How Chicken N Pickle's changing strategy impacts Phoenix

By Brandon Brown

With 13 Chicken N Pickle locations operating throughout the U.S., the Kansas City-based eatertainment concept now intends to shift toward acquisitions and building public pickleball courts, including in the Phoenix market, it announced.

The chain of restaurants and entertainment complexes plans to begin acquiring entertainment and hospitality locations that complement its own concept. For the pickleball courts, the company plans to work with cities — targeting Houston, Denver and locations in the Valley, according to a release.

Chicken N Pickle opened its Arizona location in 2023 at the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. The indoor-outdoor complex features a 65,000-square-foot facility with a restaurant, sports bar, multiple indoor and outdoor pickleball courts and yard games.

Economic uncertainty and rising construction costs played a part in the shift, according to the announcement. The company is reevaluating plans for announced locations that are still undeveloped, but optimism about the brand remains high.

"Growth isn't just about footprint, it's also about flexibility," CEO Brad Clarke said in the release. "We are responding to what we are hearing: cities want partners, consumers want meaningful experiences, and brands need to build with purpose."

Chicken N Pickle was founded in 2016 and is known for its blend of a restaurant and pickleball courts for customers. Founder Dave Johnson — also chairman of real estate investment trust Maxus Realty Trust — got the idea for Chicken N Pickle as a way to diversify his real estate-heavy wealth portfolio.

In 2023, the company completed a $10 million friends-and-family investment round featuring star-studded investors, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.

The chain now hosts 650,000 customers a year, according to the release. In addition to the Glendale facility, it has locations Kansas City, Kansas; Wichita, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Grand Prairie, Texas; Grapevine, Texas; St. Charles, Missouri; Webster, Texas; Henderson, Nevada; Allen, Texas; and Thornton, Colorado.

Chicken N Pickle is one of several pickleball-centric businesses popping up in the Phoenix area.

Some concepts like Pickleball Kingdom, the Picklr, and Center Court Pickleball are for the more serious player and operate on a membership basis. Other concepts like Chicken N Pickle and Electric Pickle are more entertainment venues that offer food, drink and games – similar to Top Golf.

Pickleball courts are also an amenity being added to several new gyms opening in the Valley, as well as in housing communities, office complexes, and at hotels and resorts. In addition, the Arizona Pickleball League received national exposure in the “Breaking Pickleball” documentary that streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Final Thoughts:

Chicken N Pickle is adapting its expansion strategy in response to rising construction costs and economic uncertainty—pivoting from building new locations to acquiring existing venues and partnering with cities to build public pickleball courts. This shift could accelerate the brand’s presence in the Phoenix metro, where its Glendale location already draws thousands. With its blend of dining and recreation, Chicken N Pickle is poised to capitalize on the Valley’s booming pickleball scene while offering cities a flexible, experience-driven development partner.