BBQ to the North

Lockhart Smokehouse to open restaurant in old downtown Plano

BBQ fans in Collin County are about to be served.
Lockhart Smokehouse
Lockhart is in expansion mode.
Downtown Plano gets a BBQ joint.
Historic Downtown Plano Association

In huge news for barbecue fans as well as old downtown Plano, Bishop Arts BBQ spot Lockhart Smokehousewill open a second branch at 1026 E. 15th St., the main drag on Plano's downtown strip.

The restaurant is going into the Sutton Place furniture store, which is cutting its space in half to sublease to Lockhart, says Kevin Sutton, who owns the store with his father, Richard.

"The wall will be going up in the next couple weeks," Kevin says. "We decided to do this because the property value is just worth too much these days. It made more sense for us to be a landlord."

Lockhart co-owner Jill Grobowsky Bergus calls it a "fabulous area."

"We live in Far North Dallas, and we've been gong to Jorg's Cafe Vienna for years," she says. "Now Jorg is our new best friend, because we talk about the neighborhood. It reminds us of Bishop Arts, with the urban environment of people walking around and stumbling in. And that area is bereft of barbecue. There are a few places on the west by the Tollway, but there really isn't anything over there."

Downtown Plano's landscape has changed dramatically in the past 10 years, Kevin Sutton says.

"It's bars and restaurants, bars and restaurants," he says. "At nighttime it's hot. You compare that to the '80s and '90s, when it was little shops."

Openings in the past five years include Fillmore Pub, Vickery Park, Urban Crust and Zanata. There's also a new coffee shop, Fourteen Eighteen Coffeehouse, around the corner at 1418 Avenue K.

Sutton says there's a chance he and his father may end up renting out the rest of the space too. "If having Lockhart in increases the property value on this side, it would make sense," he says. "We may up leasing out both sides and going to someplace like downtown McKinney, where it’s more retail focused."

As for the timetable, Bergus is aiming for sometime this year. "We have to do demo and construction, but we're hoping before the year ends," she says.

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Robot News

Food delivery robots are rolling into downtown Dallas

Avride

Avride robot

Self-driving robots are rolling out in Dallas: Launched by a company called Avride, they'll roll through the sidewalks of downtown Dallas carrying small food deliveries.

Avride, which has been creating self-driving vehicles and robots since 2017, formed a partnership with Uber in October 2024 to expand food delivery with both its sidewalk robots and autonomous robotaxis. So far, more than 160 robots have made over 200,000 deliveries across five countries, including the U.S. and South Korea.

All the cool cities have them including Austin, where Avride robots made their debut in mid-November, delivering food from restaurants in the Mueller district, including Colleen's Kitchen, Rebel Cheese, and Xian Sushi and Noodle.

Now that list includes Dallas, says Avride Head of Communications Yulia Shveyko in an email.

“Starting today, customers can enjoy robot deliveries from participating restaurants in the area, with more locations and restaurants to be added soon,” Shveyko says.

The way it works is that users will place an order through the Uber Eats app, but choose autonomous delivery to have a robot drop off a meal at their doorstep. Users can track the robot’s location just as they would an Uber in the app.

Once it arrives, there’s an “unlock” button in the app that opens the hatch of the robot to access the food inside. Rain or snow doesn’t interrupt service; the little robot is water resistant and designed for any weather.

The hatch that holds the food can accommodate approximately six boxes of pizza and three 1.5 liter bottles or bags of groceries.

Some of the participating restaurants so far include Salsa Limón and Bread Zeppelin. A bonus perk of the service is no tipping is required.

According to a memo from a Dallas assistant city manager, the delivery robots are 35 by 27 by 47 inches, featuring six wheels with a speed of five miles per hour, and carrying up to 44 pounds. They deliver within a two-mile radius.

To make the robots look more "friendly and approachable," they’re designed with a face on an LED screen that can "wink" and change eye expressions and neutral colors.

The next step in Avride’s Uber partnership is debuting robotaxis in Dallas by 2025.

downtown technology