Crush Yard Takes Pickleball Entertainment to New Heights

Starting September outside Charleston, then Orlando, Crush Yard eyes 50 Southeast markets.

CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — When the first Crush Yard opens outside Charleston (Mount Pleasant, SC) this month, it will introduce a new concept in eatertainment – a membership experience with priority pickleball court bookings and gourmet self-service via a custom app. 

Crush Yard targets a widening hunger for pickleball in the Sun Belt, where supply lags demand. There are considerably more players than facilities – 175 players for every court – and enthusiasts are growing by the day.

Unlike other eatertainment destinations built solely for eating and drinking around pickleball, golf, and arcade games, Crush Yard’s foundation is a sports club. Director of Pickleball and Head Pro Dan Levine, an ITPTA Certified Level II Pickleball Pro, will give private and group lessons, and run camps, leagues, and tournaments for members.

Crush Members get private open-play hours every day (5:00 – 11:00 AM) and priority access to teaching and tournaments. They also get access to Matt “McNasty” Manasse, “Pickleball Coach to the Stars” who coaches such Hollywood stars as Emma Watson and Larry David. Manasse is the chain’s Chief Brand Ambassador.

“Access is the principal luxury for pickleball enthusiasts,” said Andrew Ladden, CMO of Crush Yard. “So, our business starts with memberships. That gives us a dedicated base of players who are coming day in, day out. We will also host events making Crush Yard a travel destination for those dedicated to the growing sport.”

Everyone who comes to Crush Yard gets access to gourmet comfort food created by chef Brandon Buck, coffee from One Nation Coffee, and micro brews from Holy City Brewing. In addition to pouring One Nation blends, they’ve also created Crush Brew which customers can enjoy at the restaurant or buy grounds to take home. Holy City Brewing has brewed a special ale for Crush Yard called Dinker’s Delight – a wheat variety hopped with citrus and fermented with orange purée.

Everything is available on an extensive, proprietary self-serve app that replaces servers to speed up delivery. An entry-level Yard Membership gives repeat visitors unlimited soft drinks, credits on food purchases, and reduced fees on court reservations and equipment rentals.

The 40,000 square-foot facility occupies an existing building that previously housed The South Carolina State Armory. The Orlando facility, coming in November, is being fashioned from a former Bed Bath and Beyond building. Crush Yard makes it a point to develop in abandoned mail and retail locations to speed development and promote sustainability in communities.

“It’s a competitive advantage for us to use existing locations,” said Ladden. “We can get a Crush Yard operational in 10 months, instead of the typical two years it takes to build from the ground up. It costs us, and our communities, far less in the end.”