Closure News

Greenville Avenue Dallas restaurant Blind Butcher throws in towel

Charcuterie board out.

Photo courtesy of Blind Butcher

After four years on Greenville Avenue, Dallas restaurant Blind Butcher is throwing down the cleaver and closing its doors.

The restaurant best known for its charcuterie plate shared the news the way everyone does these days, via an announcement on Facebook.

Addressed to "Blind Butcher friends and family," it states that they will close on June 10.

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce our last day of business will be on Sunday June 10," the post says. "This is a day that we tried very hard to avoid and we want to thank all of you that helped us stick around this long. Our staff have been steadfast in their support and have been as great as any business owner could have hoped. To our loyal customers over the years we say thank you. Thank you for making us a part of your lives and thank you for all of the kind words and patronage that you have extended to us over the last 6 months especially."

In the last six months, the restaurant began to see a serious decline in business — so much so that owners Josh Yingling and Matt Tobin themselves began to work the bar, with a vow to put their tips back into the business. They also scaled down the menu significantly, under the direction of new chef Ernesto Garcia. (Original chef Oliver Sitrin left Blind Butcher in 2017 to take a sous chef position at Bullion, the downtown Dallas restaurant from chef Bruno Davaillon.)

In January 2018, they posted a plea on the restaurant's Facebook page, blaming road construction and too much competition, and soliciting customer support.

We will be offering a scaled down and more concise beer, cocktail and food menu while we work through this tough time.

"This is not a notice for pity but as realistic small business owners we wanted to face the facts head on and give everyone, including ourselves, a chance to fight for this city's restaurant scene and our place in it," they said.

Yingling and Tobin also own Goodfriend Burger House as well as Goodfriend Package Store, both in East Dallas.

closings

Bar News

Rodeo Dallas bar takes party to Uptown Dallas at new location

Rodeo

Rodeo bar is open in Uptown

A bar with Deep Ellum roots is expanding to Uptown Dallas: Called Rodeo Dallas, it'll open at 2922 N. Hall St. in the space previously occupied by Palms Bar. According to co-owner Joseph "JD" Ybanez, it'll open on November 28.

The first Rodeo location in Dallas opened in 2023 at 2724 Elm St. from Ybanez and partner Josh Reagan, a pair of hospitality veterans whose prior venues include Longshots in Dallas, plus two locations of Varsity Tavern, in Fort Worth and in Tempe.

Ybanez' first bar was Trophy Ranch in Fort Worth which had a mechanical bull. "That's where I learned how popular it was," he says. (He also became familiar with Fort Worth's bar scene and went on to open a Rodeo spinoff in Fort Worth's West Seventh district in 2024.)

In August 2025, the Deep Ellum location became the focal point of neighborhood concerns about crime and was closed via an order from the Dallas city attorney. Ybanez says the city is scapegoating Rodeo for other problems in the neighborhood, and that the Deep Ellum location isn't going anywhere.

“This is not a relocation,” he says. “We maintain an ongoing legal dispute with our landlord Asana Partners regarding the re-opening of our Deep Ellum establishment. The Uptown location represents an expansion of the brand.”

Prior to opening Rodeo in Deep Ellum, they opened a predecessor in Tempe in 2018, called Rodeo Ranch. It served as a template for the concept, with an "adult playground" with mechanical bull, bottle service, girls in bikinis, DJs, dancing, and light show.

According to Ybanez, visitors to the Uptown location can expect to take these factors to the next level.

“The Uptown space offers an expansive back patio,” Ybanez says. “This area will feature a massive video wall, optimizing it for communal sports viewing. Furthermore, we have executed a comprehensive refinement of our food menu, which we are confident will elevate the guest experience."

The menu is rendered by Donde Los Tacos, the highly regarded Mexican taqueria in Oak Clifff, with $3 and $4 tacos, like trompo, barbacoa, and suadero. The Uptown location will also serve brunch with dishes such as chilaquiles.

"We have meticulously preserved the core of the Rodeo experience: the unparalleled atmosphere and vibes, our commitment to genuine hospitality, the homegrown character of the brand, and the inclusive spirit that welcomes every member of the community," Ybanez says.

uptown openings