male announcer: More than a hundred
of America's biggest bosses.
- I just hope I can keep up with the guys.
announcer: Have gone undercover
in their own companies.
- Nah, it wasn't as easy as it looks.
- So... - Here we go.
- Lift me up.
- I'm about to just live out here.
- I would almost swear you look like somebody else.
- Right here, right now, we're gonna shut
the restaurant down.
announcer: More than 20 million dollars
has been awarded to employees.
- Because I wanted the check for $250,000.
- Oh, my God. announcer: And millions
of lives...
- I'm gonna pay offthe mortgage.
announcer: Change forever.
- For real? - This is real.
- Oh. - The greatest reward
is to see people live their dream.
- That's a life-changer.
announcer: Tonight on Undercover Boss.
- This is your first time here?
- Yes. - Mine, too.
announcer: The chief customer officer
of America's largest bowling company...
will be getting her hands dirty.
My manicure is not loving this.
announcer: As she gets to grips with...
- Oh, Jeez.
announcer: ...the challenges her company faces
bringing bowling into the 21st century.
- A lot of people tend to think that the pricing
is outrageously high.
- Something tells meyou don't like the arcade.
- They took like six lanes out.
- We need to be profitable.
announcer: Going undercover,
the boss will give up her taste for the high life
and put her neck on the line.
- There have been several people that have died
from this machine.
announcer: Dealing with demanding customers.
- You didn't ask me the flavor.
- Well-- - Really messes up
my whole situation here.
announcer: And ill-equipped centers.
- No, don't use that. It's broken.
- Okay. It's broken. - announcer: But how will
her staff react... - No way.
announcer: ...when they find out she's really the boss?
- I'm concerned aboutyour future with the company.
announcer: All this next on Undercover Boss.
- I am Colie Edison.
I'm the chief customerofficer at Bowlero Corp.
Bowlero Corpis the world's largest
bowling center business.
And we do nearly a billion dollars
in revenue a year.
- Bowlmor Lanes was openedin 1938 in New York City
in the heart of Union Square.
We acquired it in 1997.
But we didn't stop with just our Bowlmor locations.
When AMF, the world's biggest bowling center operator
went bankrupt in 2012,
we grabbed the opportunity.
announcer: Overnight, Bowlero went from five centers
to 272.
And now, they operate over 300 bowling centers
in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
- By the '80s, bowling had its heyday
and was failing to attract younger players.
Our mission has been to reverse the downward trend
and create a larger customer base.
In order to keep thesebowling centers in business,
we have to modernize.
We've completely revolutionized the modern
bowling experience.
Now you can havegreat food and drink.
You have an awesome server
who's bringing you tons of attention.
We've been installing arcades and amusement at centers
across the countries that our guests
have more to choose from.
We've gone and have madea lot of changes.
However, that does mean
sometimes we're moving out leads
or we're opening at different hours.
So, it's not always easy.
Change is hard.
As a chief customer officer, it's my responsibility
to make sure that our customers are happy.
I've created every elementof the Bowlero brand
from the look and feel to the center experience.
This brand is so close to me.
I take it all very personally.
I've been with Bowlero for about 12 years now.
I started out as a marketing coordinator.
And five promotions later, I made it to this position.
Being a top-level executive in a sports
and entertainment brand is often a challenge.
It's lonely at the top, but it's even lonelier
as a woman.
I've been focused on my career for the past decade.
Everything's changed since I've had a daughter.
Being away from my familyis going to be the hardest part.
But I'm ready to do it
because this isa big opportunity
for our company and for me.
- Colie, how are you feeling about doing all this?
- I'm excited.
I'm a little nervous.
- What do you think your biggest challenge will be?
- I'm definitely gonna miss Winnie.
- I bet.
- My cover story is thatmy name is Michelle.
Michelle recently losther job as a court reporter.
And now, I'm gonna go trymy hands at my second career.
- The persona has to be a little different, right?
Laidback-- - Yeah.
--or nervous maybe, which isn't you.
- No.That's not me at all.
- To keep this sportand recreation alive,
we needed to modernize our centers.
With the change we've made, it's not always been
smooth sailing. So, it's my job
to go undercover and make sure
that the changes we've made
are working at all of our centers nationwide.
- Oh, my God.
- Do you recognize that person, huh?
- Hey, honey.
- So, oh, my God.
- This is Michelle.
- Very cool.
- No, it's not.
- While undercover, my employees will be tricked
into thinking I'm a geeky ex-court reporter
who's looking for a new job all filmed
for a documentary about second careers.
It's okay, sweetie. I'll be back.
