New Pub in Plano

Lantern St. Grill & Tap House breathes new life into grubby old Plano sports bar

Out with the sports bar and in with Lantern St. Grill & Tap House, a new restaurant-bar going into the space previously occupied by Plano's 1st and 10, at Coit Road and Spring Creek Parkway. Lantern St. owner Aaron Morrison took over the dingy old space, cleaned it up and made it nice.

He scrubbed the kitchen, rebuilt the cruddy bathrooms, installed handsome hardwood floors, added a pretty stone backsplash to the bar and rustic wood slats on the wall. The place has been transformed into a casual, comfortable neighborhood pub.

Aaron Morrison almost opened Lantern St. in Frisco but saw potential for a neighborhood spot at this Plano intersection.

Morrison is an entrepreneurial sort who has owned or managed a number of places, including Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Resort, where he did all the training for the convention center staff. That's where he discovered he had a special skill.

"I discovered I had a flair for bottle-flipping," he says. "It was just something I did when I first started bartending, but I kept practicing until I eventually got to the point where I realized I was actually really good at it.

"I almost moved out to Vegas to do it full-time but decided I'd rather own a place rather than be bartending in my 30s."

He almost opened Lantern St. in Frisco but saw potential for a neighborhood spot at this Plano intersection. That's when he and his chef, Anthony Sergilia, got to work on the food.

He has a full menu with burgers, club sandwiches, chili, Caesar salad, and fish and chips. There's a noodle bowl that Morrison describes as "ramen on steroids." Instead of the usual chicken and waffles, they do fried chicken and bacon wrapped in a pancake.

He also felt compelled to create a signature dish.

"Every restaurant has a signature dish," he says. "Ours is the batter-fried mushrooms. I practiced once a week to get the right flavor. I'd call over friends. The batter is thin, but I got them so that they were soft and juicy, as if they'd been sautéed.

"We make our ranch dressing dip fresh, not from a bottle. Two of my friends said they hated mushrooms, and both said mine were so good, they would order them at a restaurant."

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Coffee News

Unique new coffee shop to open inside Coach handbag store in Allen

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Chocolate bag at Coach Coffee Shop

There's a new coffee shop coming to DFW that's riding a hot trend: It's called The Coach Coffee Shop, and it's opening inside the Coach store at Allen Outlet Malls at 820 W. Stacy Rd., where it will debut in summer 2026.

Coach is famous for its collector handbags, but the shop is a new venture for the company, in its efforts to court younger customers and entice them to stick around. There are currently six locations across the U.S., including one in Austin, which opened at The Domain in 2025. But the company has plans to add many more locations around the world, an expansion into tactile experiences to enhance retail sales.

The menu features coffee, espresso drinks like cappuccinos and lattes, cold brew, matcha lattes with rotating seasonal flavors, and iced beverages. The chain has partnered with Stumptown Coffee Roasters, the highly regarded bean purveyor based in Portland, Oregon, to craft an exclusive Coach Coffee blend that's served in the store, described thusly:

"Featuring notes of rich milk chocolate, sweet toffee, and finishes with sparkling blood orange, the blend is a beautiful balance of flavors from Latin America and Indonesia. Bold and versatile, the blend brews both a classic, everyday drip coffee and an elegant espresso."

Coach Coffee Shop will sell Stumptown coffee beansCourtesy

They also serve pastries, the selection of which varies by store, but might include salted chocolate chip cookies, blueberry muffins, vegan carrot cake muffins, cinnamon rolls, savory scones, ham & cheese croissant, and soft-serve in waffle cones.

There are two signature items:

Tabby Cake — an adorable chocolate treat shaped like Coach’s trademark Tabby bag
Lil Miss Jo Cookie — an edible version of the chain's coffee-cup animated mascot used in their ad campaigns

The coffee shop will be located inside the store, and construction is already underway.

With the opening, Coach joins a big trend of cafes located inside high-fashion retailers such as Prada, Chanel, and Dior, which debuted a rare location of Cafe Dior By Dominique Crenn — featuring a menu designed by the acclaimed chef — at their store in Highland Park Village in 2025.

In addition to the Coach Coffee Shop, two other new stores are opening at Allen Outlet Malls: Timberland Outlet, known for creating rugged outdoor gear for men, women and children, opening next to Bath & Body Works; and Psycho Bunny, cult menswear brand that debuted in New York in 2005, opening next to Karl Lagerfeld.

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