Coronavirus News

Texas kolache chain closes 4 Dallas dining rooms in response to COVID-19 surge

You can still order these babies online.

Photo courtesy of Kolache Factory

A Houston-based kolache chain is closing more than two dozen locations in response to the spreading coronavirus.

Effective immediately, dining rooms and restrooms at all corporate-owned Kolache Factory restaurants will be closed.

According to a release, the move affects 27 Kolache Factory locations in Texas, Kansas, and Indiana, all of which are corporate-owned.

That includes four locations in the DFW area as follows:

2051 N. Central Expy. #101, Richardson
601 E. FM 544 #100, Murphy
1217 Coit Rd., Plano
5995 Preston Rd., Frisco

Kolache Factory remains open for business but for takeout; customers are encouraged to order online at kolachefactorytogo.com.

The company was founded in 1982 in Houston by John and Jerri Banks, who wanted to create an option for breakfast "on the run," although their pastries are now a go-to for business meetings, and other meal-time action including lunch and afternoon snacks.

The chain closed all dining rooms on March 16 as part of the initial shutdown. They reopened at 50 percent capacity on June 12.

"But here we are two weeks later and things are moving in the wrong direction, so they are closing again," a spokesperson says. "Health and safety first!"

Dramatic surges of COVID-19 cases that are taking place in Texas and Houston in particular are what prompted the shutdown.

"With the surge we are seeing right now in our country, we are taking the preemptive step of shutting down dining rooms at all corporate-owned locations, so we can protect our customers and employees as much as possible, encourage social distance, and continue serving our communities fresh made kolaches,” says Kolache Factory COO Dawn Nielsen in a statement.

They also have 30 franchise stores, who are allowed to decide what to do based on community regulations and personal choice.

"We understand this is a scary time, but we are committed to doing our part to protect one another and our economy," Nielsen says. "We appreciate your patience and understanding and hope you will continue to place online orders."

And that would be at kolachefactorytogo.com to schedule carryout, curbside pickup, or delivery.

closings

SUDDEN SHUTTERS

Cracker Barrel deal leaves just one Maple Street Biscuit Co. in DFW

Maple Street Biscuit Co./ Facebook

Maple Street Biscuit Co. is done, but Biscuit Belly is still coming to the Heights.

Cracker Barrel is flaking out on its Maple Street Biscuit Co. brand. On Tuesday, July 21, Louisville, Kentucky-based brunch chain Biscuit Belly announced it had acquired 35 locations of the breakfast sandwich favorite. An additional 16 units will close altogether. Just one location in Dallas-Fort Worth is left standing: in Mansfield.

Biscuit Belly published a list detailing which locations were acquired and when the brand expects to convert them. Among those awaiting conversion is the sole North Texas location, at 1660 E Broad St. Ste. 100 in Mansfield. It should be converted by the third quarter of 2027.

In a release, Biscuit Belly says it plans to convert all remaining stores over the next 18-24 months, starting with Cincinnati, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia.

Maple Street first debuted in DFW in 2018 with a location in Frisco. At the time, Maple Street was a small friendly concept founded in Jacksonville in 2012. They liked the personal touch and bristle against calling themselves a chain, but they then had 29 locations across the Southeast in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.

Cracker Barrel acquired Maple Street in 2019. At its height in DFW, there were also locations in Dallas, Keller, Mansfield, and two in McKinney.

The restaurant is most known for its oversized biscuit sandwiches like the Squawking Goat with a fried chicken breast, crispy goat cheese, and jalapeno jelly. The chain also serves chicken and waffles and Southern-inspired bowls filled with grits or a potato hash.

Biscuit Belly offers a little more variety with toasted BLTs, pancakes, and yogurt parfaits, but some of the biscuit sandwiches might look suspiciously familiar. The G.O.A.T. has a fried chicken breast, goat cheese, and sweet pepper jelly.

The other key difference can be found in a cup. In addition to a lineup of juices and coffee drinks, Biscuit Belly pours “breakfast cocktails” like mimosas and espresso martinis. It places an old fashioned inside this category, which might require a few extra eggs.

As Cracker Barrel pours one out for Maple Street, it hopes to recover from a plunging stock price and falling revenues. Biscuit Belly, meanwhile, says the acquisition helps it along its 10-year plan to become the “largest gourmet biscuit brand in the U.S.”

“Acquiring an iconic brand like Maple Street, one of the original gourmet biscuit sandwich concepts, was not on my 2026 bingo card," says Chad Coulter, co-founder and CEO of Biscuit Belly, in a release. "Two of the biggest headwinds that growing brands encounter are the time required to find and build locations, and the difficulty of finding great teams. When we looked at Maple Street's geography, footprints, and established teams, a light bulb went off."

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