New Wichita and San Antonio locations tickle Chicken N Pickle itch for expansion
October 3, 2018 | Austin Barnes and Tommy Felts
North Kansas City’s Chicken N Pickle is picking up speed faster than a pickleball soaring across one of the business’ popular courts, said Laurie Morrissey.
Hatched within eyesight of the downtown Kansas City skyline, the entertainment venue is making a game-changing serve with its fast-casual approach to community recreation and the evolution of America’s fastest growing sport -– pickleball, said Morrissey, communications manager for Chicken N Pickle.
“You can get your workout in and eat,” she said of the restaurant, bar and indoor/outdoor complex that boasts eight courts and plenty of room for cornhole and other games.
“I view this as kind of the Brooklyn of Kansas City,” Morrissey said, describing the up-and-coming North Kansas City business and entertainment scene.
Beyond its flagship location at 18th and Burlington, Chicken N Pickle will soon find a new customer base with the launch of its Wichita complex early next year.
A newly announced third venue will drive the company south, with work on a 4-acre San Antonio complex scheduled to begin soon. San Antonio residents should be pickling, poaching, and punching their way around Chicken N Pickle courts by late 2019, Morrissey said.
“[We’ve talked about] locations in Dallas and Nashville,” she said of other possible expansion opportunities the company could take a swing at within the next year.
Keep reading below the photo gallery.
Belly up to the bar at Chicken N Pickle to find KC Bier Co. products flowing through the taps. It’s part of a commitment to serving great, local beer and elevating other Kansas City entrepreneurs through neighborhood collaboration, Morrissey explained.
Chicken N Pickle currently shares a parking lot with Restless Spirits Distilling Company, opening a door for potential partnerships, she suggested.
Community elevation doesn’t stop with the entertainment venue’s drink and locally sourced food offerings, revealed Kelli Alldredge, charity coordinator and vice president of special events. Chicken N Pickle is dedicated to community involvement through charity work, she said.
Work with local organizations like Wayside Waifs and through events like Jazoo are the company’s way of supporting their home community and thanking Kansas City for its support-rich, startup climate, she said.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Royals, entrepreneurial stars fielding pitches from Kansas City educators
Children today require more than just a pencil and paper to complete their lesson plan. Thanks to a booming education technology market, teachers’ out-of-pocket spending goes far beyond the occasional pen, pencil or box of tissues nowadays. In 2013, teachers spent $1.6 billion annually to support their classroom. To alleviate the climbing prices of basic…
FCC commissioner Ajit Pai’s six strategic steps to close the digital divide
In his second visit to Kansas City within the last six months, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Ajit Pai stopped by Think Big Tuesday as part of his fight to close the digital divide. Growing up in a small Kansas town three hours south of the metro, Pai said he’s familiar with the energy and vitality…
New regulations yield opportunity for animal feed tech startup
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. Growing up, Gretchen Henry’s family farmed cotton in Southeast Missouri. Although most are familiar with the white, pillowy substance we find in our clothes, use to wash our face or clean our ears, animals also eat it. Livestock feed features many…
EyeVerify CEO Toby Rush offers an update on hiring plans, global expansion
When your goal is to more than quadruple your company’s user base — from 450 million to 2 billion people — it usually entails a world of change. And such is the case for Kansas City-based EyeVerify, a biometrics startup that recently sold to Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial for more than $100 million. Startland News spoke…