Could the Fredericksburg Eagle Hotel become the area’s coolest bowling spot?

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The vision to start was quite simple: Don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Matt Funck spoke with LebTown last week, discussing how the restaurant has been faring so far under his ownership, as well as the pins he now has set up for a possible expansion into new alleys for the longtime tavern.

In June, the Eagle Hotel purchased a neighboring property – previously the Fredericksburg Bowling Center (103 E. Main Street, Fredericksburg) – for $186,000 from Terry and Janice Bicksler.

It’s a purchase that had been in development for some time, as far back as when Saphore owned the Eagle, and after first looking into it last summer, Funck began final pursuit when the property went up for auction in May. Kleinfelter’s Auction handled the sale.

Coming up on two years of ownership this December, Funck said everything is going very well so far.

“I think people are pleased with it,” said Funck.

He noted that there was some speculation of all kinds of changes when he took over, but that his plan was to hold par for the course with what Saphore had been doing, outside of a few little changes here and there.

“They ran a strong business prior,” he said of Saphore’s tenure as owner of the pub, which was called Donna’s Fredericksburg Hotel before Saphore took it over.

Funck said that among the changes was a community “give back” night on Wednesdays, when a local group can come into the restaurant and receive 10% of sales as a donation for their cause. The initiative has benefited everything from school sports teams to the SPCA to the Cedar Hill Cemetery Association.

The program has been a success so far. “It’s bringing in some good clientele and engaging with the community, and being able to give back to the community,” said Funck. “We’ve been trying to accommodate anybody and everybody that is looking to raise money for themselves.”

As for the bowling alley, plans are now in the works to incorporate the neighboring building into the Eagle and, if things go well, putting the four lanes to new use, too.

Funck said he hopes to add a door between the current building and the bowling alley, and open up the space for dining.

He’s been inspired in part by restaurants like Philadelphia’s Harp & Crown, which has a downstairs “Elbow Lane” space that’s attracted the likes of Drake, Ben Simmons, Meek Mill, and Migos

Don’t worry, though. You won’t have to be a rapper or sports star to bowl at the Eagle if Funck’s vision comes true. With bowling alleys few and far between these days, Funck said he wants to have it open to the public and allow the leagues that had been using it to keep doing so.

Although there’s no timeline at this point, Funck said that he is currently collaborating with a designer and working towards concrete plans and cost estimates.