Farewell Wayward Sons
Hip Dallas restaurant on Greenville Avenue lays weary head to rest
Greenville Avenue restaurant Wayward Sons has closed, via a release from owners Brandon Hays, Phil Schanbaum, and chef Graham Dodds. The restaurant closed on Valentine's Day, which Hays says was serendipitous.
"It's fitting that we closed Wayward Sons on a day that revolves around love," he says. "The amount of love that went into this project is unparalleled to anything I have ever done before, and I know my partners Phil and Graham feel the same way."
The restaurant opened in late 2015 with a fair bit of buzz, thanks to the hip credits of its owners and the following of chef Dodds, formerly of Bolsa, Central 214, and Hibiscus, and one of the city's most acclaimed chefs.
Hays and Phillip Schanbaum built a reputation for a growing portfolio of bars, some with food, including So & So’s on McKinney Avenue, and Whippersnapper on Henderson Avenue.
Dodds continued his mission of championing seasonality and local ingredients with signature dishes such as Windy Meadows chicken and dumplings and a burger made of beef from Texas-based 44 Farms.
The restaurant also cultivated a vegetarian following, with menu items such as grits with Brussels sprouts, mushroom tamales, and a vegetarian "charcuterie," with house-made lentil sausage.
"I had hoped we would be a neighborhood staple for the long-term," Dodds says. "I will miss my staff, a very dedicated and diverse group of passionate and hardworking folks, the most."
Hays says it was a dream come true to open Wayward Sons, and thanks their partners and landlords, who "did everything they could to work with us," he says.
He also thanked the staff for working "tirelessly and eloquently," and "finally, to our guests who supported us, thank you."