Luby's For Sale

4 Dallas-area Luby's cafeterias remain open despite chain's uncertain future

Fewer families are gathering at Luby's.

Luby's/Facebook

The days of square fish and LuAnn platters could be coming to an end. Luby's, the popular Texas cafeteria, announced it will pursue a sale of all its assets, including real estate, to pay off debt and raise money for its shareholders.

During the period while the company looks for a buyer for its three restaurant brands — Luby's, Fuddruckers, and Cheeseburger in Paradise — some locations will remain open to serve customers.

Currently, the company owns 78 Luby's, 39 Fuddruckers, and one Cheeseburger in Paradise; of those, only 98 are currently open due to restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, according to second quarter fiscal results the company released on Wednesday.

Dallas-Fort Worth has 10 locations of Luby's. Their website shows four open and six temporarily closed as follows.

Open:

Desoto: 801 North Beckley Rd.
Forest Hill: 3312 Southeast Loop 820
Ft Worth: 1200 Bridgewood Dr.
Ft Worth: 3801 Northeast Loop 820

Temporarily Closed:

Dallas: 6221 East Mockingbird Ln.
Dallas: 13455 Midway Rd.
Dallas: 5600 South Hampton Rd.
Duncanville: 926 East Highway 67
Plano: 5040 West Park Blvd.
Rockwall: 2235 S Goliad St.

DFW has 7 Fuddruckers. Their website shows three open and four temporarily closed, but customers report that none are open.

Frisco 2947 Preston Rd.
McKinney: 2045 N. Central Expy.
Plano: 741 N. Central Expy.
Dallas: 4520 Frankford Rd.
Fort Worth: 5601 SW Loop 820
Grapevine: 2001 N. Highway 121
Rockwall: 2235 S. Goliad St.

That Luby's could shutter has been a possibility for some time. In 2019, the company fended off a challenge from an activist investor that sought to replace members of its board of directors. The restaurant has seen sales decline as consumers choose fast-casual restaurants over cafeterias. It made the decision to pursue a sale after a special committee of its board of directors reviewed the company's operations.

Founded in San Antonio in 1947, Luby's relocated its corporate headquarters to Houston after Pappas Restaurants owners Chris and Harris Pappas bought a majority stake in the company in 2001.

At this time, the company's future is unknown. It could find a buyer that purchases the entire business outright or it could sell off its substantial real estate holdings one-by-one and fade into obscurity. In the meantime, diners may want to contemplate making their next visit sooner than later.

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Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its Texas debut: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's a ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.