I have been to K1: Buffalo Grove and K1: Addison in the past and never really had an issue, but I happened to see an e-mail for their Karting Academy so I thought it would be a good way to introduce my 15 year old daughter to Go Karts. She didn't end up making it, but the staff was able to give me a more than fair equivalent for the Academy tuition, already above and beyond just at the check in expereince! Academy started in the classroom to learn the basics. Surprisingly, the information dump was not overwhelming and we were lead to the track for a warm up so the staff can study our pre-existing driving habits. At the academy, individual strengths and weaknesses were identified and we got LOTS of laps to practice. I was physically sweaty and tired by the time we finished! I look forward to bringing my daughter back! read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Exterior - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

A lot of fun!!! Great place for teenagers Birthday! I like to visit them just for racing with my daughter and son. We had a great time there/ Thank you guys! read more

I've been to multiple K1 Speed locations, so this isn't coming from someone who doesn't understand how the experience should be. I actually like the brand. But the K1 Speed Buffalo Grove location is easily the worst I've ever been to. I want to be clear. This incident has lost our business completely and to be even more clear...because of very very poor management. From the moment we walked in, things felt disorganized and poorly managed. The experience quickly went downhill. Rude staff, lack of clear communication, and an overall feeling that nobody there really had control of what was going on. Empty on a Friday. What's more concerning is that the lack of organization didn't just feel frustrating, it felt unsafe at times. When a place involves high-speed racing, there's no room for sloppy management or confusion. The environment should feel controlled and professional, and this felt like the opposite. The most frustrating part was dealing with the general manager, Nick Hurst. Instead of trying to resolve the situation or even show basic understanding, he came across as dismissive and unwilling to help. When issues come up, leadership is supposed to step in and fix them, not make customers feel like they're the problem. What's disappointing is that this doesn't feel like a K1 issue it feels like a this location specifically issue. I've had good experiences elsewhere, which makes this one stand out even more, in the worst way. At the end of the day, there are plenty of entertainment options in the area that value your time and money more than this place does. I would strongly recommend choosing a different location if you're set on K1. If anyone from K1 upper management is reading this, seriously, take a hard look at what's happening here. Between the poor management and the safety concerns, this location isn't just underperforming, it's actively damaging your brand and right now it feels like it shouldn't even be operating in its current state. Would be more than happy to share more. read more

I have to say i was disappointed. For the cost (5 people $300+) The phone support gave inaccurate information. Saying there was no league or big party scheduled and there was a group of 60 that we just beat getting in. Had we waited 5 minutes we would have been behind this scheduled event. The front desk was rushing us through everything and not helpful. I had a 25% off coupon, but they did not accept it. It was from their website, but I guess it was old and had expired? (from their website) Regardless they didn't take it. The space was laid out poorly and did not give any excitement to it. I never even saw the game room or what games they were talking about. The only food I saw was a table tent for cheap pizza and chips for sale at the counter. The cart techs could care less and did nothing to make the experience an experience, it was robotic and lacked any value. This place reminded me of a run down go kart track. My kart kept stalling out and I was told, well you probably hit the break. I think I only received 11 of the 12 laps, and I was told races would be between 8-12 minutes. 22 seconds a lap, 11 laps = under 6 minutes. When you are done, they flash the times, but there isn't a way to celebrate or gloat with your fellow races... It really was just a bust, I can spend that type of money doing a variety of more fun things. We were in and out in under an hour... it was a waste of a spring break activity. Long story short, its a waste of time and money. This had a lot of potential to be something great. again, just disappointed in the experience. Even the 13 year old who we brought thought it was lack luster. My advice is to pass on K1 Speed and do something else, this is a waste of your time. read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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I just came in earlier to race, heard so much about this place thought why not give a shot. As I'm racing I noticed this so called manger "Nick" playing blade blade when I called out his attention regarding help He proceeded to make nasty remarks regarding looks If I didn't like the service I'm more than happy to leave. First how rude second what's the purpose to bring race into this? when I simply asked for help 0/10 with Nick but as for everyone else was super nice! Thank you guys for your help! would recommend everyone that helped me out! read more