So, we're here in Fair Lawn,
which is in my home state of New Jersey.
We converted the center about a year and a half ago.
So, it's the perfect time to go undercover
and see if our million dollar renovation
is actually paying off.
I'm looking for someone named Daniel.
He's an operations manager.
Their job is to deal with customers and be on hand
to cover various roles in the center.
This is the best way for me to see everything.
Daniel?
- Yes. - Hi.
- Hello. - I'm Michelle.
- Oh, Michelle. Amazing.
Nice to meet you. - How are you?
- I'm expecting you today. - Oh, yeah.
I'm interested for my second career
in learning about what you do.
- This is right now, it's basically throwing out
the garbage.
- So, this is your jobto do the garbage?
- We have a porter that does it.
- Uh-huh. - Right now,
we don't have one on staff, so--especially as a manager,
you know, you wanna set the example
that you're not afraid to do it yourself.
So, wanna help me?
- Yes, I'll help you. - Sure. All right, cool.
You take this one, and I'll grab this one.
- All right. This one goes right in here?
- Yes. Sure it does. - Oh, jeez.
I did not think I was going to start by having
to do the garbage cans.
I think my mom will be really proud
because I didn't do that a lot growing up.
But Daniel seems, like, down for anything.
- There you go. Awesome.
- So, the bowling alleyis not open right now?
- It's open, you know.
So now, we are gonna workthe front desk.
So basically how it works iswe have two different systems.
This here is pixeland then this here is vector.
Whatever you do here,
you're gonna transfer overto your vectors here.
I know it soundsa little bit confusing,
but you just wanna make sure you're matching
whatever it says there, with whatever it says here.
-So, pixel is for taking money
and vector is for booking lanes?
- Yeah. - That's confusing.
- What's going on, guys? How are you doing today?
- Good.How are you?
- Awesome. I'm doing great.
So tonight, we got a special going on.
It's 14.19 per person.
So you can get unlimited games until we close.
And you save money,
you can go spend to the snack bar,
you can go spend in the arcade.
I'm gonna set you guys up over on 17.
You guys have a great time.
- I have never stood behind the front desk before.
I've never really seen the point of sale in action.
- You highlightwhatever lane you wanna use
and you have your shoe pricedown here which is $5.84.
- Then, it was my turn.
Hi, welcome to Bowlero. - What's up, guys?
- You guys looking to bowl tonight?
- Yes. - Okay. Great.
Would you like to do the Wednesday Night
Unlimited All You Can Bowl?
- Sure. - That's fine.
- So, this won't be charged.
- This one they're paying up front 'cause it's...
- Oh, right. - The upfront bowl.
- Okay. That's confusing.
So, they're paying for it all right now?
- Paying for it all right now. - So, that's a lie.
I am gonna charge this card.
Is this your first time here? - Yes.
- Mine, too. - But where do you go here?
There you go,but don't forget.
You have to come over here and turn this one on.
- Operating two terminals slows down the service.
It's a little nerve-racking 'cause there are two systems.
- Michelle definitely struggled to realize
that we did have two different computer systems.
- And we're gonna set them up on lane 17.
So, let me just get that set up for you.
- Okay, so there is some buttons
that are very differentand they'll match their name.
- That's confusing.
- System could be easier to use, yes.
- I saw a lot of outdated information
in the system.
I thought the customers were going to walk out.
I came here to find out
how our million-dollar renovation is working,
but I'm discovering we're being let down
by an outdated booking system.
And...pay later.
announcer: Coming up...
- They're waiting for their food.
They're getting anxious.
announcer: Colie is out of her depth.
announcer: And fine standards are not up to scratch.
- I mean, the 6:00, you shouldn't have a problem.
You could just come in.
- Natasha didn't follow a protocol,
and that's not in our sales playbook.
- That's confusing.
- System could be easier to use, yes.
- I'm undercover in one of our centers in New Jersey,
and just a few hours into my job as manager,
I am discovering that our outdated booking system
is keeping our customers waiting.
Okay. You guys can head over the lane 17.
Have a great time. Thank you.
- Good job.
- That was a lot.
- Hey, how's it going? - I'm at lane 14.
The approach is reallyon a sticking side.
Can we have somebodyclean it up?
Clean up the floor? - Yeah. Of course.
Be right there. - Thank you.
- Clean up the spill right there and then, you know,
just get out of the way. - Right here?
- Yeah.
- All right. Gentleman, you're all set.
- Back to your game. Enjoy.
Danny works incredible hard.
He's not afraid to clean up a lane,
empty the garbage,
get behind the snack bar.
- Let's see what we got.
Grilled chicken sandwichand a super cheeseburger.
