New owners find their lane after unexpected turn

Rich Palzewic

Staff

June 8, 2026

WAUPACA – Renee Larsen said an unexpected turn while she and her cousin, Beckey Schwertfeger, were out for an after-dinner drive changed their lives.

Just a few weeks later, Larsen said the pair, along with Schwertfeger’s husband, Dale, became the new owners of Waupaca Bowl in Waupaca.

Not long after taking over, the trio rebranded the iconic venue at 810 Bowling Lane as RB’s Back Alley.

Choosing a direction = discovering opportunity

Knowing the bowling alley was on the market, Larsen said an after-dinner drive took an unexpected turn when Schwertfeger suggested they go check it out.

What seemed like a simple detour, Larsen said, soon became the start of a new chapter as business owners. 

“It was only like a mile and a half away from my house,” she said. “I was going to turn left to go to my house, and halfway through the turn, Beckey said, ‘No, no, no … turn right. Let’s go look at the bowling alley and see if it’s open.’”

Larsen and Schwertfeger – both of whom come from a family of restaurant and tavern owners – said they were aware the bowling alley was for sale but hadn’t seriously considered it until that night. 

“We looked at it that night, and a couple of days later, we checked it out closer with the broker, with Dale viewing virtually,” Larsen said. “It all happened so quickly, but after touring the alley, we decided to put in an offer. This wasn’t something that was years in the works – a couple of weeks is more like it.”

Larsen said RB’s Back Alley – which stands for Renee and Beckey – represents their effort to breathe new life into the more-than-50-year-old bowling alley. 

“Dale is actually the one who came up with the name,” she laughed.

Though the cousins grew up in Milwaukee, Larsen said they later moved to the Waupaca area when they were younger.

“Beckey’s father owned Wally’s in Waupaca, and our grandparents owned several restaurants and bars in Milwaukee while we were growing up,” she said.

Though not specifically looking to purchase a bowling alley, Larsen said she and Beckey always wanted to try their hand at business ownership.

“We thought maybe it would be a bar or restaurant, [but] we bought a bowling alley,” she laughed. “We are very excited about it. Though the sale only took a few weeks, we’ve talked about owning a business together for basically our whole lives.”

Breathing new life into an old building

Rather than reinventing the business, Larsen said the focus is on honoring the bowling alley’s decades-long history while building on what already exists. 

In addition to continuing the bowling leagues, she said they hope to add activities such as horseshoes, volleyball, darts, pool and cornhole.

“The volleyball courts won’t be ready for this year, but we hope we can utilize those by next year,” she said. “Dale reworked the horseshoe pits, so those are ready to go. The previous owners did a nice job of upkeeping the building – it was really turnkey.”

Though they wanted to get “our feet under us for a bit” before tackling anything major, Larsen said future renovations are in the works.

“The previous owners were getting up there in age and wanted to be done with the business,” she said. “We’ve come in, and now we’re trying to get the bowling alley back on the map, so to speak. Eventually, we’ll redesign the bar area and dining room area. We’ve talked about upgrading the bowling alley itself, but we don’t know too much about that right now. We’re learning as we go.”

Beyond expanding recreational offerings, Larsen said the business is also looking to grow its entertainment lineup by adding live bands alongside its weekly Wednesday night karaoke.

“Beckey’s brother does sound for different bands around the state, so he’s helping us get that up and running,” she said. “We have another cousin who is working here in the kitchen, so the majority of us are all family – it’s a cool thing.”

Details on karaoke nights and upcoming entertainment can be found on the alley’s Facebook page. 

Larsen said the venue also offers space for private events, with the option to rent the entire building for gatherings of roughly 60-70 people. 

“When we get our new POS (point of sale) system up and running, customers will see a few new options,” she said. “We can’t change the menu until we get that new POS system because they have to re-enter the entire menu. We’re not really getting rid of anything, but improving on what’s there and adding a few other things.”

For now, Larsen said the main difference will be the addition of wings and a few other appetizers to the menu.

“Things have been going really well,” she said. “I think the bowling has really improved, and people are loving the extended hours. On a recent Saturday, we had bowlers until 10 p.m.  I’m not sure how much open bowling [there was] before we took over.”

For more information on RB’s Back Alley, check out its Facebook page.