John and Condit Lyon have acquired the brand’s first three clubs and secured rights to develop the rest of Maryland, with room for up to seven more locations.
Indoor pickleball brand Dill Dinkers is handing the keys to where it all started. The company announced that John and Condit Lyon have acquired its Columbia, North Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland clubs, moving the brand’s original locations from corporate to local franchise ownership.
The deal goes beyond the three existing clubs. The Lyons also secured development rights for the remaining available Dill Dinkers territory in Maryland, an area with a population of more than one million, giving them the potential to open up to seven additional clubs over the next decade.
The Columbia club opened in November 2022 and was followed by Rockville and North Bethesda as early company-owned locations. For co-founder and CEO Will Richards, the sale carries some weight. Columbia, he said, “is where Dill Dinkers came to life.” Chief Development Officer Dr. Ben Litalien described the Lyons as “strong leaders who believe in the brand.” The couple lead The Flying Lyon, an investment and development company, and John Lyon said their interest in franchising grew into a regional development commitment and a significant investment in the company.
For Dill Dinkers, the move is strategic. Turning its first clubs over to franchise owners frees the corporate team to focus on supporting and expanding the franchise system, and the company says its growth plans also include facility conversions, acquisitions and partnerships. Members shouldn’t notice a change in name: the locations will keep operating as Dill Dinkers clubs, and the Lyons plan to invest in facilities, technology, staff and programming.
The transaction reflects a broader shift in the indoor pickleball business, where brands that started with company-owned locations are increasingly leaning on local operators with capital and community ties to drive the next stage of growth. Handing off a flagship market to a multi-unit developer lets a franchisor prove its model while keeping its own balance sheet focused on scaling the system.
