Chicken N' Pickle, growing 'eatertainment' chain, gets boost from Super Bowl champs

Super Bowl champions and NFL teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have teamed up to invest in a growing "eatertainment" chain featuring food, drinks and pickleball.

Chicken N Pickle, a chain of restaurants and entertainment complexes, has eight locations across the United States — with more on the way. The rapidly-expanding business, which debuted in 2017 with its signature location in Kansas City, has another seven locations that it plans to open through 2024, according to its website.

Those ambitious expansion plans received a vital monetary boost this week when the latest round of funding raised $10 million from roughly 30 investors. Among those investors were the two Kansas City Chiefs stars, 27-year-old quarterback Mahomes and 33-year-old tight end Kelce.

"The investors included in this round not only share our midwestern values, but also are dedicated to growing the sport and supporting our company’s rapid expansion,” Kelli Alldredge, the restaurant's president, said in a statement. “We are humbled by the number of people who believe in Chicken N Pickle, and who also fully align with our core values and mission to provide an atmosphere that fosters fun, friendship and community."

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Where are Chicken N Pickle chains located?

Chicken N Pickle has quickly grown since its founding six years ago.

It has another Kansas location in Wichita, as well as one in Oklahoma City and three in Texas in the cities of Grand Prairie, San Antonio, and Grapevine. Earlier this month, Chicken N Pickle also opened a location in Glendale, Arizona.

But there will soon be more, as Chicken N Pickle announced this week its plans to nearly double in size within two years.

Seven additional locations have either been announced or are already under development, which by 2025 will bring it to 15 locations in seven states.

Among the restaurant's planned locations are two more sites in Texas (in Allen and Webster,) two sites in Colorado (Thornton and Parker,) as well as sites in Fishers, Indiana; Henderson, Nevada; and St. Charles, Missouri.

As its name suggests, Chicken N Pickle is known for its rotisserie chicken dishes and multiple pickleball courts. But with their backyard vibes, the massive venues also offer other numerous indoor and outdoor activities with a variety of lawn games such as cornhole, ping pong, life-size Battleship and Jenga.

“At Chicken N Pickle, we invented the idea of combining high-quality food, craft cocktails and the ever-growing sport of pickleball,” CEO Brad Clarke said in a statement. “And now, we’re scaling the concept so we can bring our fun, unique experience to more people across the country – which can be enjoyed whether or not they play pickleball.”

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What is pickleball?

The business expansion comes as the sport of pickleball's popularity has skyrocketed in recent years as courts have cropped up all over the United States.

At first glance, the sport resembles tennis. However, the courts are smaller, the nets lower and instead of rackets, players carry rectangular paddles. The ball is also different: Rather than a tennis ball, players use perforated, plastic balls.

Known to be accessible to all regardless of skill level, play combines elements of tennis, badminton and Ping Pong. A full list of rules is available at usapickleball.org.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com.

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