GrandFunGP

Wildly popular dining and pickleball venue opening in early 2022

Grand Prairie, Tx. – Chicken N Pickle, the unique, indoor/outdoor entertainment complex including a casual, chef-driven restaurant and sports bar that boasts pickleball courts, shuffleboard, and a variety of yard games, is set to open its sixth location in the USA in Grand Prairie near the 2900 block of Esplanade, adjacent to the service road along President George Bush Turnpike in late 2021.

The 77,000-square-foot venue will feature a dining room, six indoor pickleball courts, five outdoor pickleball courts (two covered), and 7,500 square feet of outdoor yard games.

In this joint venture between the company and the City of Grand Prairie, the city will own the land, develop parking needs and lease to Chicken N Pickle.   Chicken N Pickle will operate the restaurant and entertainment venue.  Epic Central plans also include the addition of a hotel/conference center, an expanded restaurant row, boardwalk along the Epic Central lakes, water and lighting features and concert/event grounds.  Already located in Epic Central are the award-winning Summit Active Adult Center and Epic Arts, Fitness and Entertainment Center, Epic Waters Indoor Water Park, PlayGrand Adventures all-accessible playground, Central Bark Dog Park, Prairie Paws Animal Shelter and the city’s Public Safety Building.

“We are so excited that Chicken N Pickle has selected Grand Prairie as the site of its sixth location nationally,” said Ron Jensen, Mayor of Grand Prairie. “We have so many residents who are ready to play pickleball and eat chicken, some of whom serve on the City Council with me. This is a wonderful addition to our dynamically developing Epic Central project, which already includes Epic Waters, The Epic, The Summit and PlayGrand Adventures and may include hotels, more restaurants and retail in the near future.”

Chicken N Pickle is the world’s premier pickleball restaurant and entertainment brand, which opened its flagship location in North Kansas City in 2017. It soon followed with a location in Wichita, Kansas, where a nationally recognized pro invitational tournament was held in 2019, its opening year. A third location opened in San Antonio in 2020, and a fourth opened in Oklahoma City in late 2020.  A firth is set to open in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2021. As host to tournaments, as well as local family fun and games, the Chicken N Pickle name has become synonymous with fun, food and friendship.

“We are delighted with the public-private partnership agreement that we are developing with Grand Prairie and are excited to bring Chicken N Pickle to the community,” said Dave Johnson, company founder and principal investor in the brand. “We know people will enjoy our delicious, wood-fired rotisserie chicken, a cold beverage, and some friendly competition on the pickleball courts.”

“We have been thrilled by the popularity of Chicken N Pickle and we look forward to making new friends in Grand Prairie,” said Bill Crooks, an acclaimed restaurateur who collaborated with Johnson to create the Chicken N Pickle concept.   “Our experience combines good food and good friends for great fun. We are proud to bring our chef-driven menu, featuring clean, locally sourced food and family-oriented activities, to the south.”

Chicken N Pickle Grand Prairie will feature indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, lawn games, a rooftop bar and a full-service restaurant using locally sourced foods to offer a variety of delicious dishes. When completed, Chicken N Pickle Grand Prairie will begin hosting pickleball clinics for players at all levels, as well as professional and amateur pickleball tournaments.

On the menu, a range of delicious rotisserie chicken dishes will be available to please every palate, along with pork and grass-fed beef sandwiches, salads, and a variety of munchies, including Chicken N Pickle’s signature hand-cut fries and tots. Beer from local breweries will be on tap.

“We proudly source from local farmers, ranchers and artisans such as Beeler’s Pure Pork and Heartbrand Beef to bring our customers the freshest, most flavorful, additive-free food possible,” said Alex Staab, Director of Culinary.

Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in America, is most popularly played as doubles (2v2) on a court half the size of a tennis court with an oversized ping pong paddle and a ball similar to a wiffle ball. The rules are a mix of tennis and ping pong and are easy and fun for all ages to play together.

About Chicken N Pickle

Chicken N Pickle is a unique, indoor/outdoor entertainment complex including a casual, chef-driven restaurant and sports bar that boasts pickleball courts and indoor/outdoor games for all ages. Its mission is to provide an atmosphere that fosters fun, friendship, and community. A key tenet of Chicken N Pickle is demonstrated through the Our Hearts Are Local program, which focuses on creating philanthropic partnerships to strengthen our neighborhoods and beyond. Dozens of charitable events are held annually and proceeds are donated back to the communities we serve. Good Food. Good Friends. Great Fun. For more information, please visit www.chickennpickle.com

Grand Prairie AirHogs Stadium to be Repurposed for Major League Cricket

The City of Grand Prairie approved a long-term lease agreement with Major League Cricket (MLC) and American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) for redevelopment of AirHogs Stadium, 1600 Lone Star Parkway. Redevelopment of the stadium is scheduled to take place throughout 2021. The inaugural Major League Cricket season, featuring world-class T20 cricket, will begin in 2022 with six franchises from major U.S. cities. The Grand Prairie stadium will host the Texas franchise of Major League Cricket, and serve as a base for the USA Cricket National team and its premier high performance center.

“Grand Prairie’s centralized location in the U.S. and the thriving Texas cricketing community, allied with the quality of the facility, make it the perfect site for us,” said Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan, co-founders of ACE and MLC.

Media Release

Cricket Tutorial

From a floating restaurant to coffee & wine to live music, there’s plenty of options for date night just south of the DFW metroplex!

Click here to see this episode of “Metro Staycation: Date Night” 

Have you heard the exciting news about EpicCentral ? A new restaurant is coming to the park along with additional parking lots and a new entrance off the Hwy 161 frontage road. Construction has already begun and is currently anticipated to take 18-24 months to complete. Visitors to the park should note that the park entrance off of the Hwy 161 frontage road has been closed as well as a section of Esplanade. More details on the project will be announced soon!

Other EpicCentral updates:
The Summit 50+ Club and PlayGrand Adventures remain closed for now due to the pandemic, however City staff will be reevaluating the decision in the Fall to reopen as soon and safely as possible. Rest assured, we understand the importance of these two life-changing facilities, and look forward to their many, many more years of service to our community.