- I've never made a cheeseburger.
I've never used a flat top grill.
- A minute and a half on each side.
- Okay. Where is the timer?
Is this the timer?
- They're waiting for their food.
They're getting anxious. - Where's the chicken?
- Chicken's here. - Oh!
That's not right.
Don't worry, just hit the-- - Daniel!
- Hit the button, press one, and you got the chicken
behind you, you don't forget about it.
- I'll tell you, I've never done anything
like this before.
- It's fun, though, isn't it? - It's a little chaotic.
So far, what I'm seeingin the operations manager
is you need to haveyour hands in everything.
Danny, he puts the company first.
He puts his customers first.
- You can tell how much he cares about his guests.
You must be exhausted. - I am.
But I'm used to this.
- If I was to do this job, what would I need
to make it a little bit easier?
- Honestly, just beingambitious and willing to thrive
in every aspectin this company, you know?
- Sounds like you're doing it all.
- I love to get insightfrom the higher up people
to see how they excelin their careers, you know?
My goal is, you know, someday,I get all the way to the top.
- When I hear him talk about where he can go
within our organization,
I think the future is really bright for him.
- I'm actually gonna head to my father's house
to drop off some groceries.
You wanna come with me? - To your father's house?
- Yeah. - Sure. Let's go.
- Yeah. All right. Cool.
- How old are you?
- I just turned 22 about a week ago actually, so--
- Oh, happy birthday.
- Hey, Danny. - Welcome, Michelle.
Michelle, this is my dad.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
How are you? - I like your shirt.
- Yeah.It looks familiar, right?
- I saw that you brought your dad home groceries.
- Whenever I have theopportunity to help him,
you know, I'll do itfor him if I can.
- So you're not working anymore?
- No, I'm disabled due to a stroke I had in 2011.
- Oh, wow.
- That's why you'll see I had a craniotomy here.
They had to relieve part of my--
part of my skull to relieve the pressure on my brain.
When that happened, he was here from day one.
- Wow.
- But, you know, obviously,
I'm always gonna be thereto help him, you know?
It's, like, your parent.
Like, I feel likea parent to my father
even though he's my parentat the same time.
- So, Danny, what are the plans for the future?
- My biggest goal right now
is to own my very own houseby the age 25.
I know it's a early age,but I think
I have the capabilityof doing it.
And I told my dad,I was like, "Hey, man,
I'mma get my house and,hey, you get your own room."
- Yeah. - I'd be super happy.
That would be amazing.
- Well, it's been really nice to meet you, Mr. Gomez.
- It was a pleasure to meet you, too.
And I wish you nothing but the best in the world.
- All right, Dad.
- I was pretty taken aback to see the level of care
that Danny had to provide for his father.
It makes it a little bit more clear
why he has so much drive.
Why he has so much ambition.
And why he works so hard to be so successful
at his job at Bowlero.
Today, we're at Bowlero Milford.
It's one of our big league houses
that recently received a renovation.
Before we renovated, this place was focused
on league bowling and was not generating
as much profit as it could.
In addition to arcades, a big part of our growth
is events.
Today I'm going to be working with Natasha.
She's one of our events associates.
We do over $100 million a year in events
and it's an area we're really looking to grow.
So it's essential we get them right.
Hi, are you Natasha?
- I am.Hello.
- Hi. - Hi.
- I'm Michelle. I'm interested
for my second career in learning
about what you do.
- So here at Bowlero, I'm an event host.
- Okay. - And I'm gonna show you
how to run a party, but first,
you gotta be part of the team
and wear your Bowlero shirt.
- Okay.
- So I just had a party leave.
So I have whole bunch of shoes and we have to put all
these shoes back in a timely manner
because we're gonna have another crowd coming.
- Right. - So here's a spray
and just make sure you spray under here, underneath.
And then you will place up and go here.
- I was thrown into it right away doing
the actual dirty work
of working with dirty shoes and getting them clean.
Bam, bam, bam, bam.
Okay, how long have you been working here?
- Hmm, four years.
I started as the front desk.
- Okay. - Then I became a server.
- Okay. - And then I became
the event host. - Oh, wow.
Do you bowl? - I do.
- You do? - Yes.
- You a good bowler? - I'm all right.
- Say, "Thank you for calling Bowlero."
- Thank you for calling Bowlero.This is Michelle.
How can I help you?
Sure, let me put you on holdfor just one second,
if that's okay.
I found out that the person on the line
wanted to make a reservation.
And I didn't wanna mess it up.
I wanted to make sure it was transferred
to our event sales team
so we didn't lose the business.
Can you do it? I don't wanna mess up.
