Through event partnerships, volunteer opportunities and a separate family foundation, The Serve Pickleball + Kitchen has made community involvement a core part of running the business.
A successful business can bring people through its doors, but what happens beyond those doors can have an even greater impact. At The Serve Pickleball + Kitchen in North Carolina, owner Robin Salzman has found a way to make community involvement part of the everyday experience, giving people more reasons to connect with the facility and with the causes and organizations around them.
With 16 pickleball courts, four golf swing suites, a restaurant, event space and lounge, The Serve offers plenty of ways for guests to spend their time. However, for Salzman, the facility also presented an opportunity to return to something she had always enjoyed — finding ways to give back.
Turning Community Connections into Action
Before opening The Serve with her husband, Jack, Salzman spent more than 20 years working in the car dealership industry. As the couple became more established in their business, she began dedicating more time to community involvement, an aspect of her work that eventually became one of her favorites.
“When we sold the dealerships, I didn’t really have that outlet,” explained Salzman.
Although Salzman had the family foundation they had started previously — called Giving with Grace — she still felt the need to help the community in a different way. So, when the couple began thinking about opening The Serve, they decided this was just another way for her to do so.
The opportunity to combine a new business venture with a renewed commitment to philanthropy helped shape what The Serve would become. Today, that commitment reaches well beyond the facility’s membership base, creating opportunities for local organizations, businesses and residents to get involved.
Building Partnerships Through Pickleball
Community outreach at The Serve takes several forms, depending on the needs of the organizations it supports. Some partnerships involve dedicated fundraising events, while others provide financial assistance, auction items or space for organizations to host their own events.
One of the facility’s larger initiatives is Paddles for Wishes, a pickleball tournament benefiting Make-A-Wish, which raised over $70,000 in 2025. The event brings together players and local businesses, with area companies stepping in as sponsors to support the cause.
The Serve has also partnered with Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC), becoming its pickleball partner as the organization introduces the sport into its programming in the state. The partnership comes from the brand’s commitment to community engagement and shared mission with SONC to create an accessible and inclusive way for athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities to connect and compete.
The SONC partnership has created opportunities for guests and members to become involved beyond simply participating in an event. Many of The Serve’s members have stepped forward to volunteer at SONC tournaments, helping support the organization while building connections with others in the community.
The partnerships also give local residents a place to discover causes they may not have otherwise encountered. Rather than limiting involvement to a select group of organizations, Salzman looks for different ways to bring people together and make participation accessible.
That approach has allowed The Serve to support more than 100 organizations since opening. Its contributions have reached local schools, smaller community organizations and larger nonprofits.
Salzman admits narrowing down which organizations to support can be difficult. Her philosophy is rooted in doing what she can, even when she can’t meet every request.
“My husband always teases me and says you can’t save the world, and I say, I know I can’t save the world, but every day I can do a little something to help somebody,” said Salzman.
That mindset has helped create a steady stream of community connections. Salzman said she meets with someone almost every day to discuss potential ways The Serve can get involved. The opportunities change, allowing the facility to respond to different needs rather than relying on a fixed annual calendar of charitable initiatives.
Using the Facility to Support Local Causes
The Serve’s physical space has become one of its greatest assets when supporting local organizations. Its combination of sports, dining and event accommodations allows groups to approach the facility with different ideas for fundraising and community gatherings.
Some organizations use the private event room for seated dinners or meetings, while others take advantage of the lounge, restaurant or pickleball courts. The facility can also accommodate larger groups by dividing activities between dining and playing, allowing guests to rotate throughout an event.
This flexibility gives organizations more options when planning fundraisers and creates opportunities to introduce people to The Serve who may not otherwise visit.
The facility has also experimented with fundraising opportunities that directly connect business activity to charitable contributions. One example was a dine-and-donate event benefiting an affordable housing organization. On the designated day, a portion of all bookings and food and beverage sales went back to the organization. The event raised over $50,000.
While those types of promotions are not part of every daily transaction, they offer another way to use the business to support a specific cause.
Making Community Involvement Part of the Business
Beyond individual fundraising events, The Serve has worked to establish itself as a gathering place for the surrounding community. Its programming attracts people for different reasons, giving the facility opportunities to build relationships with residents who may not necessarily identify as pickleball players.
The restaurant, live music, Sunday jazz brunches and regular Mahjong gatherings have helped expand the facility’s reach. Corporate events, birthday celebrations and family gatherings bring additional groups through the doors, creating an environment where community connections can develop naturally.
That variety also helps The Serve introduce its charitable initiatives to a broader audience. Someone who initially visits for a meal or a social gathering may eventually participate in a fundraiser or volunteer opportunity.
This also requires coordination across the different areas of the business. Salzman explained that The Serve operates with separate leadership overseeing sports programming, food and beverage, and events, allowing each department to focus on its responsibilities while working together to support the larger operation.
For other operators considering a similar approach, she believes community involvement should be considered alongside the other responsibilities of running a facility. It takes organization, dedicated people and a willingness to make time for relationships outside the business.
More importantly, she believes operators have an obligation to the communities that support them.
“I’m a strong believer in when you have a business in a community that it is your responsibility to give back into the community,” Salzman said. “To the people that help you to have a healthy business.”
She also recognizes the value of that commitment from a business perspective. People appreciate knowing the businesses they support are invested in the area, and those relationships can strengthen the connection between a facility and its surrounding community.
A Lasting Commitment to Giving Back
For The Serve, that connection continues to create new possibilities. Salzman is already looking at ways to expand the business’s reach, including launching a catering operation that would allow its restaurant team to bring food directly into the community.
As the facility moves beyond its first year, its community involvement remains an ongoing effort rather than a finished initiative. New organizations, fundraising opportunities and partnerships continue to find their way to Salzman’s desk, each presenting another chance to make a difference.
She knows The Serve cannot meet every need, but she also knows it doesn’t have to. Sometimes, the impact comes from providing a place for people to gather, volunteer opportunities or a little extra support for an organization trying to make a difference.
For Salzman, those contributions are part of what makes owning a business worthwhile. The Serve has given her a new platform to continue doing something she loved long before the first pickleball court opened, and she intends to keep using it to bring people together for a purpose that reaches far beyond the game.
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Jordan Meek is a staff writer for Pickleball Innovators, where she covers the rapidly evolving business of pickleball — from facility growth and technology to player experience and industry strategy. A graduate of Denison University with a degree in Journalism, she joined Peake Media in 2025 and brings a passion for storytelling and curiosity to every piece. Jordan is driven to spotlight the leaders shaping the sport and uncover insights that help operators thrive in the fastest-growing game in America. Reach her at jordan@peakemedia.com.
