Chicago already has two ping-pong clubs, but could shuffleboard be the next trend? The folks behind Brooklyn-based Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club hope so, as they plan on opening a Chicago location in summer 2017 inside a 17,000-square-foot warehouse in Bucktown, along Milwaukee Avenue near The 606 trail. It would be Royal Palms’ second location, reported Crain’s, as they look to expand across the country.
The first Royal Palms opened two years ago, giving New York its first shuffleboard club. The Brooklyn original features tropical cocktails named after shuffleboard legends and space for a rotating lineup of food trucks to dock. Rental rates hover around $40 per hour for courts.
DNAinfo reported that Royal Palms Chicago will have a rooftop deck. Crain’s reported that the one-story building at 1760 N. Milwaukee Ave. needs extensive work, so it will be interesting if they’ll hit that projected summer opening next year. Shuffleboard parties and leagues are popular in New York, with hipsters donning costumes and getting into characters during competitions. Check back later for more on this project, as Chicago gets a taste of Florida shuffleboards via New York.