- All right. Sure.
I mean, the 6:00, you should be--
you shouldn't have a problem. You could just come in.
You'll be fine.
Okay?
We have strict guidelines
for how we handle event bookings.
And Natasha didn't follow protocol.
And that's not in our sales playbook.
announcer: Coming up...
Colie's changes are causing criticism.
- They took, like, six lanes off
to have that arcade in there.
announcer: And she faces up to her fears.
- I'm very scared.
- There have been several people that have died
from this machine.
- Can you do it? I don't wanna mess up.
- All right. Sure.
I mean, the 6:00, you should be--
you shouldn't have a problem. You could just come in.
- It's my second job undercover in my own company.
And I've already found out that our sales procedures
are not being followed.
- Okay?
- You're welcome. Bye.
- Unfortunately,Natasha didn't follow protocol.
So what happened there?
- I told her justto come in and, you know...
- Got it. Got it.
Instead of transferring it,
she just informed the gueststhat they should walk in.
That means we've just lost the opportunity
to make a prepaid event sale.
And that's notin our sales playbook.
So today, which partyare we gonna be working?
- Kids party.
- Is there gonna be a lot to set up for it?
- Yes. A lot.
- I walked into the back room.
Right away, I could tell that things
were not the way they're supposed to be
and not how we designed themin corporate.
Wow, there's a lot of stuff back here.
- It was really disappointing
to see the decorations like that.
They were completely unorganized,
not labeled, broken.
Can I use it? Oh, no, no batteries.
Maybe you wanna use thischeese pizza sign?
- No, don't use that.It's broken.
- Okay. It's broken.
I don't know if this centerunderstands the importance
of events and executing themat the highest level.
Okay, I think we got enough stuff, right?
- Yeah. Let's go.
- All right, so I need this party set up, okay?
You got this. - Okay, here we go.
Now, where do I decorate it?
See, I feel like I don't even know
'cause there's no instructions.
- Well, you just make it your own.
- Of course I know how the setup
is supposed to look.
What about I switch it?
- Oh, the plates gotta go there.
- The plates have to go there, okay.
We've created a planogramto make it super simple
for every single employee.
And it's clear that's not being followed here.
How's that?
- Um, that was a good try.
I'm sorry, but I'll helpyou out a little bit
so we could fix it up.
- All right. Thanks.
We were running out of time, so in the end,
I'm glad that Natasha was able to fix things up,
get everything settled,
and get it ready for the party guest.
- And boom. Perfect.
- I really like to bowl,
so I wanted to join the league.
- Would you like to bowl with some of my league bowlers?
- I'll give it a try. - All right, let's go.
- League bowling has always been
a big part of our business
as it provides regular repeat customers.
As Natasha's league members were in the center,
we dropped in to say hi.
This is a great opportunity to hear firsthand
from the league bowlers what's working,
what's not working, and what we maybe need to change.
- Hi, Natasha. - Hey.
What's up?This is Michelle.
- Hi. I'm Michelle. - Hi, John.
Nice to meet you.
- I wanna see this girl bowl.
I notice right away Natasha really came alive
once she started bowling.
Trainer.
- So, this centerchanged a lot recently.
So what happened? - Yeah.
It used to be nothing but lanes.
- Okay. - Like, bowling lanes.
But they took, like, six lanes out
to have that arcade in here.
- Something tells me you don't like the arcade.
- I mean, at first it was a little bit of a shock.
It's like I didn't know how to react to it right away.
- I really didn't like thembecause it's a big distraction.
So I'm not very keenon having the arcade there.
- In order for this center to stay in business,
we need to be profitable.
The arcade brings in more families who wanna bowl.
It's not good that Natasha doesn't like the changes
we've made or understand why they were necessary.
Thank you, guys, so much.
Thanks, guys. - Bye.
- It was good to see the front lines
of how our employees and our customers feel
about the changes we've made.
And I realize it's important to strike a balance
and make sure our employees are on board
with our improvements.
Well, I had a great day with you.
You have taught me so much.
Thanks so much. - Oh.
- At Bowlero, bowling is still the biggest draw.
So the bowling experience
has to always be at the core of everything we do.
If the guest is getting frustrated that
their ball's not being returned in time
or the lanes are breaking, they're not going to return.
And we could see a loss of revenue.
Today, I'm meeting with Jody.
He's a facilities manager.
He oversees all the mechanical operations
in the center.
I am stepping outside my comfort zone
and getting my hands dirty.
Are you Jody? - I am Jody.
You must be Michelle. - I'm Michelle.
- I understand you're looking into mechanics?
