Chicken N Pickle heading south: Prairiefire location to offer seasonal ice skating, curling

A new entertainment destination is slated for the final phase of Overland Park’s Prairiefire development with North Kansas City-based Chicken N Pickle targeting a fall 2020 opening.

Chicken N Pickle North Kansas City

“Opening a second location in the area will allow us to share the love of pickleball with customers who have been requesting a location on the Kansas side of the metro since we opened,” said Bill Crooks, a well-known figure in Kansas City’s restaurant scene who collaborated with business partners to create the Chicken N Pickle concept.

Launched in 2017, Chicken N Pickle is an indoor/outdoor entertainment complex centered around the sport of pickleball, offering a variety of games, a casual, chef-driven restaurant and sports bar. Its flagship location in North Kansas City and new locations in Wichita, San Antonio and Oklahoma City have put it on the map as the national leader in pickleball-focused restaurant and entertainment venues, according to the company.

Click here to learn more about Chicken N Pickle.

The Prairiefire location — expected to offer even more entertainment options than before — will add a seasonal ice rink for skating, curling and other winter fun, in addition to a large rooftop bar, stages for live performances and all of the signature lawn games for which Chicken N Pickle is known. When completed, Chicken N Pickle at Prairiefire will begin hosting pickleball clinics for beginners or advanced players and pickleball tournaments.

Chicken N Pickle

“Our mission is to provide an atmosphere that fosters fun, friendship, and community and we are excited to be coming to Prairiefire in Overland Park,” said Dave Johnson, founder and principal of Chicken N Pickle. “We believe that bringing people together over a delicious, wood-fired rotisserie chicken, a cold beverage and some friendly competition can create unifying bonds that ripple throughout the community and beyond.”

Expected to seat more than 500 people and hold more than 1,000, Chicken N Pickle at Prairiefire will feature six indoor and four outdoor pickleball courts. On the first level, a full-service restaurant will provide on-site dining, as well as catering options.

“We are proud that our chef-driven menu features clean (without additives), locally sourced food,” said Crooks, “and we are pleased to be able to expand our relationships with local purveyors Campo Lindo, Good Natured Family Farms, Yoli Tortilleria, and more as we open in Prairiefire.”