We came here for the first time not sure of what we would find. We brought a group of kids who enjoyed the car races. The adult can come sit upstairs and watch others wait. There is a bar and food to eat while watching the others race cars. There are gig glass windows for a great view. I enjoyed a Cobb salad with fried cauliflower We had great service. This is a cool place to go relax or race cars. read more

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Race car driving has been on my kids bucket list for awhile so when they had friends visiting this weekend I thought it would be a fun outing. It also turned out to be a very expensive outing at over $200 for 2 turns (12 laps each), but fortunately it was fun. When we got there we were told it was a 2.5 hour wait (eek), which is no fun with 4 kids. however, once they covered all our riders were kids they had 4 spots open right away since the kids have a separate track. I think we got lucky and would call ahead next time because if there had been a bday party at that time wouldn't have been so lucky. Kid drivers need to be 48 inches and adults 58 inches. My 11 year old is tall enough to ride with the adults, but they let her ride in the kid area with her friends and brothers. They had a lot of fun and a few crashes and I think 2 turns was absolutely perfect. Probably not worth over $200, but good for a one time adventure. If you do find yourself having to wait they have a small arcade in there too. We didn't have time to go, but based on the looks at it my kids would have been happy in there for about 20-30 min before asking if it was their turn to race. read more

If You do not enjoy this place, I do not like You personally. So much fun, so fast and close to the ground. Racing is fun. Food and a pool table in back. Excellent first date spot. Thanks, Kim. Gentle people let's start our engines. read more

Had a great time tonight. The staff was awesome and had a lot of fun. Cars were fun... and not to busy. There something to be said about making it fun for customers. These guys on the track and girl up fro r rocked it ! Thank you! After my last experience it ... I'm definitely coming back. read more

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Ignore the picture of the bar. It's just for looks when we came. High chairs - be careful if you're on the heavier side. It feels like it will collapse. Pretty expensive for 12 minutes and no sharing. If you have 2 drivers, and you want to buy 5 races, it has to be separate. For example, each one of our kids would need to buy 5 each. So, for a mere $200, each of our children can do 5 each. No bumping either. read more

All the employees had a nasty attitude no professionalism at all, also when it came our turn they kept rushing us. We only did 2 races out of 3 because we did not feel comfortable completing the last one, when finished employees ran to the karts and started racing themselves recklessly bumping into eachother and into the side rails doing the opposite of what they tell us not to do. Definitely not coming to this location again. read more

If I had unlimited money this place would be awesome but they make you buy a year-long 'license' even if you're never likely to come back. Obviously that makes it way more expensive than it needs to be. We had fun and again...if they offered some better pricing I'd have rated it higher but its just ridiculously expensive for the very short amount of time my kids got to drive. read more

Do NOT host an event a K1 Speed unless you want horrible food and awful service! I cannot even believe they host huge parties here! We were a group of 13. Food order was placed two days in advance with a sales person at K1 corporate in California. 9 minutes before our food was supposed to come out, I was approached to first verify our order. There was NO bartender or anyone attending to us. When the bartender arrived after our scheduled party time, he was unable to service us any drinks because he just got there and had to set up the bar. Our event time was for 12:30pm. Close to 1:15pm I was able to get a tasteless diet Pepsi. Bartender asked for our drink tickets and I had NO clue what he was talking about as we never received any. There was NO party "host" from K1 attending to us. There was minimal staff and a lot of confusion on their end. Maybe it was every single employee's first day? I don't know but it sure seemed like it. Once our food came out, there were 5 items missing and the items that did come out were half cooked, barely warm, wrong and tasted terrible!! 25 minutes later the remaining food items came out and were not any better than the others. There were no apologies, no customer service at all, and only disappointment in our event. I was ready to leave but we had not raced yet. That was the only good part of the event. After we finished racing and went back upstairs to use our drink tickets, a K1 staffer came up to me and said "Oh we forgot to get your credit card when you got here". We were there for over 2 hours at this point! I told him I booked this event through corporate, they have our credit card because I had to put down the deposit and we had many issues needing to be discussed before I was paying the remaining balance. The first "manager" at CORPORATE offered us a $5/pp discount! What a joke!! We paid $115/pp and didn't even eat 50% of the awful food and the service was even worse! A couple days later the Director of Sales offered a final discount of $10/pp. PATHETIC and K1 Speed should be EMBARRASSED & ASHAMED for their HORRENDOUS customer service!! I would NEVER EVER recommend hosting an event at K1 Speed. I truly do not know how they host events for more than 13 people!! The car racing part was fun but you better believe I will not be returning ever OR recommending to any of my colleagues or friends to ever host an event there! read more

