Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Ken Frank, PrimeTime Grille
Nov. 1, 2023
By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University
What if you combined bowling and burgers? Steaks and strikes? Kansas and cuisine? The perfect entrée with a perfect game?
That remarkable combination was achieved by a group of Kansans who paired a bowling alley with a Kansas-themed restaurant to serve their community.
At right: Dr. Ken Frank | Download this photo
Dr. Ken Frank is an ophthalmologist in Ottawa. He and his wife Shelly and friends have launched a combination bowling alley and restaurant in their community.
Ken Frank has rural roots. He grew up on a farm near the rural community of Westphalia, population 128 people. Now, that’s rural.
After attending Garnett High School, he went to the University of Kansas where he graduated with highest distinction while earning a degree in cellular biology. He also met and married Shelly.
Frank graduated top in his class at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed an ophthalmology residency-training program in Texas. “We had various opportunities but we knew we wanted to come back to Kansas,” Frank said.
In 1996, he began his own practice, Frank Eye Center, in the community of Ottawa. He expanded the practice through the years.
“One day in 2018, my wife and I were having lunch at a pizza place in Ottawa,” Frank said. “I told her that I thought we should open a bowling alley.”
Ottawa had been without a bowling alley since the 1990s. Ken’s father had been an avid bowler. Ken Frank even has one of his father’s 50-year-old bowling balls.
Frank had heard that the local private college, Ottawa University, was starting a bowling team that had to drive to Lawrence to practice. He met with the Ottawa University chancellor and the new bowling team coach and found that they were looking for a better place for the team to use.
Research suggested that a twelve-lane bowling alley would be best. In 2019, Ken and Shelly opened the new bowling facility named Fusion Alley in Ottawa.
“The name (Fusion) was my idea,” Ken Frank said. “I wanted to bring people together, and certainly bring together the university and the people of the community.”
Fusion Alley now serves as the home court of the nationally-competitive Ottawa University bowling team as well a recreational outlet for local people.
The Franks recognized that a restaurant could help the bowling alley and fill a niche in the community. In January 2020, in the same building, they opened a new restaurant with a focus on Kansas cuisine. It was named PrimeTime Grille.
“That name was my wife’s idea,” Frank said.
The Franks were joined in this project by fellow Ottawans Bob and Pat Hayden and other investors. “We all want to benefit the community. I believe this was divinely inspired,” Frank said.
The PrimeTime Grille logo features the words Kansas Cuisine. As one might expect, that menu includes burgers and steaks, pork and chicken, but Kansas cuisine has a larger meaning.
“It’s a way of eating, which harkens back to better times when we could all get together for a good meal,” Frank said. The menu also includes delicious side dishes, soups, salads, desserts and more.
The restaurant is decorated with a sports theme, including athletic memorabilia. Jerseys are displayed that belonged to two local Ottawa products: Steve Grogan who played football at K-State and the NFL; and Semi Ojeleye who played basketball at Duke and the NBA. The current Ottawa University coaches’ shows are conducted here live also.
There are party rooms for rent along with an arcade with a variety of games and prizes. Frank is working on installing indoor mini golf and other improvements.
“I’ve always felt Kansas is a great place to live, but maybe Kansans don’t appreciate it enough,” Frank said. “I’m a history buff. We want to post historic pictures of east central Kansas and remind people of our wonderful history.”
For more information, go to www.primetimegrille.com or www.fusionalleyottawa.com.
Bowling and burgers. Steaks and strikes. Kansas and cuisine. We salute Ken and Shelly Frank and all those involved with PrimeTime Grille and Fusion Alley for making a difference by combining a restaurant and recreation for food and fun.
Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at http://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit http://www.huckboydinstitute.org.
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