Spanish
The explosive growth of pickleball has created a wave of new entertainment concepts across the country — but not every venue is built to scale profitably.
In this episode of Behind the Tab, GoTab’s Adam Howe speaks with Joe De La Torre, General Manager of Crushyard, about the operational model behind one of the fastest-growing pickleball entertainment brands in the industry.
The conversation goes far beyond courts and competition. Joe breaks down how Crushyard approaches hospitality, food and beverage, real estate, technology, events, and franchising to create large-scale social venues designed for long-term growth.
Listeners will learn:
Why Crushyard prioritizes high-foot-traffic retail locations over destination-only venues
How the company evolved its service model from counter service to elevated in-court hospitality
Why food quality is essential to increasing guest spend and dwell time
How pickleball entertainment venues can balance competitive players and social guests
What operators should know about franchising and multi-location expansion
How integrations between POS, reservations, and event platforms improve operations
Lessons learned from opening venues in Charleston, Orlando, and Nashville
The financial and operational realities of scaling large-format entertainment concepts
Joe also shares practical advice for aspiring operators looking to build social gaming venues, including lease strategy, event pipeline development, and the importance of creating an experience guests want to return to repeatedly.
For owners and operators exploring pickleball, eatertainment, food halls, breweries, or other high-volume hospitality concepts, this episode offers a valuable look at what it takes to build a scalable entertainment business in today’s market.