Brooklyn Bowl

ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING PLACES ON EARTH

Rolling Stone calls Brooklyn Bowl, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, “one of the most amazing places on Earth.” It functions as a bowling alley, music venue, restaurant, nightclub and bar and hosts up to 2,000-3,000 visitors a day.

As the first LEED-Certified bowling alley in the world, Brooklyn Bowl uses XLERATOR high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers in their high-end restrooms to promote sustainability and complement the high design and iconic look of the facility.

CLEAN BATHROOMS, HAPPY GUESTS

Stephen Schwarz, General Manager of Brooklyn Bowl, doesn’t mince words.
“I personally can’t stand hand dryers,” he says. “Because my hands are wet from a weak, warm blow. It drives me nuts.”

The hand dryer that really sticks in his craw is the Dyson Airblade. “It’s just bizarre,” Schwarz says, miming the hand insertion required by the trough-style dryer. “It’s an odd experience. There’s water everywhere and you’re trying not to touch the sides. It’s almost like a game of Operation.”

But the XLERATOR is a different story.

“The dryers are great. We love ‘em,” he says. “They get used a ton, with all the traffic through our bathrooms. We’ve had great success with them. It keeps trash off the floor, keeps clogs out of the toilets. Bathrooms are cleaner, guests are happier.”

In addition to improving the guest experience and eliminating maintenance headaches for staff, the XLERATOR Hand Dryer’s low failure rate and Excel Dryer’s strong customer support has also been a factor. “On the rare occasion where we have an issue, customer service is great, the parts are easy to swap out,” Schwarz says

HIGH-END DESIGN AND AESTHETICS

For a place that is curated to the smallest detail, it was important for the XLERATOR to fit with the overall aesthetic of Brooklyn Bowl.

“It’s an iconic Brooklyn place with an iconic look,” Schwarz says. “We put a lot of thought and effort into the way this place looks, including our bathrooms. And I think the XLERATOR has a sophisticated look that really fits the feel of the place and carries it through. So you’re not in this beautiful place and walk into something that looks like a gas station bathroom. You’ve got a great look in there. And the XLERATOR fits right in.”

GREEN FROM THE GROUND UP

“There’s a lot we had to do to achieve LEED status,” Schwarz says. “A lot was done in the construction and how the place was built and the materials that were used and then how we operate on a daily basis.”

The 16-lane, 600-person venue is housed in 23,000 square feet of refurbished factory space in the former Hecla Iron Works Building. XLERATOR Hand Dryers were part of the plan from the very beginning. “Part of the green initiative was that hand dryers were going to be a better choice for us, in terms of energy consumption and waste,” Schwarz says. “And our first talent buyer said, ‘XLERATOR Hand Dryers are the best. You have to get them.’”

The XLERATOR is the only hand dryer in the industry with a dry time of 8 seconds* — tested to guidelines from the Global Hand Dryer PCR published by UL Environment — and it uses 80 percent less energy than conventional hand dryers. It represents a 95-percent cost savings when compared to paper towels, eliminating their labor, maintenance and waste.

A peer reviewed (ISO 14040 standards) Life Cycle Assessment of XLERATOR confirmed it reduces the carbon footprint of hand drying by 50-75 percent compared to both traditional hand dryers and even 100-percent recycled paper towels. It is the first hand dryer to be BuildingGreen Approved^® and helps facilities qualify for several LEED^® v4 Credits and Green Globes to satisfy corporate and government sustainability goals.

In addition to the XLERATOR, Brooklyn Bowl’s other eco-friendly features include:

• 100% wind-powered electricity
• LED stage lights (use 90% less energy than the typical draw)
• Energy Star Certification wherever possible
• Four ten-foot fans to augment HVAC system
• Bowler’s lounge with 100% reclaimed cork floors
• Stage floor made of 100% recycled truck tires

One of Brooklyn Bowl’s most interesting energy-saving features is its pin-spotter system, a key component of any bowling alley. “The pins are actually on strings,” Schwarz explains. “A traditional pin-spotter has three motors tumbling the pins, sorting the pins, dropping them. This has one drawbar that pulls the strings back on a pulley. It uses about 25% of the electricity of a regular pinspotter.”

KEEPING IT LOCAL

Brooklyn Bowl’s green practices go hand in hand with their local commitment. In order to eliminate waste, they only serve tap beer in the bar — no bottles or cans. And all 10 drafts are brewed locally in Brooklyn.

“With Brooklyn Brewery right next door and Six-Point and Kelso in the borough, we’re able to have beer delivered locally and save all that gas and carbon emission,” Schwarz says. The local flavor extends to the restaurant as well. Instead of the cafeteria and vending machine fare common to most bowling alleys, Brooklyn Bowl called on NYC stalwart Blue Ribbon to run the show with a menu featuring their famous fried chicken and other favorites. As the Brooklyn Bowl slogan goes, “Our beers are all local, our chicken is fried, and now it’s official we’re LEED Certified.”

The local-minded thinking contributed to Brooklyn Bowl’s decision to go with the XLERATOR as well.

“When we built the place, both in the tradespeople and the products that we sourced, we did our best to shop as locally as we could,” Schwarz says. “And the fact that we’re talking about a family-owned company, U.S.-made, just a few hours north from here, that was important to us.”

Excel Dryer’s expanded product line — featuring XLERATOR, XLERATOReco^® and ThinAir^® Hand Dryers — now comes with enhanced features including sound, speed and heat control, multi-voltage options (110-120V or 208-277V) and an externally visible service LED to streamline maintenance. With the most options and accessories in the industry, you can create the best hand drying solution for any restroom environment.

Brooklyn Bowl is on a roll with the XLERATOR. Time for you to get in the game. Make the change from paper towels today!