Franklin Family Entertainment Center in the Tennessee city of the same name reopened recently after being closed since March 16 due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Loyal customers like 10-year-old Jackson Nichols were back on Day 1, reported the Nashville Tennessean.
“We have been checking the website almost every day to see when we can come back,” said his aunt, Sandy Hamrick. “We love everyone here. We come every weekend. They are like family.”
Owner Jay Pope, Jr. is glad to have them back. “They are my most loyal customers, and I have missed seeing them,” he said. “Reopening almost seems surreal.” The FEC took a steep economic hit over the shutdown, and like most businesses, was forced to lay off employees. Of the 32 laid off, Pope has been able to rehire only 14. “We are working on a skeleton crew right now,” he said, adding he hopes business will pick up.
Per Gov. Bill Lee’s “Tennessee Pledge,” the FEC is operating at 50 percent capacity. Learn more about the business at www.franklinlanes.com.