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
Prepped for Phase 2: How a New Orleans-inspired caterer grew organically into a KC kitchen collective
Food is a way to bring communities together, share cultural traditions and teach individuals about the importance of a healthy, ethically-sourced meal, said Dr. Karen Patrice Boyd. “My passion is teaching. Yes, I produce great food. But at the end of the day, I can impact the community more in terms of their knowledge and…
Cafe Cà Phê returns to the West Bottoms with second location for KC’s popular Vietnamese coffee shop
A Cafe Cà Phê satellite location inside 12th Street Post in the West Bottoms is the perfect step for continuing the mission of Kansas City’s only Vietnamese coffee shop, shared founder Jackie Nguyen. Just shy of the one year anniversary of its Columbus Park space, Cafe Cà Phê celebrated the grand opening of its new…
She wanted to bring her favorite foodie magazine to KC; her mother’s sudden death put this publisher’s plans on the back burner
Lauren Cook’s passion for Edible Communities magazine drove her appetite to revive it in Kansas City, she shared, but an unexpected life change has her hoping to hand the publisher’s apron to someone else. Cook purchased the license to publish the city-specific food magazine — each independently run by publishers in metros across the country…
Digital Sandbox alum earns new round of funding — this time for sports tech; Meet the latest batch of just-funded startups
From making the college admissions process easier for students to summarizing books and podcasts using artificial intelligence, the latest startups to join Digital Sandbox KC are a great example of the creativity of this region’s entrepreneurs, said Jill Meyer. The four newly selected companies are expected to receive up to $20,000 in project funding and…