Pickleball growth is sweet for those who love the sport
Former BNSF Railway CEO Matt Rose has a new passion project that’s a far cry from his days running one of the country’s biggest railways.
It’s pickleball, the nation’s fastest growing sport. Rose is a partner in the recently opened Grapevine location of Chicken N Pickle, an indoor/outdoor entertainment complex offering pickleball and other games, as well as a restaurant and bar.
The former rail executive said Chicken N Pickle founder Dave Johnson was a friend from college.
“He called me and said he was looking for places down here, and I thought we should have one in Tarrant County,” Rose said.
The Grapevine Chicken N Pickle is the seventh to open and the largest at two acres, Rose said. Besides pickleball, the site offers games like cornhole and jenga.
Kansas City-based Chicken N Pickle has opened multiple locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Grand Prairie, Allen and Grapevine.
“There are places for kids to eat, drink, and play,” Rose said. “It’s a place to hang out.”
Rose’s Chicken N Pickle is one of a growing number of pickleball joints in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Some are pickleball-only courts and others offer entertainment and food.
The reason is pretty simple: Pickleball is hot. According to statistics from the Association of Pickleball Professionals, it is the fastest growing sport in the country. The association’s 2023 Pickleball Participation Report states that 36.5 million Americans played pickleball at least once between August 2021 and August 2022. That’s up from 5 million in 2021, even though that was a pandemic year, according to the APP.
One of those who has picked up a pickleball is Sue Latterell, a basement dweller who started playing in 2021 during a trip to Miami.
“I’ve enjoyed it and it’s something my husband and I can do together,” she said. “It’s easy to learn and seems to appeal to all ages. Unlike many sports, I can play with 20-year-olds and the next game I play against people my age or older.”
Latterell typically plays near her home, but has also taken her racquet to several local courses that have popped up in northeast Tarrant County.
“It’s a great sport for meeting people,” she said.
Aside from attracting new players and fans, the sport also attracts business. Pickleball can be as much a social activity as it is a sport, so several combination restaurant/bar/pickleball courts have recently opened in Tarrant County. The sport also attracts sponsors and celebrities.
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, Lebron James, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Gary Vee and others put money into the sport.
Brands such as Chase, Hertz, Michalob, Miller Lite and Sketchers have supported Pickleball with varying levels of sponsorship. The sport is also shown on the screen. The Association of Pickleball Professionals has reached an agreement with CBS and ESPN to broadcast more pickleball tournaments.
The sport dates back to Washington state in 1965, when a congressman and a businessman wanted to play badminton but could only find ping-pong balls and racquets. There is some controversy surrounding the name of the sport. According to Pickleball.com, there are two theories. One of them is that it was named after the family dog, a Cockapoo, one of the founders of the sport. The other is that it’s named after the mashup of rowers in a boat that didn’t make the first team known as the Cucumber Boat.
Whether nautical or canine in origin, the sport has seen phenomenal growth over the past decade. The United States Amateur Pickleball Association has grown from 10,000 members in 2015 to more than 53,000 today.
Several communities have either added pickleball courts or remodeled tennis courts to accommodate the sport’s growth. Southlake City Council approved construction of a $3.4 million Pickleball complex at Bicentennial Park in June 2022.
Another person drawn to the game’s social aspect was Matt L. Johnson, an entrepreneur and owner of the Holiday dealerships in Whitesboro and Graham. He became a pickleball fan while looking for employment for his family during the pandemic. After playing with the family, he decided to invest in the game by opening Courtside Kitchen, on the site formerly occupied by the Mopac Event Center at 1615 Rogers Road near University Drive and Interstate 30 .
“At first we just wanted to do pickleball courts and then we decided we needed to add food and drinks,” he said.
Pickleball Phacks
Pickleball is described as a combination of badminton, table tennis and tennis played by two to four players over a net. The sport has its own unique vocabulary, with terms like “Grandpa” being called out after the third shot, or a “Pickle” yell alerting players to an incoming serve.
Where to play:
USA Pickleballs Places 2 Play
How to play:
USA Pickleball
Johnson worked with Christian Lehrmann, a chef who has worked at Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine, on the project.
Johnson already owned the Mopac Event Center. Events such as weddings, receptions and other social gatherings have been halted because of the pandemic. So Johnson surveyed the site and saw that he could have nine pickleball courts on the site.
The Courtside Kitchen opened in the summer of 2021 as Pickleball recovered from the pandemic. The name is something of a pun, at least for experienced pickleball players. “Kitchen” is slang for a non-volleyball zone on a pickleball court.
They’ve been busy since opening, Johnson said.
“We were the first, or at least one of the first, in the area to combine pickleball with food,” he said. “And we’re a full-service restaurant. Since this is such a parlor game, it suits a restaurant setting very well.”
Johnson said he is looking at other locations to open a Courtside Kitchen.
This summer there will be an “eatertainment” concept by Volli Entertainment at 6635 NE Loop 820 in North Richland Hills.
John Oldham, the South Carolina-based company’s chief operating officer, said the facility will offer pickleball, darts and dining options in 63,000 square feet. Along with the seven indoor pickleball courts, Volli Entertainment will have dats, golf simulators, shuffleboard, mini golf, cornhole and an adventure park.
“Pickleball has proven to be popular with families and our concept fits that,” he said.
For players like Latterell, the growth of the sport means there will be more spots available.
“As long as the number of courts keeps up with the number of players, I’m happy,” she said.
Bob Francis is the business editor of the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected]. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our Editorial Independence Policy Here.
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