Batbox, a social entertainment concept opening soon in Addison, Texas, envisions a transformation of baseball, according to president Craig Winning.
“It’s a bit of a stuffy place right now in the sport,” he says. “We want to make it modern and scalable, and we make it really a global entertainment product.”
At the heart of Batbox is its tech-infused baseball simulators. The company uses a proprietary program to provide realistic experiences for all ages. Customers can walk in or reserve a table or simulator, or book an event for larger parties. Each bay accommodates groups of four to 10, with gameplay, seating, and dedicated food and beverage service.
Players can choose different games (team-based competitions or individual ones like the home run challenge, batting challenge, and pitching challenge) based on experience level and personal preferences. Batbox supplies all the equipment, including balls, bats, and helmets.
Ahead of the opening, the brand revamped its entire player profile system. Now, when guests book a visit at any venue, their information—like gameplay data, food and beverage purchases, and more—is stored in Batbox’s proprietary dashboard. This gives the company deeper insight into player preferences and habits. Players can now customize their profiles with personal avatars, and all of their stats are saved for future visits. So if a guest comes in with a group of friends, they’ll be able to track their performance—like how many home runs they hit or their overall score—and earn points over time. Those points can then be used for rewards.
“You can build up points throughout your time with us and then we reward you for that,” Winning says.
The first domestic venue will open by the end of August. It will offer 10 baseball simulators and also a 13,000-square-foot sports bar. Several of these venues already exist in Mexico, where CEO Jose Vargas is based.
There are some subtle differences between the upcoming U.S. unit and the Mexico locations, especially the original one in Monterrey, which is now 5 years old. Batbox recently completed a major renovation of that flagship Monterrey venue to align it more closely with the domestic design.
The Addison store will feature a sleeker aesthetic, custom furniture, an updated cage design, and a centralized sports bar.
“We’re trying to recreate that feel in the Mexico locations because they’ve always changed over time,” Winning says. “I think every restaurant group does that. Their first location is never like their last, and they always go through some evolution. So we’re doing that right now. We love the design for the U.S. venue in Addison and want to replicate that through the other venues as well.”
The menu is a unique take on classic bar food. It’s designed to be highly customizable, visually striking, and packed with flavor. Think smash burgers, chicken sandwiches, and other familiar favorites—but done with an elevated twist.
That same attention to detail applies to the beverage program.
“Sometimes when you see some bar food it falls short. It’s all the beige colors there. But these are bright, vibrant, phenomenal ingredients. It’s a craft experience. We’re approaching it in a flavor-first profile. We want the best ingredients to offer the best dishes out there,” Winning says.
Batbox also licenses its simulators to sports training facilities, entertainment centers, and bars, or locations looking to activate and monetize underused or quiet areas. Each simulator takes up about 560 square feet, so when a venue adds seating and creates a comfortable environment, it becomes a significant but smart use of space, Winning says. Batbox is gaining traction in family entertainment centers and large malls and works closely with these partners to guide them through the full installation and integration process.
Batbox has built a roughly 12-person American team to support the Addison launch. The team is headquartered there in a large office and warehouse near the airport. Key functions have been brought in-house, like operations, private events, and a dedicated enterprise sales division focused on licensing the simulators. The domestic team expects to reach around 20 heads by year’s end. Winning says the goal is to stay lean but scalable as Batbox continues to expand.
In addition to the U.S. base, Batbox has a team in Monterrey, Mexico, that supports overflow work and helps keep things running smoothly.
Leading up to the Addison opening, Winning has seen strong engagement on social media, particularly TikTok. In fact, most job candidates during interviews mentioned they first heard about Batbox through that platform. The company has also been active in the community. For example, it recently hosted a “7th Inning Stretch” outdoor yoga event in Addison, and over 250 people showed up just for yoga and coffee. The chain is receiving a lot of interest for private events as well.
The brand is financially well-backed. Last year, Batbox announced a $7.3 million Series A funding round, attracting investments from notable investors including EMERGING Fund and MG Partners.
Although no other locations are planned as of now, Winning says Batbox has “opportunities in abundance right now.”
“I think these landlords are really crying out for something different to showcase their own property, plus be a differentiator in their own market space,” Winning says. “We want to be in larger billboard-type markets, whether that’s Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston. Those ones are really upfront for us right now, but our main focus right now is, hey, we’re going to get Addison open, and showcase what we’re doing, and then probably six months down the line we’ll be happy to announce our new venue and launch, but I’m going to keep that under wraps for now.”
