New Flippo’s opens at former Morro Bay skating rink site — with batting cages and coffee
Two decades after Flippo’s rollerskating rink closed in Morro Bay, the venue is reopening as a new business.
Flippo’s Batting Cages and Cafe, located at 220 Atascadero Road, features six batting cages for baseball and fast-pitch softball practice, with slow-pitch softball to come later.
The cafe offers SLO Roasted Coffee as well as Doc Burnstein’s ice cream, hot dogs, personal pizzas, candy and chips with more options to come, such as doughnuts and beer. (Flippo’s is in the process of securing its beer license.)
There are also study spaces with Wi-Fi access, and 10 big-screen televisions.
The new Flippo’s, which opened June 11, is the result of a partnership between property owner Larry Guesno, owner of nearby Morro Strand RV Park, and Morro Bay resident Von Odermatt.
Flippo’s Batting Cages and Cafe, which is housed in a 12,000-square-foot building across from Morro Bay High School and near Lila Keiser Park, aims to offer a variety of entertainment options.
“This is a place to have fun that’s centered around the batting cages,” Odermatt said. “Growing up in Cayucos, I didn’t have many options for fun things like this, other than surfing.
“We want parents to know they can drop their kids off here for a couple of hours and they’ll have a place to study or enjoy a variety of entertainment options. And adults can have just as much fun too.”
According to Odermatt, the new business will eventually feature pool tables, a cornhole table, a VIP room for parties or fantasy sports drafts and weight training equipment. Flippo’s is also considering adding a dance space and a karaoke area, which aren’t yet set up, Odermatt said.
Flippo’s Batting Cages and Cafe operator Kristopher East, who described the business as a “sports arcade and cafe,” said it’s evolving based on the collective vision of the Flippo’s team. The venue currently has seven employees.
“It has been great to imagine what this space could be, and how we can best serve the community,” said East, who runs daily operations with his father, Kelly.
History of former Flippo’s rollerskating rink site
The former Flippo’s property operated as a rollerskating rink for 40 years, closing in September 2001 after the city of Morro Bay purchased the site from longtime owners Don and Mary Jane Puett according to past Tribune articles.
Built in 1963 by the Dickerson family of Morro Bay, the skating rink — originally called Skate-Mor and later known as Flippo’s Skate Harbor — was a go-to destination for fun for generations of families.
In 2001, Mary Jane Puett told The Tribune that Flippo’s averaged 12 birthday parties on a weekend, and had hosted dances, concerts and two roller hockey leagues over the years. The family owned the skating rink for nearly 20 years of its existence.
The city initially thought the skating rink, and an adjacent house on the property, could be turned into a youth center.
But inspections conducted after the city took ownership of the property, revealed it didn’t comply with building codes, which were required before it could be used as a public building, city officials previously told The Tribune.
As the building was used to store old civic records and equipment, Morro Bay City Council members voted in 2003 to negotiate with the Puetts to re-open the venue as a skating rink through a lease agreement. At the meeting, a dozen people lobbied for its return to skating.
In 2003, when the city requested proposals to run the rink, the Puetts were the only ones to submit a plan to the city.
“We tried to negotiate a lease with them but we just couldn’t work it out,” Morro Bay city attorney Rob Schultz said at the time.
Another citizen proposal called for turning the site into a community pool, but that plan also never materialized.
The city sold the building in 2005 to George Salwasser.
Guesno, a 71-year-old retiree, purchased the former Flippo’s property in 2018 after it had been used as a private storage facility for years without public access.
It took about three and a half years of planning before Guesno, a passionate baseball fan, settled on the idea of a business centered around batting cages, Odermatt said.
Customers can rent out batting cages at Flippo’s Batting Cages and Cafe for 15 minutes to an hour for $14 to $40, or use tokens that cost $2 for nine pitches. (Five tokens cost $9 and 10 tokens cost $17.)
They’re welcome to book in groups to take turns hitting balls.
“Last Saturday, we were so busy people were waiting,” Odermatt said. “People can book their times on our website so they don’t have to wait as well.”
The new business retains the original Flippo’s wall colors of blue, red and gray, as well as a skating dolphin logo.
Flippo’s Batting Cages and Cafe
Flippo’s Batting Cages and Cafe is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with reservations.
For more information, call 805-225-1188 or visit www.mbflippos.com.
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