Not worth the price at all. Constantly stopping the cars so you can't really race which is kinda the whole point. They do not have a liquor license so don't plan on hanging out. read more

K1 speed is the premier place for go kart racing. Whether you're a novice or pro the friendly staff is very attentive and helpful. It can get pricey if you do multiple races, but given the equipment and facilities it's understandable. Hint if you're a good racer ask for a level 4 cart they're faster. However, you have to be a good driver and safe to get bumped up. Also keep your race result sheet and get $5 off next time you go! read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Observation deck - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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Easy to find. Nice clean place. Been to the Addison location. But, this location just seems a little bit smaller. Was a long line at the cashier. But, they got us checked in pretty fast. Always a fun and fast cart experience. Love the sheer instant speed if electric motors. Came in 2nd my first go around the track, so I am happy. read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Chose to take my boyfriend here for his 18th birthday just to be repetitively yelled at, rushed and spoken to with an attitude or rude tone. Spent 100$ just to be rushed to putting on a helmet and not even instructed how any of this even worked. The only nice person there was the younger asian gentleman who told me it'll be okay, that the first time is always harder for new people and then asked at the end how it was. If I only saw him instead of every other employee I would have had the best time ever. Your jobs aren't hard. You stand and watch people race. No need to have an attitude. People pay hard working money and not to be disrespected. Then they were looking at my boyfriend weird and wouldn't help him put on his helmet. Both of the two he picked up were broken until we finally got the right one and they just made him feel stupid for it. Overall would go kart race again. Just never again here. This was a pretty shit place to have a birthday. read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Love this place. The Go-Karts are fast and fun, each race is about 10 minutes long. They also have a full bar upstairs with food menu as well. Now reason why I'm putting 3 stars is we waited for over an hour to do our race and each party had the track for themselves. Even a party of two they were allowed to have the track for themselves. We were a party of 6, they ended up putting two very young kids with our party during the race the kids weren't going as fast as we were and kept blocking us behind them while we were trying to race through the track. We had to slow down behind them. We of course did not want to crash into to them. So we had to slow down behind them. This took away from the full experience of enjoying the track. Now I understand we were not a private party and there would be a chance for others to be Part of our group. What I don't understand is why would they group two young children with a much older group? Also we had paid for two races when we finished the first race the gentleman had told us we would only wait 5 minutes for our next race and to Check in at the front. So when we went to check in the lady told us it would be over 45 minutes. We were pretty upset and didn't even use the second race we left. This experience was not a very good one me and my family had. Hopefully this will change next time around if we decide to go back to this location. read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Track - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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We had a corporate event here for 50+ folks. It turned out wonderful. The food was perfect with selections for all special diets. Great food quality. Everyone was very friendly, polite and went out of their way to help. Everyone had a blast racing, and it was clear that safety is a priority. I'd recommend the place to others. read more

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No where near updated. Employees don't seem to care and have attitude. They didn't acknowledge any customers including our group. The one time we were acknowledged the employee snapped at us. The arcade area run down. When we called we were told the bar and food area were open when we got there they said they weren't. So lot of issues and the facility itself is beat up. Great back in the day but no where near that anymore. read more

So the track is really fun and kids love it. The place is understaffed so checking in takes forever. Overall facility was pretty gross. It was clear it wasn't cleaned and bathrooms were disgusting. read more

Nice sweet place to try it . Cars go up to 45 mph which is pretty sweet . I like they have a bar on the second floor Close to twin peaks read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Ready set Go - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

IT IS SOOO MUCH FUN!!! IT IS A MUST EXPERIENCE. First of all, I love that the place was clean and friendly. I've never gone indoor go-kart racing but I love the props and designs they had to have that race car feel. You will have opportunities to do some photo-op to make more of your experience. All the staff was very nice, easy to communicate with, and knows what they are doing! Very important to assess that especially when there is a danger of injuring yourself. Most important part is the price and race. My group reserved an event for 9 people and it was $50/person. They don't charge tax! Also, I highly suggest making a reservation because there could be a LONG wait... so, it was worth the price. We did 2 races. A 14-lap qualifier and a 16-lap finals. It definitely goes by FAST, but that's because we were having sooo much fun. If you are looking for a fun winter activity, definitely put it in your bucket list! read more

