DELTA TWP. — The new, expanded Zap Zone XL is a month away from opening, but on Wednesday morning the 125,000-square-foot former Younkers department store at the Lansing Mall already looked transformed into a massive entertainment center.
Blue, patterned carpet befitting an arcade covered the floor, and a winding go-kart track with a large bridge occupied another section of the former department store. Contractors milled about, putting the finishing touches on the entertainment venue’s bowling lanes while also working inside its restaurant and sports bar, trampoline area, and toy store.
Empty since the summer of 2018 when Younkers closed at the mall, Zap Zone’s owners bought the anchor space more than a year ago and renovations have been underway for the past year. Doors to the reimagined venue are expected to open on Dec. 15, just days after the current site closes Dec. 10.
Mike Hafez, the company’s co-founder, stood amid the work last week, a cup of coffee in hand and discussed the transformation.
The company operates 11 locations throughout the state in total, he said, and when Zap Zone first opened in Delta Township in a plaza near the mall two decades ago, it occupied about 6,000 square feet and only offered laser tag.
That’s a fraction of the size of Zap Zone XL, which represents a more than $10 million investment that will include laser tag, go-karts, a dozen bowling lanes, mini-golf course, trampoline, ninja course, restaurant and sports bar, toy store, and rage room — and more than double the number of arcade games it offers at its current location less than a quarter of a mile away on Mall Drive East.
“I don’t recall a single location that we kept running without expanding it,” Hafez said. “That’s what we’ve been doing for the past 30 years.”
Entertainment for the whole family
When Zap Zone XL opens in December it will offer entertainment for the entire family. There will be two different types of go-karts: one for children and a faster model for adults.
And while its golf, laser tag, football, bowling and other games appeal to any age group, its sports bar — Rocko’s Sports Bar & Grill — will serve beer and liquor for adults who want to watch basketball and football games on its televisions.
Hafez lives in Delta Township. When his company decided to expand Zap Zone’s size and attractions there he wanted to cater to entire families.
“I started entertaining the kids in Delta Township,” he said. “These kids are now adults and they have kids and I want to continue to do the same thing I’ve been doing for the past 20 years. Can it support it? Absolutely. I think we have the potential of bringing people to Delta Township.”
On Wednesday, crews were installing an art piece that will hang from the ceiling in the bar, as well as lighting in the toy store where customers will be able to build their own custom teddy bears. Zap Zone XL’s laser tag room features a model of New York’s Statue of Liberty and there’s a large giraffe statue overlooking the go-kart track. The venue includes an area for cornhole games, axe throwing and a carousel, too.
Private rooms that can be rented for parties and events, complete with fireplaces and televisions, are located along one side of the space.
“We are planning on having almost every attraction you can think of all under one roof,” said Zap Zone General Manager Mujay Qatum. “That’s the goal here is to cater to everyone of all ages, from the little ones to college students to adults.”
Zap Zone to add up to 70 employees
A big part of appealing to so many groups rests with the venue’s new multi-level go-kart track that occupies about a quarter of the former department store, Qatum said.
“It’s brand new,” Qatum said. “There’s a lot of new stuff that we don’t have next door. Also, we have four times the space to work with so it’s definitely helped enhancing each individual attraction, making it that much better.”
Zap Zone’s current staff of about 50 will move to the new location, but Qatum said management is in the process of hiring an additional 40 to 70 new employees to join them.
“Our aim is to, obviously, we want to make sure that we open before the Christmas holiday,” he said. “We’re basically working on finishes.”
Zap Zone’s growth in the township makes Hafez proud, he said, because it came with the development of employees he’s worked with for years, including Qatum.
“When they started with us, they started not as a career,” he said. “They started as part-time employees and today they’re partners. It’s teamwork. It’s not just a one-man operation. It’s actually a continuation of a lifestyle of entertaining the community.”
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @GrecoatLSJ .
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