$2.75 Jell-O shots at a Wichita bowling alley became the first visible sign to league bowler Kevin Hess after a private equity-backed corporation took over, up from $1.
That 175% price jump hit a small but entrenched ritual: Hess's league buys a round whenever the center pin is left standing.
The episode is framed as part of a broader look at how private equity ownership and related policies are feeding affordability pressures and economic inequality in the U.S.