Picklr Inc., the parent company behind The Picklr, one of the biggest names in indoor pickleball, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company announced on Oct. 10 that it had filed a voluntary petition for reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.
The filing covers only the parent holding company. The Picklr's operating subsidiaries and its independently owned franchise clubs are not part of the case, and the company says its clubs remain open. "Our franchise partners own and run their clubs, and they're operating as usual," the company said.
Why The Picklr filed
The company points to the cost of its own fast growth. While signing up franchisees, the parent company guaranteed facility lease payments for some early locations. Founder and CEO Jorge Barragan told Sports Business Journal that about 40 locations have leases backed by those corporate guarantees, and that the obligations became more than the holding company could carry.
"We signed, unfortunately, too many corporate guarantees that landed on the holding company. And that's on us. I own it," Barragan told SBJ. He said Chapter 11 lets the company "work with these landlords to figure out how to create profitable businesses."
Who is paying for the restructuring
An investor group led by Tom Neale, a Picklr franchisee, has committed debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing to carry the company through the case: $4.5 million according to the company's announcement, while Sports Business Journal reported $4.8 million. The bankruptcy court still has to approve it. The group, Dynamus Alliance, is expected to sponsor the reorganization plan and, if the plan is confirmed, to become the network's lead investor.
The numbers behind it
Sports Business Journal, reviewing the financial statements in The Picklr's franchise disclosure document, reported a 2025 net loss of $4.4 million on $10.3 million in revenue. The filing also follows a round of corporate staff cuts and a separate bankruptcy case that a group of Picklr franchise entities filed in Florida in late September.
If you play at a Picklr
- Your club is open. The company says all of its U.S. clubs and independently owned franchise locations remain open, and Barragan said no location will close as a direct result of the filing.
- Your local owner makes the calls. Franchise owners run their own clubs, so questions about memberships, leagues and court reservations go to your club.
- Expect the network to shrink some. Barragan said he expects some contraction over the next 18 to 24 months as the company renegotiates leases with landlords.
How The Picklr got here
Barragan co-founded The Picklr in Utah, where it opened its first club in 2021. It began franchising in 2023, and The Dink counts more than 70 U.S. locations across 29 states, plus clubs in Canada, Australia and Japan. That pace made it one of the most visible brands in the indoor club boom, and the lease guarantees that helped early franchisees open their doors are now what the parent company has to restructure.
What happens next
First, the bankruptcy court has to sign off on the DIP financing. From there, The Picklr plans to renegotiate its guaranteed leases with landlords and work toward a reorganization plan backed by the Dynamus group. Chapter 11 is a reorganization, not a liquidation: the goal is for the business to keep operating while it restructures what it owes.
