Jessica Talbert interview: Park Padel co-founder on driving growth through a community-first mindset

Park Padel now has three clubs around the Bay area after its West Sacramento location opened in April. What started with pop-in courts as a temporary solution has sprouted into one of the most popular brands of padel clubs in northern California. In an interview with Padel Business Magazine’s US reporter Rodney Reeves, Park Padel co-founder Jessica Talbert discusses how remaining open-minded helped secure its first location, keeping community-building at its core, and expanding throughout the Bay area while growing successful partnerships.

When visitors arrive at San Francisco’s iconic Embarcadero Plaza, they are greeted by Park Padel’s uniquely situated padel courts, in addition to the scenic views of the 1898 Ferry Building and Bay Bridge.

Established in November 2023, Park Padel has thrived in one of the most public locations for a padel club in the US. Featuring three pop-up courts meant to be temporary, Park Padel’s Embarcadero location is a great ambassador of padel to the estimated 23.3 million visitors and 3.3 million residents of San Francisco.

Now at three locations, with two in San Francisco and one in Sacramento, Park Padel has quickly evolved from a risky, but fun experiment to a staple of the Bay area’s growing padel scene.

Co-founders Jessica Talbert, her now-husband Neil Chainani, and close friend from college Katie Lampert first discovered padel while on a trip to Europe during the summer of 2022. Completely unfamiliar with the sport, the three of them were captivated by this sport that brought together so many different types of people.

“We got off our bikes and stopped and just watched, mesmerised for like 20 minutes. I think we lost our group”, says Talbert.

“By the end of it, we told them, we need to bring this to San Francisco. People need to be playing this sport.”

The three long-time friends formulated plans to establish a club in San Francisco, with Talbert to serve as CEO, Chainani as COO, and Lampert as chief product and experience officer. None of them predicted that their first club would end up in such a central part of the city and become a springboard for future locations.

Securing the first location

When Park Padel’s co-founders began their search for a location, they had few expectations of where they would end up.

Talbert says they were looking on Google Maps around the Bay Area for possibilities before they were connected with someone from San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks department. The city had suffered a tainted reputation since the Covid-19 pandemic and the department was desperate to shift the perspective the country had about San Francisco.

Unlike many club owners who deal with extensive permitting delays and pushback when aiming for approval for their projects, Talbert explains how smoothly their interactions initially went with the city.

“We got connected with the city, who were just surprisingly wonderful to work with. Just incredible people who are really invested in bringing back San Francisco in a way that was invigorating”, she says.

“The city was really working hard to figure out, ‘How do we revitalise downtown?’ ‘How do we make this space more active, more inviting?’”

An official from the department suggested the Embarcardero area, which is in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District and offered unimaginable visibility. Despite the prime area they would be situated in, Talbert was sceptical of how the courts would work.

Building courts in a high-traffic area

The grounds of the area the city advocated to Park Padel is covered in brick pavers, not suitable for consistent, quality padel play. Additionally, the high-traffic area could pose obstacles and delays during the construction of the courts.

Thanks to a partnership with Faveretti through PADEL-LUX, Park Padel was able to build pop-up courts right in San Francisco’s city centre. The courts were installed on a specially designed wooden platform, meeting quality standards and completing on time.

Talbert lauds the Embarcadero location as a great marketing piece that has helped them grow and spread padel in the area.

“It's been really great. Over time, the community has been awesome”, says Talbert.

“It's this excellent confluence of tourists, commuters, people who live there. Thousands of people walk by every day asking me if it's pickleball. And it's our opportunity to let them know what padel is. And that location's been doing great.”

Establishing more locations

A second location in South San Francisco at Oyster Point opened in November 2024. Oyster Point will serve as Park Padel’s flagship location, says Talbert, since it features six indoor courts and 28-foot ceilings, ideal for hosting large tournaments.

Park Padel’s first location outside of San Francisco is in West Sacramento at the Bridge District. It opened in April and features four outdoor courts, as well as a comfortable lounge area.

Talbert’s extensive background in user research provides the foundation of how Park Padel approaches its community-building initiatives. Central to Park Padel’s success has been a relentless focus on reducing friction for guests, ensuring they are happy to join the community.

Using her user research knowledge, Talbert describes how Park Padel approaches fine-tuning its offering to build its community.

“We're people who are in the weeds. I'm playing typically for at least an hour a day. I'm spending time with customers. I'm helping them find other people to play with, constantly matchmaking”, she says.

“It's hard work. It takes a lot of time. But I think if you find that you're willing to really put in that work and build from the ground up, then it starts to build by itself and starts to grow.”

Community-builders at their core

Park Padel engages in community building in several ways that solidify its presence within the local community. The club regularly hosts tournaments, beginner clinics, and charity initiatives in collaboration with regional organisations, such as the San Jose Earthquakes.

It also plans to add kids' camps this summer to encourage participation from younger generations. Park Padel already hosts a kids’ court on Mondays, but the camp hopes to attract much more in efforts to teach kids the game and develop their skills.

Another way Park Padel builds its community is through its referral programme. Park Padel offers a complimentary booking to anyone who brings a guest who has yet to play at the club, and also gifts the guest a complimentary booking.

Perhaps the most instrumental initiative to its growth has been its squad memberships. Park Padel offers half the regular membership rate if people sign up with at least five others. Talbert says the programme has helped triple its membership, helping the company stay on track with its ambitious expansion plans.

Talbert calls both the referral programme and squad memberships as key to encouraging repeat visitors.

“Your strongest marketers are going to be your customers”, says Talbert. “They're incentivised because they need somebody else to play with, right? They'd like to play with their friends. So I think that has been really helpful.”

Expansion plans and building on solid partnerships

Park Padel has lofty goals to open 100 courts in the Bay area over the next five years. Talbert mapped out plans to open clubs in the East Bay in Marin, South Bay in San Jose, and further down the coast in southern California.

She says their expansion strategy depends on more than just where they would like to be, but on factors conducive to a successful club.

“For us, it's about do we have a really great deal on the location? Is it the right place? Is there a good base of an international community? Usually places that have a university nearby are really good because that usually attracts people from other countries, which you need.”

In addition to new locations, Park Padel continues to add successful partnerships it hopes to build upon. The club works with Playtomic for its bookings, and utilises Sweat Pals and Square to handle bigger events. Talbert says these tools simplify how Park Padel manages regular bookings as well as private and corporate booking requests.

Park Padel also has Babolat as its sponsor, providing padel racquets, balls, and other equipment. Local partnerships with popular establishments like Petite Pairings at the Embarcardero and Oyster Point locations and Bar Spezzatura at Embarcardero keep the club closely tied to the community as it expands to new areas.

Talbert believes as padel grows in popularity nationwide, Park Padel can play a major role in introducing as many people as possible to the sport.

“I believe so deeply in this sport”, she says. “This is something that people want to keep playing over and over again. And since November 2023 when we opened up our courts, I have seen that play out.”

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