Downtown News

Big restaurant changes at Statler Dallas Hotel include a new Primo's

Inside these walls, big changes are going down.

Photo courtesy of the Statler

Dramatic changes are happening on the dining front at the Statler Hotel in downtown Dallas, including a brand new restaurant and a second location of an iconic Mexican restaurant from Uptown.

The newbie is an Italian-American restaurant called Sfereco and it will open in the former Ramen & Bao space adjacent to the Statler. This is a brand new entity from Refined Hospitality Concepts (RHC), a subsidiary of Centurion American, the company belonging to developer Mehrdad Moayedi, who also owns the Statler. RHC operates Primo's MX Kitchen & Lounge, Dallas Proper, Bourbon & Banter, Scout, Over Easy, Fine China, Waterproof, and Nosh Bistro.

Also opening at the Statler: Primo’s MX Kitchen & Lounge. It will go into the spot at the Statler currently occupied by Fine China, which will shutter on March 9, IE today, though it will live on via catering events, Fooda events, and occasional pop-ups.

A release says that reconcepting Fine China had already been in the works, and Primo’s was deemed the perfect fit "for the festive atmosphere at the Statler." The two new restaurants will open summer 2020.

Primo's MX Kitchen & Lounge recently re-opened its Uptown location — successfully, says Refined Hospitality Concepts COO Robert Hall.

"Primo's opening has been such a success in Uptown so we're excited to bring that energy and excitement to downtown Dallas,” Hall says. "Extending the Primo's brand to this space at the Statler allows us to meet the growing need for private dining space with the food and cocktails for which Primo's is known and loved."

Hall says he drew inspiration from New York City, "where it becomes clear that American Italian is its own cuisine," he says.

For corporate chef Ryan Carbery, it's an homage to his childhood days working in his family's restaurants. "I can remember so vividly the sights and smells of my dad's pizza and pasta restaurant, and how it really brought people together," he says.

Sfereco will follow a quick-service model, where you order food at a counter and eat at communal tables. A full-service bar will include beer, wine, and craft cocktails, including some Italian-inspired drinks.

Sfereco's signature dish will be the meatball, in beef, pork, chicken, and even vegetarian options. They can be ordered solo, or in bowls, or on pizza, or in pasta.

Chef's favorites include

Sfereco Meatball with house-made pork-beef-veal grind, spaghetti, pomodoro, parmiggiano-reggiano, and basil
Pesto Pasta with basil pesto, parmiggiano-reggiano, and pine nuts
Short Rib with polenta, tomato sauce, and parmiggiano-reggiano
Jimmy’s Italian Flatbread with Jimmy's Italian sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella, and basil

They'll also do an American Italian theme on that most important meal of the week, brunch.

Sfereco and Primo'x MX will join the hotel's other three dining spots: Overeasy, the casual all-day restaurant; Scout, the fun-and-games bar on the hotel's ground floor; and Waterproof, the glamorous bar on the 19th floor of the hotel.

downtown

Flair News

TGI Fridays files for bankruptcy, all 6 Dallas locations now closed

TGI Fridays

Restaurant chain TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy protection on November 2, saying it is looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand after closing many of its branches in 2024.

The Dallas-based company's Chapter 11 filing in a Texas federal court accelerates a gradual decline for an iconic chain that was once near the center of American pop culture but has seen its customer base dwindle as tastes changed.

TGI Fridays executive chairman Rohit Manocha said in a statement that the challenges were a result of COVID-19.

"The next steps announced today are difficult but necessary actions to protect the best interests of our stakeholders, including our domestic and international franchisees and our valued team members around the world," Manocha said. "The primary driver of our financial challenges resulted from COVID-19 and our capital structure. This restructuring will allow our go-forward restaurants to proceed with an optimized corporate infrastructure that enables them to reach their full potential."

Until recently, Dallas-Fort Worth had 11 locations including five at DFW Airport. Those airport locations are the only ones still open. The remaining six are all now closed — some closures very recent, most after being in business for a decade or more: 4951 Belt Line Rd. in Addison; 311 N. Clark St. in Cedar Hill, southwest of Dallas; 3700 Towne Crossing Blvd. in Mesquite; and 220 Cornflower Dr. at Firewheel Town Center in Garland.

A Plano location at 2444 Preston Rd. closed in 2022 and is now home to Rise Souffle, while the flagship in Dallas' West End at 1713 Market St. closed in 2020 after 32 years.

Privately owned by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, TGI Fridays has been a beloved dining destination since its inaugural bar opened in Manhattan in 1965. It expanded over the following decades to become a ubiquitous suburban gathering spot known for its ribs, potato skins topped with cheese and bacon, and a decor bedecked with red stripes and Tiffany-style lamps.

The company has boasted that its bartenders trained Tom Cruise for his role in the 1988 film Cocktail, while its serving staff's button-filled uniforms, meant to evoke a fun atmosphere, were later parodied in the 1999 satire Office Space, starring Jennifer Aniston.

Its empire peaked in 2008 with 601 restaurants in the U.S. and a $2 billion business, according to Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research at Technomic. Its sales in the U.S. were $728 million in 2023, down 15% from the prior year, according to Technomic.

It now counts 163 restaurants in the U.S., down from 269 last year and 213 from a week ago. It closed 36 in January and dozens more in the past week. TGI Fridays Inc. said it only owns and operates 39 restaurants in the U.S, a fraction of the 461 TGI Fridays-branded restaurants around the world.

A separate entity, TGI Fridays Franchisor, owns the intellectual property and has franchised the brand to 56 independent owners in 41 countries. Those are independently owned and not part of the Chapter 11 process, and remain open.

A United Kingdom-based franchisee, Hostmore, also sought debt protection in September and abruptly closed locations throughout that country after a failed takeover deal to acquire TGI Fridays.

During the pandemic TGI Fridays made an effort to expand into the delivery market by making itself a hub for ghost kitchens, which have no storefront and only prepare food for delivery. Among the major creditors owed money by TGI Fridays is the delivery service DoorDash, according to Saturday's bankruptcy court filings.

Sit-down chain restaurants more broadly have faced challenges in recent years as diners choose to get food delivered or visit upscale fast-food chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack. In September a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a reorganization plan for the seafood chain Red Lobster after years of mounting losses. Italian American food chain Buca di Beppo filed for bankruptcy protection in August. PAnother iconic U.S. sit-down restaurant, Denny's, announced in October that it is closing 150 of its lowest-performing restaurants in an effort to turn around the brand’s flagging sales. Wendy’s is also closing up to 140 restaurants, according to a statement from The Wendy's Co. on October 31.