First Houston-Area Chicken N Pickle to Open in Webster, Texas, Flyway Development February 20
Calling all Houston pickleball lovers – Chicken N Pickle – the original indoor/outdoor “eatertainment” complex with a casual, chef-driven restaurant, pickleball courts, sports bar and variety of yard games – is serving up a new location in Webster. The brand’s first Webster-area facility – and the fourth Chicken N Pickle located in Texas – will celebrate its grand opening February 20, 2024, at 210 Blue Heron Drive, in the recently opened Flyway development. The grand opening will feature live music in the evening, giveaways, open play pickleball and lots of family friendly fun!
“At Chicken N Pickle, we invented the idea of combining high-quality food, craft cocktails and the ever-growing sport of pickleball. Now we’re bringing our concept to the Houston area, where we know pickleball and racquet sports are wildly popular,” said Brad Clarke, CEO. “But whether you play pickleball or not, there’s something for everyone at Chicken N Pickle. Guests visit our inclusive properties seeking an experience and a place to make memories, and one of the most rewarding things we see is people connecting with family and friends on our pickleball courts or game yard, or over great food and drinks, all under one roof.”
Locared between Houston and Galveston in Flyway, Webster’s premiere, entertainment, dining and outdoor shopping center, Chicken N Pickle is making its Houston area debut on two and a half acres with more than 70,000 square feet, including six indoor and two outdoor covered pickleball courts. Chicken N Pickle offers pickleball for ALL, its Webster location will offer sports wheelchairs with more ‘all abilities’ programming to come.
Chicken N Pickle is one of the first major tenants to open its doors at Flyway and will be joined later this year by Great Wolf Lodge Resort, Waterpark and Convention Center making it a win-win for families and business groups.
The first Chicken N Pickle opened in North Kansas City, Missouri, in 2016, before there were any other venues with both a restaurant and pickleball courts. The Webster opening represents the tenth location in the United States for the first-to-market concept.
Chicken N Pickle, the fastest-growing pickleball entertainment concept in the country, plans to open six more complexes in Texas, Indiana, Nevada, Colorado and Nebraska by the first quarter of 2025. This period of rapid expansion will drive the total number of Chicken N Pickle locations to 16.
Besides Webster, Chicken N Pickle can be found in North Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Overland Park, Kansas; Grand Prairie, Texas; Grapevine, Texas; Glendale, Arizona; and St. Charles, Missouri.
“We are committed to remaining the best-in-class pickleball entertainment destination as we expand nationally, without sacrificing personal touch and local connections in each market,” said Dave Johnson, founder of Chicken N Pickle. “Each of our facilities attracts over 650,000 annual visitors, so we’re confident Chicken N Pickle will become a go-to attraction in Houston.”
Chicken N Pickle’s main dining area is spacious enough for corporate and social events, from lunch meetings to large rehearsal dinners and team-building exercises. Bars and multiple dining areas can be found on the main floor, with additional tables on the rooftop and in the game yard. Besides numerous indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, Chicken N Pickle guests also enjoy a variety of lawn games, such as cornhole, ping pong, battleship and Jenga.
Chicken N Pickle Webster will provide more than 200 local jobs in the area. Its general manager leading its vibrant team is Josh Roach, a native Texan, who has worked in the service industry for the last 18 years, including the last eight years at Top Golf in North and Southeast Texas. He and his wife and their dogs have lived on and off in Houston over 12 years.
“We are excited as a team to build the Chicken N Pickle footprint in this amazing area. Chicken N Pickle reminds me so much of the Houston neighborhoods. While each area of the property has its own unique identity, it’s truly one outdoor entertainment community!,” exclaimed Roach.
Chef-Driven Restaurant
Using responsibly raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken, the menu includes delicious, rotisserie dishes available in four different seasonings, pork and beef sandwiches, as well as signature hand-cut fries and tots. Other items include classic choices and guest favorites like BBQ Mac N Cheese and the OG Power Bowl. Rotating seasonal menu items, a sports bar and elevated cocktails round out Chicken N Pickle offerings, which also boast temporary “experiences within an experience.”
Supporting the Webster Community
Chicken N Pickle is committed to giving back to the communities it serves through philanthropic and service-oriented efforts that strengthen its neighborhood. Since its founding in 2017, Chicken N Pickle has helped over 5,000 local charities and given back more than $3 million to local nonprofits. Last year alone, in 2023, Chicken N Pickle supported over 5,100 charitable organizations, donated more than 2,500 meals and lobbed more than $537,000 back into local communities through in-kind and general donations as well as property give-backs.
The Chicken N Pickle Foundation, formed in 2020, works in partnership with local health, wellness and relationship-building charities to create long-lasting solutions addressing community needs. Each year, the Foundation provides $6,000 to each store for employees to support local nonprofits of their choice.
In Webster, Chicken N Pickle will donate a portion of proceeds during soft opening to Bay Area Habitat for Humanity, the only non-profit home builder in the Galveston, Southeast Harris and Northern Brazoria County area partnering with families to build quality, safe, affordable and energy efficient homes with zero percent interest mortgages. Like every location, Chicken N Pickle Webster will employ a full-time community impact coordinator whose job is to “find a way every day to make a positive impact in the community” through service-oriented endeavors.
“We say ‘our hearts are local’ because we support our Chicken N Pickle communities through charitable activities and business practices,” said Kelli Alldredge, president. “We are thrilled to become part of the Webster and greater Houston community and rally around local neighborhoods.”
The “our hearts are local” mantra extends to Chicken N Pickle’s internal community as well. The Employee Hardship Fund can be tapped for financial support when employees face unforeseen life disruptions, and the company also provides employee scholarship opportunities. Anyone interested in working at Chicken N Pickle Webster can learn more and apply here.
About Chicken N Pickle
Chicken N Pickle is a family-friendly sports and games venue with a casual, chef-driven restaurant, bar with craft cocktails and local brews, pickleball courts and indoor/outdoor games for all ages and abilities in an atmosphere that fosters fun, friendship and community. Through the Our Hearts Are Local program, which focuses on creating philanthropic partnerships, we aim to strengthen our neighborhoods and beyond. Chicken N Pickle hosts dozens of charitable events annually and donates proceeds back to each of the communities we serve. Visit chickennpickle.com for more information.