New Wheaton pickleball facility seeks to add liquor license

A new Wheaton franchise of The Picklr pickleball company is seeking permission to sell beer, wine and spirits.

Franchisee and co-owner John Williams, based in Philadelphia, said the Wheaton Picklr will open by July 1 in the former Stein Mart department store, 191 Rice Lake Square.

Williams said construction started about a week ago on the roughly 40,000-square-foot space, which will feature 14 indoor courts.

“It’s just a charming little town. The folks I’ve met out there embraced the idea,” Williams said.

“Everybody has been a pleasure to deal with,” he added. “We’re not used to that being in the Philly area. We’re used to pushing the rock uphill.”

Williams has applied for a Class Z liquor license, which permits the sale of beer and wine for on-premises consumption to members and guests of a private pickleball club.

In addition, Wheaton Picklr is seeking an exemption to the Class Z license to add spirits along with beer and wine sales.

The Class Z liquor license originated in June 2023 with the opening of the Pickled! facility at 288 E. Geneva Road. There have since been no incidents at that pickleball location, according to a city memo.

Picklr will provide responsible alcohol training to every employee upon their hiring, the memo said.

Williams said the new location will provide grab-and-go food with occasional food trucks for tournaments and corporate outings.

The Rice Lake Square facility is one of seven metropolitan locations Wiliams said he intends to open, including Picklrs in Kildeer and St. Charles. It will offer locker rooms, youth programming, equipment, lessons and wheelchair accessibility. Membership is required.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250312/business/new-wheaton-pickleball-facility-seeks-to-add-liquor-license/