A look at some of the 30 bowling lanes that will be available when the Coyote Entertainment Center opens later this month. Photos by David Castellon

After more than 18 months of construction, Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino will formally expand later this month.

But the added 8,800-plus square feet will not be filled with slot machines and gaming tables.

Taking a nod from Las Vegas and Reno casinos to offer more family-friendly fare, the new Coyote Entertainment Center will include a state-of-the-art, eight screen, 1,100 luxury- seat movie theater; 30 lanes of bowling; more than 45 arcade games – some offering prize tickets – nine billiard tables; a restaurant and concessions area.

 

But the center isn’t intended to just be a place for parents to drop off their children while they head to the adjoining casino to gamble.

“The tribe feels the family is important. They are very family oriented,” so the center is geared for entire families to spend time and have fun together, said Amu Shaw, the new facility’s events manager.

“You won’t be able to drop your kids off here,” as children under the age of 12 will have to be accompanied by adults, and after 9 p.m. entry will be limited to visitors ages 18 or older, she said.

As such, the center also will include sports-viewing areas with 60 high-definition televisions, and on top of the normal popcorn, candies and other traditional theater snacks, movie patrons also will be able buy foods geared to more adult tastes, including hand-crafted pizzas, grilled panini sandwiches and fresh salads. 

“They wanted to offer something to the community,” giving youths, young adults and families new activities, which can be hard to find in rural areas like those surrounding Tachi Palace, southwest of Lemoore.

 

“Coyote will be an extraordinary place for corporate events, team building activities, social gatherings and birthday parties,” states a Tachi Palace press release. “With the ability to host 1,000 guests and a private VIP area, which includes six private lanes; comfortable, posh sofas and chairs; and banquet offerings, the VIP area is a perfect space to meet friends, host exclusive events or host a corporate retreat.”

Shaw added that the new center will offer a mix of entertainment options not available collectively in Kings County, with the nearest comparable facility being the Dave & Buster’s in Fresno.

Though the place is being built by the Tachi Yokut Tribe – which also owns the casino –at an undisclosed cost, it’s under contract to be managed by Trifecta Management Group, an Agoura Hills-based business that plans, designs and does industry research for restaurants and entertainment venues that include movie theaters, bowling alleys, arcades and mixed-use venues, as well as managing and owning some across the U.S.

They include Plank restaurant in Oakland’s Jack London Square, which also offers bowling lanes, bocce courts, an arcade, billiards and a beer garden, and The BLVD! in Bakersfield, also a restaurant with bowling lanes, a beer garden, an arcade, laser tag, billiards, a ropes course and sports-viewing areas.’

As for when Coyote Entertainment Center will open, minor construction, painting and other preparations still are underway inside, from finishing the movie theaters to testing computer systems to unpacking new bowling shoes.

A soft opening just for Yokut tribe members is scheduled for Nov. 20, followed by a VIP and media event on the 29^th, and then the public grand opening on the 30^th.