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
New Startland reporter wants to immerse herself in KC’s culture of innovation
Two months ago today, I packed up the last of my belongings in my Columbia, Mo. apartment. And to be frank, I was slightly embarrassed to be moving back in with my parents in Independence, Mo. A recent graduate from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, it seemed that almost everybody I knew was…
Exclusive: John Fein departing Techstars to lead new $7M Midwest venture fund
After three years with the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator, John Fein is moving on to lead a venture fund that has ambitious Midwestern plans. Fein, who’s served as the managing director at the Techstars-led accelerator since 2014, will serve his last day with the organization on July 31. With decades of fast-paced startup experience, Fein…
Mid-America Angels set for second consecutive record-breaking year
The Mid-America Angels is poised to make 2016 a record-breaking year. The area investment group already has deployed $1.7 million via seven deals in the first six months of 2016, setting pace for its biggest year of investment in its ten-year history. In 2015, the firm set a record for its amount of capital deployed,…
With a fresh $2M, Athlete Network sets ambitious growth goals
Athlete Network has scored a slam dunk with a $2 million seed round raise. The Lenexa-based firm that created a social network for athletes announced Thursday it had closed its first funding round after bootstrapping for two years, Athlete Network CEO Chris Smith said. The platform aims “to keep athletes competing in life” by enabling…