Came with a group of 6. Had reservations but still had to wait an hour. The cars are fun to drive but they throttle your speed. One regular was there who they didn't throttle and kept lapping everyone. I would come back again but I think you have to race here a bunch for them to let your car go faster. It goes fast enough if this is your first time. Half of the group I was with got sick after the first race. So beware of that. read more

Fun place but employees are very rude and don't explain anything to new drivers. You get yelled at for every little bump.. that's if you can get in for a race.. tried calling 20 times today and haven't gotten a single answer. Left messages and haven't gotten a reply.. I need to know wait times before I go just to wait 1.5 hours between races... read more

1. Not Covid friendly...multiple people without masks on putting their heads into the helmets even without the "socks" they give you. Literally saw employees talking to customers and neither one of them wearing mask or kept social distance. They do not clean the helmets between drivers/races either. 2. They make you buy a membership for $7....fine....but it's a 6-8 min race . We paid $116 for 2 races and waited over an hour....not worth it 3. Cannot make reservation unless you have a party of 8 or more and there is no way to find out how long the wait time is. They never pick up their phones and there is no way to check online. 4. Addison was the worst...rude rude rude front desk person who did stated there was a 3hr wait and said to call the other location....haha! 5. We ended up driving to Buffalo Grove. We were met with a much nicer employee and she apologized for all the confusion and the wait times and for the Addison location. Final thoughts...it was fun for the 8 mins but not worth the wait....horrible management and horrible cleanliness. Which is sad because so many business are struggling to stay open right now. read more

Was fun for a few laps. The worker was very aggressive and made it easy to not want to ride again.

Good overall experience. Yes it's pricey, but it is worth it overall. Staff is nice and does a good job of assisting you. A participant did get t-boned and crashed hard, and they just stopped all of the cars. Didn't really assist him that well. Be safe and careful. read more

Checked the faq and went in there with our son who just reached 48". They told us he's right there but come back after he grows another inch or two. If the requirement was 50" we wouldn't have come and disappointed him. Weird experience. read more

I have a sports car- I drive fast. Why was I dead last each time I raced? 1. Its BORING. Honestly around the track 4 time would have been enough for me, 14-16 X around was a snore. I tried to give away my second race and had no takers- why? cause its BORING. 2. The carts are weird. I'm 5 5 and I felt like I was sitting so low I could barely see over the steering wheel to see what was going on and the plastic on my helmet was so scratched up I couldn't see that well in front. Yes, I should have asked for a different helmet but there wasn't really a time. My legs were at such a odd angle holding my ankle up so I didn't hit the brake on accident. Uncomfortable. 3. You have no idea whats going on behind you- no mirrors, just some guy waving a flag and staring deep into your eyes trying to communicate.... what? 4. Food? Not so good. Cold fries, what looked and tasted some frozen patties and while there was a dessert platter, Several bar like things on it were unknown as to ID. no chocolate anything. The best part was sitting upstairs and watched the employees go wacky with the flag twirling. read more

What to do, what to do... For kid's spring break. Explore the city? Done that...Go out of town? Done that too... Go Karts? Sure! Why not?! We ended up at K1 Speed around 2pm on a Friday(Good Friday) so I'm not sure if this was a bad idea because we spent long hours there. Not hours of racing, but hours of waiting. I don't want to breakdown the snaily slow service that we've experienced. I would just like to think that it was a busy day and they couldn't handle the pressure. The facility is clean, with cool decors and machines to play with, couches, TV screens...while waiting for the racer's turn to drive. There is a second floor bar area and kitchen for parties and events. It is pretty expensive but I understand that it could be pricey to maintain the cars and the tracks. There are two tracks. Track 1 is for racers 4 feet and taller...Track 2 is the Junior Track, or racers who are shorter than 4 feet. I would not recommend it for people with a weak heart because other racers who might drive with you on the track are mindless of the other racers. My kids were bumped multiple times, even if one of the rules given was "No Bumping". I did not race, I was on mommy mode, taking pictures and videos, and making sure that I give the evil eye on the racers who bumped my children. My kids were bored about the wait(2.5 hrs) nefore their first race, then they had to wait again for their second race...but at least they've experienced it. Will I bring them back? Probably not. I don't think they would be jumping for joy if I ask them about going back because they have been scarred from waiting. It's not cheap as well even if it is a good venue and concept for small parties. At least we could check this one off our list of activities next time. read more