- Yeah, for my second career,
and learning about what you do.
- Wow. She wants to work on machines?
Wow. Okay.
- So what do we have here?
- Well, we've gota pin setter right here.
And can be very dangerous.
You've got belts, wheels.
The moving parts
is just what can really hurt you.
- And have people been seriously injured
from any of the machines?
- Yes, yes.
There have beenseveral people that have died
from this machine.
I mean, there's a lot of dangerous stuff in here,
but if it's done correctly, you don't have a problem.
- I'm personally very scared
and don't really wanna get much closer
to these machines than I have to.
- What are some of the safety precautions
we have to take?
- You have to shut the power.
You have to lock it out.
- Okay.
- Now we're goingto replace
what's calleda cushion arms.
This is the cushion right here. - Okay.
- That's the 150 pounds of steel
to stop bowling balls
from coming all the way through the back.
- Got it. - And you're going
to be replacing them.
- Me? - Sure.
- Oh, it's dirty.
I feel like a fish out of water.
It's very confusing.
I'm not sure really how it all works.
- I'm gonna get in. - Okay.
- And you can reach through and loosen up the bolt.
It ain't too bad.
You know, at this...
- Wow.
You don't mind me asking how old are you?
- Well, come January,
I'll be 69. - Wow.
It's awesome to see somebody who's in their 60s--
he's nimble, he gets right there in the machine,
and he shows no fear.
- Nothing to it.
I'm gonna let you try to loosen this up.
- Okay. Got it.
- Just give her a pull up.
- My first job was to loosen
some of the nuts and bolts inside the machine.
It's not the easiest working environment,
it gets really hot in there,
you need to put a lot of strength in.
Oh, my God, what?
- Okay. Yeah.
- This is so hard.
First impression,
I don't think Michelle has what it takes
to be a good mechanic.
I'm sorry, I just don't think so.
- My manicure is not loving this.
- Yeah, right.
Now what we're gonna do
is we're gonna put on the new ones
that are already rebuilt and ready to go on.
I tell you what, I'll get in
and I'll let you crawl in.
- Jody thought that I was ready to get inside the machine.
It was actually kinda scary.
You want me to squeeze in there?
- Yes, ma'am.
- So it's totally safe to go in?
- Yes, ma'am, becauseeverything is still locked out.
I could tell that it scared her.
And she had every right in the world to be concerned.
There you go.
Try head first and just crawl right in.
Watch your head up over here.
If it's done right,
the machine won't bite you.
There you go. - Got me, Jody?
- There you go. - Taking care of me?
- You're coming in fine.
- Okay. - See how easy that was?
- All right.
- Now just down, huh. - Get this up in here, right?
Okay. - Yes, ma'am.
- Is that tight enough? - No.
Well, a little bit more.
But you got it around
where it's supposed to go.
- It's hot and dark inside the ball machine
and the pieces are tiny that you're working with.
I am sweating.
Jody is super calm, totally collected,
and walking me through the whole thing.
Oh, yes.
- Got it. You got it.
See, you're getting very good at it.
- Okay.
This job is not for the weak by any means.
You need to be really strong
both physically and mentally, right?
You're getting in there to a very dangerous situation.
And you have to trust the people that you work with
and the equipment that you're working on.
I have a newfound appreciation for this side of the business.
- I think you've done very well,
work effort--watch it, there--okay.
There you go. There--perfect.
I can't do that. That's a...
- Well, you're 69 years old.
I'm impressed that you could do any of this.
- You ready to take a break?
- I think so. - Okay.
We got chili. - Yeah.
Hmm, this is delicious.
All right. So, Jody,
you've been working hereat Bowlero
for four years now?
- Four years. Yes. - Okay.
What were you doing before that?
- Concrete mostly.
- Did you lose your job?
- Did I do what?
- Did you lose your jobdoing the concrete?
- Oh, yes. You know,
I think that's where my hearing started to go out.
- You have hearingissues now?
- Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
What helps me is, is that I watch your lips.
- Really? - Yeah, yeah.
Even though I don't read lips real good...
- Uh-huh. - The watching your lips
and me hearing works together.
- So, have you ever lookedinto getting your hearing fixed?
- Oh, yeah.
But I don't have the extra moneyto get the hearing aid.
- I noticed Jody was a bit hard of hearing.
Now understandinghis previous career in concrete,
it's clear that that role
took a toll on his health.
Is it a challenge being at the bowling center
when it's so loud? - Yeah.
But I enjoy working on these machines.
- Thank you, Jody.I had such a great day with you.
- I'll tell you what, I enjoyed all--
every minute of it. - Oh.
Well, good luck.
- Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And good luckwith what you decide to do.
- Thank you.
Jody is an awesome example of somebody
who continues to work into his later years
and has so much passion for what he's doing.
That is the type of spirit
that drives the culture of this organization.
And we need more Jodys out there.
announcer: Coming up,
Colie's serving skills fall short.
- What kind of wings are these?
- Buffalo chicken wings. - Okay, 'cause I thought
they came barbecue.
I'm starving. - Okay.
- And it's late.
announcer: And she has to deal with some tough truths.
- And me and Autumn had to go live in a shelter.
- Oh, my God.
I really didn't think
that that existed in the-- in our company.
- Today, I'm in Atlanta, Georgia,
at a center that is achieving high sales
in both food and drinks.
- A key part of the Bowlero experience
is our lane side food service.
Working with my food and beverage team,
I oversaw the drastic redesign of our menu offering
and our lane side service experience.
Today, I'm working with Hannah to see if this center
is delivering the high standards
I'm expecting.
Hi, are you Hannah? - Yes, I am.
- Hi. I'm Michelle.
- Hi, Michelle,nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
So, what exactly do you do here at Bowlero?
- Well, I'm a lane server.
I work herepart-time.
And I'll show youhow I take orders.
We have a service button here on the lane.
Usually the guests, when they're ready,
they press itand then we come
and take their order. - Okay.
- That soundtoo hard?
- It sounds a little hard. I've never done that before.
- All you have to dois put on your T-shirt
and then I'll show youeverything that I know.
- Sounds good. - Awesome.
- How do I look? - You look great.
So, the shirt isn'tthe only thing you'll need.
You'll needa few more things--
your notebook, an apron,and a radio.
- Okay. Who does the radio talk to?
- Everyone,other servers.
So, if you were everto need help,
you'll just pinchon this
and we'll help you out.
- The walkie-talkie is what made me nervous.
These walkies actually go into your ear.
I'm wearing a wig.
So, I was super nervous she would see the wig
when I put the earpiece in.
- Awesome. Perfect. - Okay.
- We have designated lanes.
Each lanehas a service button.
So, whenever someone'sready to order,
they'll hitthe service button.
It'll turn redlike here on the screen.
- Okay. - And that's how we know
to go and take the order.
So, look, here we have a red screen.
So, that means that they're ready to order.
- Okay.
- So, I'm gonna throw youright into the deep end.
Make sureyou greet yourself.
Say your name and be readyto take the order.
- Okay. - Got it?
- I got it. - Perfect.
- I couldn't believe she threw me in
at the deep end.
- Are you looking to order for some food?
- Yes, ma'am. - What can I get you?
- I would like the sampler platter.
- Okay.
Um...
um...
- Her nervousness really shows.
The customers can tell.
- You work here how long?I've never seen you before.
- I'm training. - Oh.
All right, well, get it right'cause I'm hungry.
- Okay. Okay. Wow.
He's pretty demanding.
- We're gonna find lane six.
- Okay. - And punch in their order.
- Okay. - Okay?
- Okay. We have an Alley Sampler here.
- What kind of wings are these?
- Those are chicken wings. - No, no.
What flavor?
- Those would be...
- Buffalo chicken wings.
- Okay, 'cause I thought they came barbecue.
You didn't ask me the flavor.
Really messes up my whole situation here.
- But it's important that the server
asks what type of sauce
and what kind of flavoring that the customer wants.
He didn't ask for anything special
and I didn't ask him either, which was not right.
I'm actually gonna take the food back
and we'll just make this all right for you.
- I'm starving. - Okay.
- And it's late. - Okay.
- Come on, Michelle.
Oh.
Okay, Michelle.
I know that you're very nervous,
but it's very important for you to keep your composure.
Always have a smile
and make sure that you solve the problem
as soon as possible.
- I'm so sorry about that mistake.
- Oh. You're so sweet. - No sour cream.
Thank you, my dear. - You're welcome.
- I appreciate you. - I hope you enjoy it.
- You're doing great, by the way.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- That was great.And even he noticed.
- Yeah. - Right? That's great.
- Hannah is amazing.
She keeps reminding me
to stay calm and to smile.
And that's the most important part of this job.
Lane server, is that what you wanna do
for your career here?
- I only picked up Bowleroas a weekend job,
but I love workingat Bowlero.
It's awesome.
I would like to workfull-time.
- Have you let them know
that you wanna work here full-time?
- Yeah. It's very hardto get noticed here.
So, I just haveto keep on going.
- Yeah. I was a little surprised to hear
that she hasn't been offered a full-time job already.
We're always recruiting.
