Gastropub News

Portland gastropub opens restaurant for thirsty folk in The Colony

That's a green chile chicken sandwich you see.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill

A Portland, Oregon chain triples down on Dallas-Fort Worth with the addition of a new restaurant opening in The Colony.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub will open a location at the The Colony's Grandscape, the growing mixed-use center with hotel, amphitheater, restaurants, and more. But it'll be a little while. According to a release, the restaurant will open in winter 2020.

The Colony joins two other North Texas locations that have opened in the past two years, with the first opening at Toyota Music Factory in Irving in 2017, and a second in Euless' Glade Parks Town Center in December 2018.

Thirsty Lion has been expanding across the West since it launched in 2011. The chain has nine locations in Oregon, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado and plans to open two more U.S. locations in 2019.

"We've experienced enormous success and North Texans have welcomed us with open arms," says Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill CEO John Plew in a release.

At The Grandscape, Thirsty Lion will join a variety of restaurants, outdoor amphitheater, convention center, hotel and spa, and more.

The menu is a major step up from your basic pub grub. Top sellers include fish tacos, burgers, and salads such as blackened salmon Caesar, grilled steak, and Cobb. There's a green chile chicken sandwich on a crusty roll, a trendy ahi poke bowl, and an eclectic appetizer menu with bacon-wrapped BBQ prawns, sushi rolls, and traditional Scotch eggs.

Thirsty Lion is also innovative, updating its menu with seasonal items and specials. The chain was in the first wave of restaurants to offer the revolutionary Impossible burger, a plant-based burger that is a convincing replica of the real thing.

Thirsty Lion's Grandscape location will be its most unique yet. It'll be the chain's first two-story location with a second-floor bar and patio on the roof as well as 5,000 square feet of outdoor seating and an additional 2,500 square foot yard patio with lawn games.

Each location is unique to its environment and features fire pits, multiple tv screens, outdoor patios and an industrial dining room equipped with top-of-the line acoustics, allowing for the simultaneous enjoyment of music, conversation and sports watching.

Thirsty Lion also recently added a weekend brunch menu at all locations, on Saturday-Sunday from 10 am-2 pm. Dishes include a "breakfast" burger, spicy fried chicken and waffles, and Irish whiskey French toast. Brunch drinks include bloody Marys, mimosas, and the Texas Flight, which features six four-ounce pours from local breweries.

craft-beer

Robot News

Food delivery robots are rolling into downtown Dallas

Avride

Avride robot

Self-driving robots are rolling out in Dallas: Launched by a company called Avride, they'll roll through the sidewalks of downtown Dallas carrying small food deliveries.

Avride, which has been creating self-driving vehicles and robots since 2017, formed a partnership with Uber in October 2024 to expand food delivery with both its sidewalk robots and autonomous robotaxis. So far, more than 160 robots have made over 200,000 deliveries across five countries, including the U.S. and South Korea.

All the cool cities have them including Austin, where Avride robots made their debut in mid-November, delivering food from restaurants in the Mueller district, including Colleen's Kitchen, Rebel Cheese, and Xian Sushi and Noodle.

Now that list includes Dallas, says Avride Head of Communications Yulia Shveyko in an email.

“Starting today, customers can enjoy robot deliveries from participating restaurants in the area, with more locations and restaurants to be added soon,” Shveyko says.

The way it works is that users will place an order through the Uber Eats app, but choose autonomous delivery to have a robot drop off a meal at their doorstep. Users can track the robot’s location just as they would an Uber in the app.

Once it arrives, there’s an “unlock” button in the app that opens the hatch of the robot to access the food inside. Rain or snow doesn’t interrupt service; the little robot is water resistant and designed for any weather.

The hatch that holds the food can accommodate approximately six boxes of pizza and three 1.5 liter bottles or bags of groceries.

Some of the participating restaurants so far include Salsa Limón and Bread Zeppelin. A bonus perk of the service is no tipping is required.

According to a memo from a Dallas assistant city manager, the delivery robots are 35 by 27 by 47 inches, featuring six wheels with a speed of five miles per hour, and carrying up to 44 pounds. They deliver within a two-mile radius.

To make the robots look more "friendly and approachable," they’re designed with a face on an LED screen that can "wink" and change eye expressions and neutral colors.

The next step in Avride’s Uber partnership is debuting robotaxis in Dallas by 2025.

downtown technology