. And yet they keep coming.

Launching in Philadelphia next month is a new concept called Ballers, a “social sports venue” that will have a significant food-and-beverage feature. This concept is all about racquet sports, including pickleball, padel and more, but it will also have a restaurant and bar component designed for walk-in enthusiasts, daily players and group events.

It is created by partners behind the Equinox gym and hotel brand and is supported by investors that include tennis champions Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters and Sloane Stephens; along with pro pickleball star Connor Garnett; soccer star-turned-padel aficionado Maarten Paes; and David Blitzer, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ballers creators David Gutstadt and Amanda Potter are principals in Good City Studio, which is known for developing the concept for the Equinox fitness and hotel brand. They have partnered with Daniel Bassichis of Vero Capital to launch Ballers, which will open first in Philadelphia in July, but sites are scheduled to come to Boston, Los Angeles and Miami this year and next.

The partners have raised about $30 million led by sports-and-consumer investment firms Sharp Alpha and RHC Group, as well as the celebrity athletes. The goal is to expand to more than 50 locations over the next decade.

Pickleball is one of the country’s fastest growing sports, and a number of food-and-game concepts have attempted to capture that energy, including Chicken N Pickle, which is opening its 13th unit this summer.

Padel, a different game that’s more of a pickleball/squash mashup, is also growing, and the partners behind Ballers contend many fans are increasingly “cross-court consumers,” who play more than one racquet sport.

Ballers Philadelphia, for example, will span about 55,000-square-feet with six pickleball courts, three padel courts, two squash courts, a multi-purpose turf field, as well as golf simulators and a putting green. It will also have a fully equipped gym, a recovery lounge, saunas and more.

The “secret sauce” is the hospitality piece, said Gutstadt, Ballers’ CEO.

“The sports are an amazing component, and what makes our concept different from traditional eatertainment is we believe people will come daily, up to six times a week, where others are more novelty.”

Ballers will be “membership optional,” so the courts and foodservice will be open to the public. Gutstadt said they expect food-and-beverage to account for about 40% of sales.

Bassichis, who heads the foodservice side, said the first location will offer a more-elevated tavern-style menu—but one that leans healthy. The menu was developed with Philadelphia chef Mitch Prensky, known for the restaurants Supper, L’Ecole and Lutece.

“We’ll have traditional items that you’d look for in a tavern, a great burger, sandwiches and salads,” said Bassichis. 

One signature item will be a pretzel popover served with a cheese dipping sauce. It was inspired by a pretzel croissant in New York City made by the now-defunct City Bakery that Gutstadt said was “the best pastry in the history of pastries.”

There will also be appetizers like wings, flash-fried cauliflower and kale, and poutine with sidewinder fries (Gutstadt is originally from Toronto). And, of course, meatballs.

Events will be a big component, Bassichis added, saying the locations will have convertible spaces that can be set up for company outings, parties, hosting clients—situations where they would take over play spaces and share food and beverages within that area.

Ballers joins a growing number of food-and-game concepts plotting domestic growth.

In April, the founders of Topgolf and Puttshack announced another new concept called Poolhouse that will offer a tech-enhanced version of the game of pool. Also supported by Sharp Alpha, the partners said they have raised $34 million and investors in that venture also include Blitzer of the 76ers. That concept is projected to launch in the U.S. next year.

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