Oct. 19, 2022

Casey McCoy never expected to own a bowling alley.

But after a chance encounter this summer with the former co-owner of Pinz in Dell Rapids, Steph Schmidt, he and his family were convinced it was fate.

A week later, McCoy signed a purchase agreement for the bowling alley and restaurant.

The business was closed during the transition this summer and reopened in September with an expanded arcade, video lottery and new menu focused on fresh and local ingredients.

Restaurant-goers can order everything from classic bowling alley fried food to bacon jalapeno wontons — McCoy’s personal favorite — to steak suppers.

“Dell Rapids hasn’t had a place that sold steak in a while,” McCoy said, adding that the city about 20 miles north of Sioux Falls has only a few restaurants that aren’t fast-food joints. “We’re taking more time with the food to do it the correct way. You can’t get this anywhere else around here.”

McCoy is an experienced chef who learned how to cook from his grandmother and went to culinary school in New York City. He has worked in everything from family-owned restaurants to Hy-Vee kitchens.

After his daughter was born a few years ago, he went back to college and switched to a career in insurance. He never lost his love for cooking though, and the restaurant industry was calling to him to return. McCoy moved to Dell Rapids about two years ago.

“I didn’t have the ability to buy or own a restaurant at the time, but I knew I could have that someday,” McCoy said. “It boils down to wanting to take care of people. I love food, and I love feeding people and taking care of them. Food is the best way to show someone you care about them, whether you’ve known them forever or just met.”

The menu at Pinz is a broad one with appetizers, burgers, salads and sandwiches, mac and cheese, baskets of chicken strips, chislic and wings. On Friday and Saturday, there’s a soup-and-salad bar, ribeye, sirloin and “poor man’s lobster,” or boiled cod with melted butter and lemon. The weekend breakfast menu includes omelets, breakfast burritos and platters with options such as pancakes, French toast and breakfast meats.

Pinz is a classic bowling alley, complete with original wood lanes. In order to host leagues and official league events, McCoy and his team have to strip, sand and refinish the eight lanes each summer. To do this, they close in July and August.

The bowling alley and restaurant is closed on Mondays but opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Closing hours vary based on the day.