by Bernard Poock on We met some friends here for dinner before a concert at the Cactus Cafe last Saturday. It was our first visit. We really timed it well, meeting at 5 p.m., because by the time we left at 7 the place was packed and people were waiting for tables. We also were able to park in the lot across the street, which wouldn't have been possible later on. The service by Nathan was great, the food was pretty darn good with actual heat in the chiles, the drinks weren't watered down. Prices were good, too. For 4 of us, including chips and guac beforehand and 2 desserts, the total was $66, plus tip. We'll be back, especially as it's so darn convenient to the Cactus!
by Christopher H. on I started organizing a bowling group on http://meetup.comjust over a year ago, and for about the first 6 months we bowled at 300 Atlanta every 2 weeks. I selected 300 Atlanta because they don't have leagues so it was easy to get lanes pretty much whenever we wanted to bowl. Oh yeah, and it was up the street from my apartment so I could walk home if I got drunk. The alley used to be AMF Chamblee Lanes, and I bowled there the whole time I was in elementary and high school. A few years ago, AMF decided to remodel the alley on a new concept to make it more upscale. Gone were the leagues and the racks and racks of house balls spread out across the building. Instead, the concept was to host business events. The furniture was updated to better match the "high class" design, and the staff retrieve the right-sized ball for you. There was even waiter service for the bar and the kitchen. While the alley looks nice now, AMF didn't bother to replace the lane equipment of automatic scorers. During the few months we bowled there, we frequently had to move to a different lane in the middle of a game because the pinsetter broke. The automatic scoring system made frequent errors, either because of outdated equipment or buggy software. The lane-side service was great at first, but after about a month it became much faster just to walk up to the bar for a drink, and you didn't have to deal with a rude server. The only advantage is the lanes themselves: the original wood lanes are still in place, compared to many other alleys in the city which have synthetic lanes. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the sound of the wooden lanes. Along with upscaling the interior, they also upscaled their prices. When we were bowling there, they were $4-5 per game, and $4 for shoes. We usually bowled when they were running a $15 Monday special: all you want to bowl, including shoes. I recently called the center to see what their prices were in hopes I could move my group back. Unfortunately, they are now $6 a game and $5 for shoes, and I was told they do not ever run specials. Anyone willing to pay $23 to bowl 3 games deserves to pay $23 to bowl 3 games. Adding to the high prices and outdated equipment, they continuously blared rap music as loud as possible and refused to either change the station or turn it down, even when my group were the only bowlers in the place. I guess the folks at AMF would rather have a nightclub atmosphere as opposed to a bowling atmosphere, and more power to them. I won't be taking my group back to 300 Atlanta, however. I've found management at the other alleys in town is very willing to work with me and actually WANT my business, so they're the ones who are going to get it.
