Meet The Alley’s Party Queen

When co-owner of the The Alley Jimmy Poole sent an email out to a group of friends soliciting an event planner for the then-upcoming bowling alley/bar/restaurant, Carrie Steinmeyer thought she might make for a good candidate. Even though she was in real estate at the time, Steinmeyer was bored and thought she could make better use of her parks, recreation, and tourism management degree from Clemson.

"I met with Jimmy and David [Crowley] a couple of times, and we all hit if off," she recalls, "and here I am, four years later.”

“From day one, we wanted our service to be number one,” she says. But beyond the hospitality, there's also the approachability of the catering services from The Alley. From sliders to wings, it's the type of food large groups can get down on. The most popular choice? The new loaded tater tot bar.

When asked about her favorite parties, she lists a few for Eater:

1. Special Olympics bowling event we host each December. This is a really special event that we have hosted for the past two years. Scott Bischoff, with Savage Law Firm, organizes the event each year for the athletes and their families. This group reserves all the lanes and has a catered food set up. This event always starts off our crazy December on a high note.

2. The Army Wives wrap party and Vice Principals wrap party were both very fun events to put on. These parties were both full buyouts of The Alley.

3. We hosted a lot of Boeing airline events and those were fun because you were hosting groups from all over the world — Kenyan Airways, Air Canada, Virgin Airway and Thomson Airways.

4. We host the Neighborhood Dining group (McCrady's, Husk, and Minero) for their post holiday party for the party four years on Super Bowl Sunday, and I love working with them on this event. Its a good way to start off a busy sports day at The Alley. We host them in our upstairs event space and on all eight lanes. They DRINK, eat and have a great time! We host a lot of food and beverage parties from December through February.

5. The Medal of Honor event we put on in January 2014 was special as we put on a luncheon in our upstairs event space for some of the nations greatest military heroes. We felt honored to host this event!

6. I have loved coordinating the rehearsal dinners and our three wedding receptions that we have put on at The Alley. These events are special because you are planning an event on one of the most import weekends/days in that person's life. Its a little more pressure but I thrive on making it a great experience for that couple and their guests.

She ends with, “We have worked with so many amazing groups and companies in Charleston and that is the part of the job I love the most.”

• All The Alley Coverage [ECHS]