John Losito’s professional career has come full circle. Back in 1988, as a college student, Losito joined the Sun Valley Lanes & Games staff, working there between classes. He didn’t know that more than 20 years later he’d be the proprietor of the beloved Lincoln, Nebraska attraction. He bowled in youth leagues growing up, so when the opportunity later came to buy in as a partner of the bowling alley in 1998, it seemed kismet. By 2011, he would buy out all the partners.
“It was all worth it,” Losito said of his journey. Since he joined the company, he’s watched the tides shift between its 1977 opening and where it stands today. Almost 50 years ago, 80% of the business’s income came from traditional league bowling. Today, that number is at 20%. “The shift is pretty dramatic,” he said. “But we’ve adapted with the times and started offering other amenities that encourage bowlers to come out more often and do other things.”
Sun Valley Lanes & Games now includes a two-level laser tag arena, a large arcade area, indoor and outdoor volleyball courts, and more. To power the massive expansion, the entertainment center leverages Square.
How it started: A city staple with limited flexibility
In the late 1970s, Sun Valley Lanes & Games opened as a modest bowling alley with 32 lanes and a simple snack bar area. The team used a bowling tool called Conqueror to power everything from its lane to its point-of-sale system to staff schedules. But as times changed, the business needed more capabilities, such as a loyalty program and connected marketing tools. Perhaps, more than anything, the team also craved flexible staff scheduling. “We only used to offer three schedules a year because we didn’t have the time or energy to do weekly schedules,” said Losito.
As a result, the business operated on schedules that ran on four-month periods based on the business cycle. “Our schedules ran from April to August, August to December, and December to April…we used to struggle to figure out how staff members could trade shifts,” he added. This method also made it hard to track overall labor percentages, leaving the management team to sometimes over-schedule or under-schedule staff.
How it’s going: An entertainment powerhouse with multiple levers
Sun Valley Lanes & Games adopted Square in 2023 following an integration with Conqueror. “Conqueror controlled any and everything for the business, so we called it the master. Now, we refer to it as the servant, because Square is the master,” Losito explained. The entertainment center now manages all of its payments, loyalty programs, marketing, and even its website through Square, and uses Conqueror to manage all of its bowling functionality. “We can now do so many things that we could never do before, from inventory to scheduling,” he added.
The new efficiency with staff scheduling has led to a significant unlock for the business. “Because of how simple Square is from a scheduling aspect, we’re able to predict schedules out, so we’re creating them more frequently. Staff is now trading shifts amongst themselves. We’re saving time and energy there,” he said. “It’s the little things. It’s a couple minutes here and there, but that adds up when you’re affecting multiple things with multiple people.”
One of the “multiple things” that Square is also supporting is Sun Valley Lanes & Games’ new full-service kitchen. The business uses Square for Restaurants to manage its broad and dynamic menu that partially changes every month and has noticed a significant impact. “Prior to Square, we had no way to track average ticket size other than through our credit card data or average credit card transaction. Now, we do, and it feels like our average ticket size is higher than before because people can [more easily] order food and drinks,” Losito explained.
Leveraging flexible tools like Square Handheld, staff can easily service customers while they walk around the facility, checking on customers with ease. “I recently asked my staff, Hey, you all want me to buy a few more?’ And they’re like, ‘yes, absolutely.’ They enjoy it because it fits right in your pocket,” he said.
There’s a bit of a cross between a slight income bump and a cost savings benefit with Square. We were spending a lot of hours handling things manually before. We’re now able to do so many more things now because Square is saving us some time and energy.’
John Losito → Owner of Sun Valley Lanes & Games
Impact: A business tailored to its core audience
Sun Valley Lanes & Games is now not just a staple for the city, but it’s a staple for the industry. In 2025, the business held the U.S. Women’s Open in bowling, just five years after it hosted the Men’s U.S. Open for bowling. For the women’s event, the team leveraged Square Handheld at the door to scan in guests and sell t-shirts and were pleased at how easy the tool is to navigate. “We had volunteers seated at the front entrance, and they checked people in through Square. I mean, it’s that easy. It just made life really, really simple,” Losito said.
Being able to easily bring in members of the community to help with a notable event helps strengthen community ties and solidifies the business’s position as a mainstay. It also sets out to complete Losito’s initial mission of broadening the business’s reach. Beyond the bowling U.S. Open, Sun Valley Lanes & Games is also a hotspot for volleyball players. Square enables the business to cater to its flexible needs, encouraging retention and satisfaction.
“When playing volleyball, the players often leave their stuff outside, but they want to come inside and purchase food or something to drink. Being able to just charge items right on the card on file and send them a receipt has been very well received by the volleyball players. We’re even offering it to our league bowlers as well now,” explained Losito.
Using Square to create a space that’s expertly tailored to the audience has helped pave the way toward the next fifty years and uniquely positioned Sun Valley Lanes & Games apart from competitors. Losito emphasized this saying: “The convenience and the reliability of Square have been second to none. And it’s all integrated in basically one piece of software. And we love that…I’m looking forward to what the future with Square will be.”