My first impression is that she would make
an amazing full-time employee.
And I need to find out why high potential
part-time employees like Hannah
are being overlooked.
So, is that a big of a struggle money-wise?
- Yeah, it really is.
I'm a single mom.
So, I really have to makeas much money
as possible to support meand my daughter.
My daughter actuallyjust got here.
- She's here? - Yeah.
She's with my momand my sister.
Hey, y'all.Michelle, this is my mom.
- Hi. I'm Michelle. - This is my sister.
- Hi. I'm Michelle. - Hi.
- And you must be Autumn?
- Yes. - How old are you, Autumn?
- I'm three.
- Three?
- I have a baby girl, too.
But she's only 14 months old.
- Tell Mommy what we did at church today
when we had the communion.
- Communion.
- At church? - Uh-hmm.
- Yes. - Excited.
- It's so special. - Yeah, it was.
- Mm.
- Mmm, a kiss.
- Hannah's mom and sister decided
to take Autumn over to the arcade,
which gave me a chance to sit down
and really get to know Hannah.
Have fun. - Thank you, Mommy.
- Hmm. Oh.
- They're so sweet. - Thank you.
- Autumn is adorable.
Autumn is three. - Yes.
- You're 21. - Yes.
- Which means you had her pretty early
when you were just a teenager.
- I did, yes. I was 17.
- Wow.
I can't imagine how hard it must have been for Hannah.
She was a teen mom.
So, how is your livingsituation?
- Well, I was a leasing agent.
I worked in the leasing office where I had lived.
They let me go.
So, when I lost my job,
me and Autumn had to go live in a shelter.
- Is that where you guysare living now?
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God.
- You're doingthe right thing for her
and you're workingso hard for her.
You know that, right? - Thank you.
- Where is the shelter? - It's far.
- So, how do you getto work every day?
- Well, I would usually take the bus, you know,
since I don't have a car.
It takes me a while to get here.
- Uh-hmm. - But I have to wake up early.
But I still make it. And I do what have to do.
- I live a very sheltered life.
We live in our own bubbles.
To know that somebody can't get to work
because they don't have a car
and they're living in a shelter, I mean,
I really didn't think that that existed
in the--in our company.
And I need to do everything that I can do
to make sure we help Hannah.
- Whew. It's a lot.
You're such a strong woman.
And I appreciate you taking the time
to walk me through this job today
'cause you wear a loton your shoulders.
- Thank you. - You're gonna be okay.
Devastating to hear that Hannah's living in a shelter.
If she was a full-time employee,
we may have been a little bit more privy
from an HR perspective to know what challenges
she's going through.
So, there really should be a system in place
to support our part-time employees.
I'm really hoping that'll be something
that I can look into and address.
I've had an incredible experience being undercover.
I've been so touched by the stories
of some of our employees.
But I did see some things
that were kind of difficult to take in.
And I need to use what I found out
to make some significant changes
not only to the company,
but to the lives of our employees.
At the end of the day, people are at the core
of everything we do, and we need to put them first.
- I've asked everyone to come in for one final interview.
- She was telling me that she was doing
a documentary about second career.
- I really don't know what to expect.
- My employees think they are going to be discussing
their time spent with Michelle.
They have no idea this is "Undercover Boss."
- Hi, Hannah. - Hey.
My God. Wait.
- Do you know who I am?
- No.
- I know you're Michelle, but...
- I'm not Michelle.
- I'm actually Colie Edison.
I'm the chief customer officer at Bowlero.
- No way.
- And you're on "Undercover Boss."
- Are you serious?
Oh, my God. What?
- No.
No.
- Wow.
- So, Natasha, how do you feel?
- Nervous.
- There were some things that concerned me.
And I wanna talk about them today.
- Okay. - Did you know that we actually
have a full training guide for events?
- I know there--about it
because I was given papers and things,
but I should have went back and looked at the time.
- I'm concerned,if you don't really wanna follow
that path to become an events manager,
obviously, that's an issue.
I'm concerned about your future with the company.
- Natasha, I'm not sure
that this is the right role for you.
You don't have the passion that I want to see.
- Mm-hmm.
- How would you feel if I let you go?
- Hurt, sad.
This is my job and I do enjoy it.
- Well, I do have another option for you.
Because of your love for league bowling,
I wanna harness that.
- Uh-hmm. - And I wanna put you
in a position to succeed. - Uh-hmm.
- So, what we would do is create a position
as a league bowler service coordinator.
This would allow you to work closely
with all of the leagues in the area.
- Uh-hmm. - And really develop programs
that help further our league bowling.
- I like that.
I'm excited. I love the league bowlers.
