ST. CHARLES, Mo. — “This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” pickleball player Jordan Benoist said about the new Chicken N Pickle in St. Charles.
He was one of the dozens of people who were first to experience the venue Thursday evening ahead of its grand opening Dec. 12.
The 76,850-square-foot entertainment complex has 11 indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, a restaurant that serves chicken entrees, multiple sports bars, dining and lounge areas, a rooftop space and yard games, such as cornhole, ping-pong, bocce, Battleship and Jenga.
On Thursday, guests enjoyed a variety of free food and many tried out the new pickleball courts.
“I’m from California and to me, it’s amazing,” said Wesley Miller who now lives in Alton, Ill., and plays pickleball weekly.
“I’ve never seen a place that’s this big and has this many things that’s available to do.”
Chicken N Pickle St. Charles is the ninth location in the U.S.
“I love it. I think it’s awesome,” said Sienna King, who is a junior at Lindenwood University.
She said playing pickleball at the new complex is a way to stay active and hang out with friends on a cold night.
“My favorite part has been the atmosphere,” King said. “You walk in, and it looks like a party. Everyone’s smiling and having fun and running around doing different things.”
Tips made during Chicken N Pickle’s mock service week will be donated to Youth In Need, a local nonprofit that provides services to children and families.
“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 St. Charles and greater St. Louis community and rally around local neighborhoods.”
Each Chicken N Pickle location has a full-time community impact coordinator as part of its philanthropic and service-oriented efforts.
John Haake, who is on the St. Charles Regional Chamber Board of Directors, said the new entertainment complex is awesome.
“It’s great for the community. It’s very unique,” he said. “This will bring a significant amount of people from across the river over to here.”
Chicken N Pickle St. Charles is located at 1500 S. Main Street.
“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 St. Louis.”
To learn more about Chicken N Pickle, click here.
