John Chop’s Bowling Alley

August 31, 2023

After serving in the Army during World War II, John Cap returned home in 1945 and went to work in his parents’ restaurant, Joe Chop’s Cafe. The Cap family was originally from Czechoslovakia, so they naturally opened their cafe in the heart of Little Bohemia at 1244 South 13th Street. It didn’t take long for John to figure out that the small restaurant wouldn’t be able to sustain his parents in addition to their children.

Bowling as a pastime was gaining in popularity going into the 1950s. Looking for opportunities to start his own business, Cap approached his brother James (Woody) about opening a bowling alley. The brothers didn’t know much about the bowling business but figured they knew enough to make it work. The brothers Cap decided to build the bowling alley down the street from the cafe on the former site of Vinton Street Park.

A 1953 photo showing Joe Chop’s Cafe along 13th St. In the foreground is the original Bohemian Cafe. Photo courtesy of Durham Museum.

Like their parents before them, the brothers decided to name it after themselves but with a twist. The last name Cap is pronounced as Chop in Czechoslovakia. So, with that, they named it Chop’s Bowling. Built primarily of brick, the building had distinctive blue porcelain tiles along with large 1950s-style letters on its east end facing 13th Street. A local architecture preservation group called it a historical treasure.

The front of Chop’s with the blue porcelain tiles, large 50’s style letters and plaque.

Chop’s was up and running in 1950 and the Cap brothers’ timing couldn’t have been better. As they learned the business, their 12-lane bowling alley was gaining in popularity, as was the sport. Professional bowlers such as Don Carter, Ray Bluth and Dick Weber came to play at Chop’s in the 1950s and 1960s for its $500 Singles Classic. By that time Omaha was proclaimed to be the bowling capital of the world, as it had nearly 500 lanes at 25 venues. At the time, Omaha’s three TV stations aired local and national weekly bowling shows. Since it opened in 1950 until at least 1986, and probably even later, Chop’s hosted an annual Good Fellow’s Bowling Tournament which included all of its league bowlers.

Omaha reached its bowling peak in 1982 with 27 bowling establishments operating at once. This was the same year that Cap bought out Woody’s share of the business. Eventually bowling began to decline in popularity and alleys began to close across the city. Despite that, Chop’s remained a constant in South Omaha. It continued even after Cap passed away in 2000 and his brother and former partner Woody in 2006. Since then it’s been managed by Cap’s sons.

Just one of 10 operating bowling alleys in Omaha, Chop’s hosted a Big Lebowski-themed wedding in 2014. In the 73 years since the Cap brothers opened Chop’s, it has become a cornerstone of Omaha’s bowling community. It is the oldest bowling alley in the history of Omaha. Cap claimed that the success of Chop’s was built on a philosophy that fits its neighborhood: work hard, keep it clean, give bowlers a fair price and let them know that their business is appreciated.

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