Closure News
Craft beer tavern at Plano's Shops at Legacy closes in bankruptcy
A beer-happy tavern in Plano has closed: Henry's Tavern, located at the Shops at Legacy, closed at the end of June, and its parent company just declared bankruptcy.
Henry's posted the news of its closure on its Facebook page and website, stating, "Thank you for your patronage of Henry's Tavern. We're sorry to announce Henry's Tavern Plano is permanently closed. We made the difficult decision to close our Plano, Texas location as of June 27, 2019."
A spokesperson had little to add, saying, "We have felt so honored to host the celebrations of so many throughout Plano and to be a part of the community. We thank our guests for their support."
But the closure was part of an unfortunate larger initiative: Its parent company, Restaurants Unlimited, declared bankruptcy on July 7, closing five other restaurants it said were not profitable, including two locations of Palomino; Prime Rib & Chocolate Cake in Portland; a Stanford's in northern California; and Portland Seafood Co. in Oregon.
Restaurants Unlimited, which previously owned 35 restaurants across the United States, is blaming the rising minimum wage plus the cost of opening two restaurants that didn’t work out.
The first Henry's opened in Portland in 2004; there are also Henry's outposts in Washington and Denver, Colorado.
The Plano location opened in October 2012, with a focus on craft beer, including 100 beers on tap — a trend that was on the rise at the time but has kind of waned.
They were known for their gastro-style menu, with fish & chips, waffle fries, and over-the-top burgers, such as the one topped with cheddar, pickles, onion rings, garlic aioli, bacon — and crunchy peanut butter.
They were not without fans: In 2013, they earned a spot on OpenTable's 100 Hottest Restaurant Bars, which rewarded eateries with a vibrant bar scene.
Dallas also had a location of Palomino at the Crescent in Uptown Dallas, but that closed in 2017 after 20 years. It's now home to Sixty Vines, the pizza-and-wine concept from Front Burner Group Dining.
The Henry's Tavern closure represents another departure for the Shops at Legacy, which has seen restaurants such as Jasper's, Cafe Express, and Sal's close, for a variety of reasons, some coincidental, some not.
