Indoor Active Brands, the platform company that operates and franchises more than 80 Altitude Trampoline Parks worldwide, is getting into the pickleball business with the launch of a new family entertainment concept called The Pickle Pad.
The indoor pickleball playground will feature a full-service restaurant and bar, along with more than 20 gaming options in a designated social area on the second level, said Mike Rotondo, CEO of Indoor Active Brands, a portfolio company of NRD Capital.
He said the first Pickle Pad corporate location is scheduled to open in Tallahassee, Florida, in the spring, and the brand aims to open “at least another five to 10 location by the end of 2024” with a focus on the Southeast and Midwest regions of the country.
Depending on the size of the venue and the market it’s operating in, the approximate cost of opening a Pickle Pad is between $1.33 million and $1.99 million for a 25,000-square-foot location, according to the company’s franchise disclosure document.
Mike Rotondo, CEO of Indoor Active Brands and Altitude Trampoline Park
“Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. and there is a shortage of indoor courts,” said Rotondo, who also leads Altitude. “We feel we have come up with a great pickleball concept that will become a very attractive option for not only players of all skill levels, but also a place to just hang out and have fun.”
Rotondo said the first 27,000-square-foot corporate Pickle Pad in Tallahassee is being constructed with six indoor courts and a 2,000-square-foot restaurant and bar situated in the front of the building with seating for 50. The bar will serve beer and wine. The Crave Social Eatery restaurant will serve a variety of food options, including flatbread pizzas and trendy bowls.
The venue will also feature space for several interactive indoor yard games like bean bag toss, foosball and Jenga. The mezzanine area, which overlooks the courts, will offer a pool table, shuffleboard courts and darts, said Rotondo, with the various activities providing different revenue streams for franchisees. The Pickle Pad will offer a variety of membership packages for players, starting at about $50 per month. Courts can also be rented by the hour for non-members.
“Pickle Pad is going to offer private and group lessons and host tournaments, along with hosting company and family events and parties,” he said. “Pickle Pads will be a place for everyone, even those who just want to hang out with friends and family.”
The Pickle Pad is the latest in a slew of pickleball franchises to launch over the past year. Ace Pickleball Club has one corporate unit open and last year signed several multi-unit deals, including one for southwest Florida, where Red Team Ventures is developing the concept. There’s also Pickleball Kingdom, whose founder wants it to become the Amazon of the sport.
The Picklr, which has been in business since 2021 and has a handful of corporate locations, started franchising last year and is signing some major expansion deals. Maryland-based Dill Dinkers is also getting in on the franchised pickleball action after developing four corporate locations. Dill Dinkers has several franchise agreements signed for 60-plus locations.
Rotondo said the idea for The Pickle Pad began to take shape in 2022, when Indoor Active Brands started exploring the addition of a new concept to its family entertainment platform. The board and executive staff, he said, decided to tap into the pickleball craze and came up with its own spin on the popular sport by making its venues attractive for the entire family.
“We said, it can’t just be pickleball with a big facility with 20 courts,” he recalled. “That’s just not going to be sustainable. So, we came up with The Pickle Pad concept where pickleball is the main attraction but we’re offering so much with a real food concept, fun activities.”
Rotondo and Aziz Hashim, NRD Capital’s founder and managing partner, bring both franchise and restaurant industry experience to the development equation for The Pickle Pad. Rotondo is a former CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe and held leadership roles at Wendy’s and Arby’s. Before founding NRD, Hashim built a portfolio of Popeyes, Taco Bell, Domino’s and KFC restaurants as a franchisee. NRD is also the owner of Frisch’s Restaurants, and last year it sold Fuzzy’s Taco Shop to Dine Brands, a transaction that won a Franchise Times Dealmakers nod.