Burger News

Family-friendly Austin restaurant sends Dallas burgers and pickle love

Burgers from Austin are headed for DFW.

Photo courtesy of Hat Creek

It's been said that chicken has replaced burgers as the big trend, but that may have been too hasty, as the Dallas area is about to see another burger name join our pack. Hat Creek Burger Co., a small chain from Austin, will open four locations, including one in Dallas on Walnut Hill Lane.

Two locations will open in Collin County, off 121 in Allen and at 3321 S. Custer Rd. in McKinney; a fourth is headed for Rowlett.

Hat Creek Burger Co. started out life as a food truck, launched by founder Drew Gressett in 2008. There are currently five locations around Austin. The menu has burgers and milkshakes, but also salads, breakfast, and beer. For non-beef-eaters, there is a turkey burger, a veggie grain burger, and a chicken sandwich. There are fries, sweet potato fries, and fried pickles — they're way into their pickles.

The first DFW branch opening will be McKinney, in early fall; the other three branches will open in late 2017 or early 2018.

Gressett was born in Dallas, and says that he and his family have great ties to the Dallas community.

"We decided on Dallas because of its large population of families looking for a great place to enjoy awesome food and awesome service," he says. "Along with our local partners, we're excited about bringing a great family-oriented place to Dallas."

The family-friendly atmosphere is an essential Hat Creek signature, says spokesperson Tara Miko. Every location has an indoor playground for kids, and each playground is unique.

"For our latest Austin branch, we retrofitted a vintage Silverstream trailer to tell the story of how Hat Creek began as a food truck," she says. "We're not doing pre-fab playgrounds — each location will have its own stamp and identity."

Everybody in the Hat Creek family has kids. "We aim to be the family-friendly restaurant," she says. "It's about providing a place for mom to sit outside by the playground with a glass of wine. We have great burgers, but we'd rather you come for the atmosphere and then try the burger and find out it's awesome."

burgers openings

Sports + Snacks

All the game-day snacks awaiting you at CultureMap Dallas' Tailgate

Photo courtesy of The Statler

Open wide for sliders from Scout at The Statler.

Attention, sports fans: The Tailgate presented by Verizon is almost here. CultureMap Dallas' signature sporty event, presented by Verizon, is happening Monday, December 9, at The Empire Room, and you'll want to be there.

Why? Because even if you aren't a football fanatic, hockey hound, soccer supporter, or basketball and baseball buff, you're probably a big fan of fantastic local food and drinks.

All Tailgate tickets include bites by participating restaurants, complimentary premium beverages, and access to fun activities throughout the event. VIP tickets come with one-hour-early entry, access to a dedicated VIP bar, an exclusive meet-and-greet with former Texas Rangers star and baseball legend Rafael Palmeiro, and more perks for an elevated experience.

You also get to make your voice heard before the event, as readers are now voting for their favorite local wings restaurant in our Ultimate Wing Showdown. Think of this as sort of like the Sweet 16, where local champs face off in an online tournament and the winner will be revealed at the party. Click here to vote for your favorites.

Hungry yet? Popular Dallas restaurants and chefs will create tailgate-inspired dishes for attendees to sample and vote for their favorite.

Here's even more of what's on the menu at The Tailgate:

Smash Burger Pizza from Cenzo's Pizza & Deli
Buffalo shrimp and blue cheese grits from McRae's American Bistro & Cocktails
Dr Pepper BBQ bacon sliders from Snuffer's
Sweet n' spicy bruschetta from Postino
Pulled pork banh mi from JW Marriott Arts District
Bulgogi Ssam (marinated ribeye lettuce wraps) from JOA Grill
A variety of mini sandwiches from Corner Bakery
Mexican shrimp cocktail and poblano cream soup from Anaya's Seafood
Game Time venison roll-ups from Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse
Smoke Signal sliders from Scout at the Statler Hotel
Pastrami and pimento cheese sandwiches from Empire Baking Company
Nonna's spaghetti and meatballs from Will Salisbury
The Original ChopShop's Kickoff with Coconut Chia Pudding and Huddle for Hummus with tortilla strips and veggies
Blueberry cheesecake and tiramisu tartlets from La Rêve Gelato & Pâtisserie

To wet your whistle, there will be signature cocktails by Tequila 512 (the Touchdown Margarita and Mexican Mule Rusher) and Jim Beam Black (the BBG and Rackhouse Black) and beer from EIGHT, along with THC seltzers from Howdy, 8th Wonder, and Beach Break.

The event will also shine a spotlight on local sports organizations, including the 2023 World Series champs Texas Rangers, who will be raffling off an autographed baseball to fans. The Frisco Roughriders' mascot, Bull Moose, will be on hand for fun giveaways. And Former FC Dallas soccer star Kenny Cooper will kick it with fans in a meet-and-greet.

Verizon and CultureMap are even giving away a VIP trip for two to Super Bowl LIX*. More details on how to enter here for a chance to win. To get into the spirit, Verizon and their Super Bowl bus will host a special appearance from a surprise celebrity athlete at Tailgate.

We'll keep you up to date on all things Tailgate-related in a special editorial series of stories leading up to the event.

Tickets are $75 for VIP and $50 for General Admission. For a limited time, we’re giving you $10 off; use code Tailgate10 at checkout.

Get your tickets now before they sell out, and we’ll see you on December 9.

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The Tailgate is presented by Verizon and sponsored by HOWDY, Eight Beer, Jim Beam Black, 512 Tequila, and more to be announced.

*The NFL Entities shall have no liability or responsibility for any claim arising in connection with participation in this sweepstakes or any prize awarded. The NFL Entities have not offered or sponsored this sweepstakes in any way.

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