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I came here for a really fun date. We both signed in and were told the wait would be about 20 minutes. We were told the rules and racing in probably 15 minutes. The concept was really cool, but they go over the rules and meanings of the flags really fast. Our first race was with all newbies who were going slow and wouldn't move over for you to pass. I was sad after the first race because they didn't put me on the list, so I didn't get to see my time or ranking. The second race they included me...yay! I had fun racing, but in the future, I would only do one race. When I left my back hurt. The following day, I had three softball sized bruises on my back from how hard the seat is. Ouch. The owner messaged my saying I could use a booster seat next time, but I don't think she realized that I am five foot ten... Make sure you use the awesome yelp check in offer! read more

After bringing my family to K1 Speed for a special birthday surprise, the front desk told us there were 11 other events occurring. A day in advance I had called to confirm that the tracks would be open and they guaranteed it. There we were, hours from home, running back to the car in 20 degree weather. I do not recommend this place under any conditions due to the bad communication and their careless corporate. read more

This location isnt as great as the others. They slow down your carts non stop (yes they control that) - so when your too close to someone you cannot really compete like a race. Theyll just slow the leader down so people can pass you. King of bogus. Expensive and you want to race yet they dont let you actually race. read more

THIS IS UNSAFE!!! My 12 old year son and I just went here for the first time and since we're both 60 inches bought the adult "speedpass" package. On our very first race, my son and I both had trouble braking cause unless you can jam it all the way down it doesn't actually slow you down. My son spun out and crashed into the side. In addition, the other 4 drivers we were paired with were all teenagers and drove like maniacs and kept bumping into us. The flag warnings & signs "No bumping" the worker holds up did nothing to prevent them from continuing this throughout the entire race. Upon getting out the worker saw my son already holding his neck in pain and said he "noted the bumping on the other drivers accounts". The workers knew this was our first time cause I made sure to tell them all and should have done more to prevent this from happening. I have never felt so unsafe in my entire life on a go kart track. This is not family friendly. I followed up with the manager and got a refund and filed an injury incident report with the regional manager. Hoping my son's neck will heal but please do not take your family here. read more

Took my boyfriend there on August 7th for his birthday. The lady at the front desk kept trying to get me to buy the $60 3 race package. "No thank you." I said. The lady kept pressing. "No" I shook my head. "Well I think you should get it." So I bought one race for the both of us, for $60. And then after we're about to leave, the lady says "Oh just so you know, if it's your birthday, you get in for free." WE TOLD HER IT WAS HIS BIRTHDAY. Never going back. read more

AMAZING totally recommend completely. the workers incredible place is OUTSTANDING. We found the facility to be well organized and the staff to be helpful,considerate, and took extra time to make us feel welcomed. Can't wait to go back! read more

Do not attempt to book a party here. You will pay your money and never get a call back regardless of how many different phone numbers you try to call. Email was the same result. It's infuriating and a complete waste of my time. I will never visit this venue again due to its complete lack of professionalism and customer service! read more

We had a blast blowing off some steam with two races. Staff was friendly and very thorough in providing track safety instructions. The karts are fast and well maintained. The entire operation is well run. I suggest going on a weekday or weeknight when it is less crowded. It was great fun and I can't wait to do this again! A big thanks to their nice team. read more

K1 Speed Buffalo Grove - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo Grove, Illinois

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This place is very fun and fills my need to race. I am a very enthusiastic formula 1 fan and this place is my go to race spot. They have a track for your kids and I haven't ever run into a mean employee like some of these reviews say but it is possible. The reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the price it's really expensive. But I totally understand the go karts cost a fortune then you put into accounts the bar the arcade the nascar and Indy car and the entire place it's not a cheap business. You don't have to bring any equipment but they give you a helmet and a head sock that basically is a ski mask. 4 stars the place is awesome read more