Pizza Dough

Plano finally joins Neapolitan-style pizza trend with this restaurant opening

Plano, a city with a surprising shortage of pizza, is about to get more.

Photo courtesy of Dough Pizzeria

Plano has so far been left out of the Neapolitan-style pizza trend that has hit nearly every other neighborhood. What'sa matter, Plano, you don't like pizza? But that's about to change when Dough Pizzeria opens a branch on Parker Road near the Dallas North Tollway.

Dough is the pizza restaurant that was founded in San Antonio, and an outlet at Preston Forest in Dallas opened in 2011. That was far ahead of what has been an onslaught of Neapolitan-style pizzerias opening around Dallas, beginning with the pace-setting Cane Rosso, and followed by concepts such as Pizza Snob, Spin, Blaze, and Project Pie.

In fact, so much has occurred in the world of pizza that one player, Project Pie, has already opened and closed its Dallas branches during that time (though that was due to management issues and not the everlasting appeal of pizza).

"People love pizza," says Dough co-owner Brad Liles. "The only reason we haven't expanded in the last few years was that our family was dealing with an overwhelming health issue, but that has thankfully improved. So we can give future locations the focus our guests deserve."

Plano made sense for a few reasons. "We focused on Plano because of the growth there, with Toyota opening its new headquarters, etcetera," he says. "And co-owner Keith Hall and I both live in the area. Our Dallas branch has done well and has grown every year. We just need to keep focusing on quality and freshness. We make our own cheese, sauce, dough, and sausage, all from scratch. When we don't make it from scratch, we bring in high-quality ingredients."

The Plano location will take over a space with a history of pizza: It's a former Pizza By Marco, the local chain forced to change its name to My Family's Pizza in 2014, and which also has another branch in the neighborhood. Liles says that this Dough will be a different, smaller "neighborhood" model.

"We are trying a smaller design as a potential prototype moving forward," Liles says. "But it will still have full service, the same menu, and a full bar. We're working with Austin designer Joel Mozersky to sexy it up."

The new location is projected to open at the end of the year.

pizza openings

Grandscape goals

Soccer and dining venue from the UK gears up for U.S. debut in The Colony

Photo courtesy of TOCA Social

TOCA Social will make its U.S. debut in Grandscape in The Colony.

In time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup frenzy taking hold of Dallas, a soccer-themed entertainment and dining venue from the United Kingdom will make its U.S. debut in DFW this spring: Called Toca Social, it will open at The Grandscape complex in The Colony on March 6.

First announced for Grandscape in 2024, Toca Social combines soccer, entertainment, and dining, with a state-of-the-art venue and innovative soccer-based games. (A Toca Social was originally planned for Dallas, but that location was scrapped.)

The concept was founded by two-time U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS player Eddie Lewis and is backed by soccer legend Abby Wambach. It's billed as "the world’s first soccer social club" and only has three other locations - two in London and one in Birmingham, England.

“Toca was born from my obsession with the technical side of the game and the belief that a soccer ball should be at everyone’s feet,” says Lewis in the release. “After seeing the incredible reception in the UK, bringing our Social flagship home to the U.S. — and specifically to a soccer-rich market like Dallas — is a dream realized. We’ve created a place where the skill of the pros meets the energy of a world-class night out.”

Toca Social soccer Toca Social coming to Granscape in March 2026. Toca Social

The 20,000-square-foot high-tech venue features "social boxes" where players kick soccer balls against a screen that keeps score on best kicks. Cleats are not required. They tout their proprietary ball-delivery and tracking technology — an evolution of the "small ball" training method Lewis used during his 14-year professional career, the release says.

“Soccer is the ultimate unifier, but for too long, the 'entry fee' was being a pro-level athlete,” says Wambach in the release. “Toca Social is changing that narrative. This Dallas-area flagship is where the next generation of American soccer culture is being built.”

Sustenance comes by way of a chef-driven “Global Street Food” menu featuring Birria Tacos and Spicy Fried Chicken; along with a bar program that includes something called a "Pitch Invader" cocktail, which the release does not describe but calls a fan favorite.

There are massive 4K screens, ensuring Toca Social will be a premier location for FIFA World Cup watch parties this summer. Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June and July. Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will serve as the official will also serve as the International Broadcast Center.

Toca currently operates another concept, Toca Soccer and Sports Centers, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with locations in Allen, Carrollton, The Colony, Keller, and Mansfield. The company also has a strategic partnership with MLS club, FC Dallas.

“Our partnership with MLS is a cornerstone of our mission to engage fans in innovative new ways,” says Yoshi Maruyama, CEO of Toca. “By launching our U.S. Flagship at Grandscape now, we are providing a world-class destination where fans can play, dine, and celebrate the global game."

Reservations are now open at Toca Social in Grandscape for group outings, celebrations, corporate events, and matchday gatherings.

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Raven Jordan contributed to this report.

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