Enchilada Time

Upscale Dallas Tex-Mex restaurant joins lineup at Victory Park

Add quesadillas to the menu at Victory Park.

Photo courtesy of Mesero

Victory Park has signed on another new restaurant, and it's a biggie: Mesero, the Tex-Mex concept from restaurateur Mico Rodriguez. He'll open a flagship location at Victory Park, serving reimagined Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes, as well as American classics, with an opening set for early 2018.

In addition, a branch of Orangetheory Fitness will also open at Victory Park, bringing its scientifically backed, group personal training workout to Victory in the fall.

Mesero currently has four branches around Dallas, beginning with the original Mr. Mesero on McKinney Avenue, plus locations on Henderson Avenue, Inwood Village, and Prestonwood; another is set to open in Plano at the Legacy West complex. Rodriguez founded the chain after parting ways with Mi Cocina, the other successful Tex-Mex chain he helped spawn.

There are currently a dozen branches of Orangetheory Fitness in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Preston Hollow, Plano, and Rockwall.

Victory Park is undergoing a redevelopment by owner Estein USA and retail partner Trademark Property Co. They're adding 85,000 square feet of new retail space, and making key district enhancements to evolve Victory Park into a more authentic, walkable, and soulful urban neighborhood.

Both Mesero and Orangetheory Fitness will be located in a new mixed-used building under construction at Victory Park Lane and High Market Street. The building, which is nearing completion, will also be home to two other 2017 openings: Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas – Victory Park and The 23, a new 285-unit mixed-use apartment community by LMC, as well as 20,000 square feet of new retail space.

Victory Park vice president Lance Fair says in a release that these new tenants give a more concrete glimpse of the new vision for the district.

"Everything we are doing — the tenant lineup, local food and beverage talent, the public art program, down to the smallest detail — is designed to contribute to a refreshing, authentic vibe that will make Victory a vibrant destination for visitors to rediscover," he says.

Mesero joins a slew of other new restaurants and bars: There's the restaurant and bar from the owners of High Fives, So & So's, and The Standard Pour; a bar and tavern by Brooke Humphries of Barcadia, Beauty Bar, Mudsmith, It’ll Do Club, and Pints & Quarts fame; a restaurant-entertainment concept in Victory Plaza from Humphries and Elias Pope (HG Sply Co.); and three concepts from Tristan Simon's new venture, Rebees, including a saloon, a retail store, and workspace with a cafe.

Victory Park recently unveiled an 8-foot steel sculpture of a hand making a V, by California-based artist Nathan Mabry. Called Heavy Handed (Symbol), it's the first in a series of Instagram-worthy public art installations planned for Victory, including a large sculpture by Las Vegas artist Tim Bavington coming in the next few months.

Other redevelopment initiatives to date have included reworked streetscapes, sidewalks, and storefronts; district identity markers; wayfinding elements; public space amenities; two-way traffic conversion on Houston Street and Victory Avenue; and a dedicated bike lane extending the Katy Trail. Additional parking and valet options, as well as lighting and technology upgrades, will also roll out in 2017.

openings 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.