The pickleball trend continues with the opening of another eatertainment concept focused on the popular athletic activity. Electric Pickle is opening its first location in Tempe, Ariz., in December, and will feature 4.5 acres of pickleball courts, a two-story restaurant, and other activities like bocce ball courts and ping pong tables.
Electric Pickle will be operated by Eureka! Restaurant Group and financially backed by Knighthead Capital Management, with long-term plans to expand nationally. Other locations will come soon to Las Vegas; Roseville, Calif.; Katy, Texas; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; and Reno, Nev.
“The rebirth of entertainment came from COVID: everyone was restricted… and there was this pent-up demand to have more activity-driven restaurant experiences,” Paul Frederick, founder and co-CEO of Eureka Restaurant Group and Electric Pickle, told NRN. “I think pickleball’s explosive growth is just getting started….Pickleball, combined with the culinary aspect, plus making our venues super fun and energetic have been packaged into Electric Pickle. We’re going to underserved markets and owning them.”
Frederick is well aware that his concept is not treading new ground: Chicken N Pickle, Camp Pickle, and The Pickle Pad are just a few of the growing concepts in the pickleball-themed eatertainment concept category. So, what makes Electric Pickle stand out?
“We’re elevating the experience,” Frederick said. “It’s more in line with the kind of restaurants in our portfolio. There are a lot more entertainment offerings that will go on in the venue like DJs and live bands at night, with the pickleball courts as the big draw during the day.”
Part of the way Electric Pickle will elevate the eatertainment experience is through food. The restaurant on premises will have an eclectic international menu, with items including sushi rolls, Korean bowls, American burgers, Neapolitan pizzas, and Mexican street tacos.
“The food and beverage will be the majority of our revenue, so it will be a huge emphasis for us,” Frederick said. “When you create a menu, you have to have an ethos. If you try to do everything, you end up looking like a TGI Fridays…we have a huge variety of what we call polished comfort food.”
Electric Pickle’s establishments will be powered by state-of-the-art AI gaming technology, which will offer enhanced gameplay experiences at four of the nine pickleball courts. There will also be a golf simulator, all against a backdrop of plentiful greenery to emphasize the outdoorsy-meets-modern aesthetic of the concept.
“It’s very outdoorsy, with lots of lush landscape,” Frederick said. The whole goal is to whisk people from their everyday lives into a sort of paradise or vacation spot, you know, with waterfalls and firepits.”
Moving forward, Electric Pickle will work together with its investors to open additional locations in emerging markets for pickleball, where there won’t already be a lot of competition. The next openings will be in Roseville and Las Vegas, with each location taking about 11 months to complete.
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