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ATTRACTIONS

The Great Outdoors

Is your BEC set up to accommodate new attractions beyond its four
walls? Here’s how to know and a look at some of the options available.

BY BOB JOHNSON

IT HAPPENS EVERY spring in cities large, small and in-
between: As the bitter-cold temperatures of winter subside,
people are antsy to emerge from their self-imposed hiber-
nations and venture outside for extended periods of time.
That’s why the return of alfresco dining is so eagerly antici-
pated, and people are willing to eat outside even when the
temperatures are in the 40s — with patio heaters appreci-
ated, of course.
In the great scheme of things, anything a bowling enter-
tainment center sells can be considered an attraction.
And once a center maxes out its interior space with lanes,
games, food-and-beverage service areas and so on, a pro-
prietor seeking additional revenue has two basic options:
replace existing attractions or add new ones outside. Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in America for
Some centers have had great success with adding out- three years running, with “eatertainment” venues like Chicken
door dining, often connecting it to an existing interior N Pickle cashing in on the frenzy. Is pickleball a possibility for
lounge or restaurant. A patio with heaters in the cooler your BEC?
months, various types of sunshades in the summer and
attractive nighttime lighting elements has the potential to The Pickleball Conundrum
draw in customers that have never visited before. To the list of outdoor attraction possibilities, one must
Outdoor dining also provides an opportunity, where add pickleball, which has been exploding in popularity over
allowed by local ordinances, to expand a center’s menu with the past five years — so much so that an “eatertainment”
grilled items (steaks, burgers, hot dogs) and slow-cooker concept called Chicken N Pickle has been introduced, has
specialties. Just as the aroma of cookies baking in an oven met with success and is expanding.
draws customers to a center’s snack bar, barbecue smoke The Las Vegas “twin city” of Henderson, Nevada, has
acts like a magnet for outdoor venues. Grilled menu items a Chicken N Pickle on the way. The three-acre site will be
also can help bolster beer sales. home to a multi-level, indoor/outdoor complex featuring
a casual, chef-driven restaurant (headlined by wood-fired
Profitable Fun Beyond Food rotisserie chicken) and a sports bar that boasts several cov-
Food isn’t the only “attraction” proprietors can take out- ered and air-conditioned pickleball courts, a variety of yard
side to draw people in. Depending on the available space, games, a dog park and more.
other options include everything from miniature golf courses There would be no such concept, nor such growth, unless
to go-kart tracks, kid-friendly rollercoasters to batting cages, interest in the game warranted it. Here’s the primary statistic
and climbing walls to ropes courses. The list goes on. driving investor interest: Last year, 36.5 million Americans
Some proprietors have enjoyed great success with out- played pickleball at least once. That’s 14 percent of the
door volleyball courts — perfect for a business that already population, an impressive penetration number.
is league-focused. An ideal set-up would be a court area Furthermore, the largest age bracket of pickleball players
with an adjacent patio where spectators could view the is between the ages of 18 and 34 — a coveted group for its
competition while sipping on a cold beverage and noshing never-ending thirst for new “experiences” and its discretion-
on creative appetizers. Badminton courts also are a viable ary spending.
option. Given all of that, pickleball courts would seem like a no-
Other outdoor activities that could be promoted for brainer addition to a BEC operation with enough space to
casual use, league play or both include cornhole, ping pong accommodate it. But there are other statistics to consider.
and horseshoes. There’s even a fairly famous bowler who At the beginning of 2024, there were 11,885 places to
may be willing to make appearances for both bowling and play pickleball in the U.S., and that figure was growing by
horseshoe demonstrations. (continued on page 92)

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