An ultra-buzzy burger joint is opening in Uptown Dallas: Called NADC Burger, it's a chef-driven cheeseburger concept serving Wagyu burgers that will open at 2908 McKinney Ave., in the former Playground Bar, which closed in 2024.

According to a spokesperson, it'll open in early August.

NADC — which stands for "Not a Damn Chance" — is a partnership between chef Phillip Frankland Lee (co-founder of Sushi by Scratch Restaurants and Pasta Bar) and professional skateboarder and Fort Worth entrepreneur Neen Williams.

United by a love of food and skateboarding, the two set out to create the kind of burger they couldn’t find — one that felt indulgent yet familiar. The result was “the ultimate backyard burger,” featuring two 6-ounce Wagyu patties, American cheese, grilled onions smashed into the beef, secret sauce, pickles, and pickled jalapeños.

They keep the menu simple:

• Double patty cheeseburger with Wagyu beef, American cheese, sauce, onion, pickle, and seasoning by Williams' NADC spice company, for $16
• Fries double-fried in beef tallow, either plain or in loaded "Beast Mode" with cheese, chopped pickles, jalapeños, sauce, and seasoning

 Loaded fries at NADC BurgerNADC

There are also brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Every detail — from the seasoning to the burger-to-bun ratio — is meticulously considered.

Lee has previously earned Michelin stars for Pasta | Bar in Encino, California, and Sushi by Scratch in Montecito, California. (There's also a Sushi by Scratch at The Adolphus in downtown Dallas.)

NADC started in Austin in 2022, and has since expanded in Austin, Denver, Chicago, Nashville (inside Jelly Roll's Goodnight Nashville bar), and Fort Worth, which opened in January 2025 (and which promptly won Best Burger at the Fort Worth Food & Wine Festival in April 2025).

Some NADC locations are inside other venues such as comedy clubs, including Fort Worth.

But Uptown Dallas will be a first-of-its-kind model, says Scratch Restaurants Group CEO Gavin Humes.

"This is a standalone NADC Burger restaurant," Humes says. "We’re fully transforming it into our own concept. There will be a full bar onsite to support our new cocktail offerings, but it’s 100 percent a dedicated NADC space."

Uptown will also be their first location to stand two stories tall, and will feature counter service, a full bar serving specialty NADC cocktails, and a casual hangout area with indoor and outdoor seating.

"Uptown felt like the right move — it's a vibrant neighborhood that’s surprisingly underserved when it comes to fast-casual food done at a high level," Humes says. "From the start, Dallas was a priority market. It’s one of the biggest food cities in the country and a natural fit for the energy and flavor of NADC."