And I think it would be a great opportunity for me
'cause I'm gonna be-- I'd be more passionate about it
and more dedicated to it.
- We're gonna give you some opportunities
to make it right.
And I hope that you take them and grow your career.
- Thank you. - Good luck, Natasha.
- Thank you.
It's gonna be a great time.
I'm very excited for the future now
and what it holds for me.
- Danny, we shouldn't be wasting our time
with the confusing and outdated point of sale system.
- System could be easier to use, yes.
- I definitely felt that it wasn't intuitive.
Because of my experience with you,
I wanna investover $2 million
to put in a new point of sale user interface
at our 300 locations nationwide.
- That'd be amazing.
- Do you think it'll make your life easier?
- Yes, completely.
- How old are you? - I'm 22 years old.
- 22 years old and you're a manager.
I love your ambition.
So, what I wanna do is actually put you
on fast-track management training course.
You will have dedicatedmonthly training
to help set you on your way to grow
and be promoted within our company.
- That would be amazing.
- On top of that,
I'd like to personally offer to become your mentor
to talk to you whenever you need
about your careerand how you can grow with us
as an organization. - Really?
Just amazing. Thank you.
- Finally, I wanna thank you
for inviting me back to your father's house.
How hard was it to deal with that
when the stroke happened?
- It affected me a lot.
Um--excuse me.
- You shared with me that your goal
was to own your own home
by the time you were 25. - Yes.
- But not just for yourself, right?
- I wanna give back to my fatherfor what he did to me.
- I wanna help you realize that dream
by giving you a $50,000 down payment
for your home.
- What?
Are you serious?
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- You are a great employee.
And seeing you with your father,
you deserve this.
- Thank you so much, Colie.
It changes my life to share this with my family.
My dad's gonna be jumping off the walls
once he realizes his room isn't gonna be a 4x4 anymore.
- Jody, you pushed me really hard
and I understood how tough your job really is.
When we were working together,
you told me that you're losing your hearing.
- Yeah. - I was concerned
when one of the reasons you told me
you don't have hearing aids yet
is because you couldn't afford them.
When I heard that, I knew I had to do something.
So these areelectronic hearing aids
that I wantedto give you today.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Jody? - Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Say something.
- How does it sound? - Oh, my God.
You sound ten times louder.
- Oh, I'm so happy. - Oh, my God.
- So Jody,
if and when you decide to retire,
would you financially be able to?
- Who knows? We'll get by.
- Well, I am so appreciative of all your hard work
and I wanna set you up for a successful retirement.
So I'm giving you $30,000 for a retirement fund.
Thank you.
Thank you very much. Oh, my goodness.
- Thank you, Jody.You're the best.
- No, you're the best.
Wow.
Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
- Hannah, I was just totally blown away.
Your hard work and determination--
it was amazing. - Thank you.
- I also loved meeting your little girl Autumn,
she's a special little lady,
and it was such a privilege to get to meet her.
I know that things have been tough for you guys lately.
Well, first and foremost,
I wanna offer you a full-time position
at Bowlero as a lane server.
- Okay, thank you so much. Okay.
- And we're going to look into why your request
to go full-time was overlooked.
I was, you know, obviously devastated
to learn you and your daughter are living in a shelter,
and that's not something that we take lightly.
I'm starting up a task force
so that all managers know
when any of our hourlies are in need.
So because of you, I'm going to make that change.
- Okay. Thank you so much.
- I'm a mom, and,you know, for me,
when I'm not at work, I wanna be with my baby.
- Right.
- And I don't want you to spend hours on the bus,
so I'm gonna give you $20,000 for a new car.
- Oh, my God.
That is amazing.
Thank you so much.
- You deserve this.
- Thank you so much.
- You are an amazing mom,
and you guys deserve to live somewhere safe.
And that is why I'm going to give you
$30,000
to pay for your rent for an apartment
for the next year.
- Are you serious?
What?
It totally means so much for me
and for Autumn.
This will just take a tremendous weight
off of my shoulders.
You know, she doesn't know what Mommy feels,
you know, being where we are.
I can't believe this is happening right now.
I feel like I can just breathe, you know?
I can just breathe.
You work hard and you bust your butt every single day,
and just to be acknowledged for that,
it makes me feel like what I'm doing is right.
- Bowling is the great American pastime.
I went undercover to find out if the changes that we've made
are actually working at the centers
across the country.
I learned that there's more to this business
than just revenue and profit.
It's not just our customers,
but our employees who make Bowlero what it is.
We need to be there to support them, guide them,
and ultimately keep them at the forefront
of everything we do
as we expand this business into the future.