertainment offerings will be anchored by bowling, which will include integrated gaming experiences outside of typical bowling, he said. The facility will offer 16 full-size bowling lanes as well as 8 duckpin bowling lanes, which is a small ball bowling experience, according to the company’s website.
Other offerings will include 8 “world-class” attractions, per the business’s website, including a laser tag arena, escape rooms, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences, an arcade gaming floor and a 36-hole outdoor miniature golf course. The venue will also include space for future additions of other attractions, Emley said.
High 5 Exchange in Allen will offer a food and beverage menu as well as a full bar with craft cocktails. The venue will offer private event packages for birthday parties, corporate events and more, per its website. Emley said he expects the facility to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.
“We're the Chick-fil-A of entertainment,” Emley said, noting the company’s service-focused approach.
The context
While the company’s existing locations can be found around south Texas in Austin and Lake Travis, the corporate office for High 5 Exchange is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Emley said company officials have been working on bringing the Allen project to fruition for more than five years.
“Only Allen ... would have been as patient to see through it and be patient with us, walk with us, and then we're ready to get started three years later, they're like, ‘Let's go!’ Emley said. “They immediately helped us get through the process.”
Also of note
Plano-based real estate firm SLX Capital recently signed on as a partner in the project.
“While we've only been involved for about six months or so, we know there's been a tremendous amount of hard work by a lot of the people here over the last few years getting us to this point, and we couldn't be more excited to officially sticking some shovels in the ground and getting this project going,” SLX Capital Partner Matthew Bodzy said at the groundbreaking.
