When many people think of the food served at a bowling alley, CJ’s Sports Bar & Grill chef Ralph Acquaro said he expects they would conjure up images of hot dogs and cheese from a machine.
When CJ’s Sports Bar & Grill opened inside Mel’s Lone Star Lanes in 2008, Acquaro said he wanted to make the restaurant known for its cuisine separate from the bowling alley.
“We were able to brand our food as CJ’s and the entertainment side of our business as Mel’s, even though we’re one company,” he said. “And with the catering side of our business, being out in the field as much as we are, we were able to validate the quality of the food.”
CJ’s serves burgers, turkey and chicken sandwiches, salads, pizzas, chicken wings and breakfast tacos.
“For bar food, and bowling alley food, it’s pretty high-quality,” Acquaro said.
CJ’s is located inside the Mel’s boutique bowling area, which features leather couches and cocktail tables as opposed to the traditional plastic swivel chairs in the main bowling area.
“Adding the restaurant and the boutique bowling with the leather couches, that changed the perception of bowling [food] from the old smoky house with the Cheese Whiz to a restaurant,” Acquaro said.
After 9 p.m., the boutique bowling section is restricted to guests age 18 and older.
“The parents can be over here and the kids can be running around in the arcade, so they can still be in the same building,” he said. “Mom and dad can have that time away, and the kids can still have fun with their friends and be in a safe environment.”
Along with the restaurant, Acquaro offers a catering service, which he began expanding in 2010. CJ’s Catering now provides food for events from Temple to Dripping Springs as well as daily lunches for three area Catholic schools.
He said the business caters almost 600 events each year, and sometimes four or five in a day.
CJ’s also offers daily blue plate specials featuring recipes from its catering menu such as New England Clam Chowder and a five-cheese macaroni and cheese.
The blue plate special is typically what Round Rock resident Doug Schelling said he eats nearly every day. Schelling bowls at Mel’s Lone Star Lanes every morning, where he trains and plays in a league.
“It’s good,” he said. “I wish that they had more on the menu than what they have, but everything that I’ve had on the menu is amazing.”
