This Week in Gluttony

Burgers and barbecue top best food and drink events in Dallas this week

While we attempt to figure out how it got to be October already, we press on with our food events roundup, featuring an inaugural barbecue festival, some anniversary parties, and burgers and Burgundy for a good cause. A couple of these take place outside, and you know fall is the best time to enjoy the great outdoors in Dallas.

See you out there.

Wednesday, October 1

Wine Class Wednesday at Max's Wine Dive
Max's Wine Dive is hosting a wine class the first Wednesday of the month for the next three months. This one explores wines from the well-known regions of Napa and Sonoma, with a focus on a few pioneering figures and wineries. To help bring out the characteristic flavors of these unique wines, chef Patrick Russell is putting out some Americana-inspired dishes such as New England clam chowder, smoked meats and tuna tartare. Price is $45, and you can reserve your spot by calling 214-559-3483.

Thursday, October 2

Beer and Cheese Class at Scardello Artisan Cheese
These classes always sell out, so get your tickets while you can. Attendees learn about the expected and less traveled combinations in this age-old pairing and even explore how monks first used beer in the production of cheese. The class costs $35, and you can reserve your spot online. If the event is sold out, call 214-219-1300 to get on the waiting list.

Friday, October 3

DIFFA/Dallas presents Sixth Annual Burgers & Burgundy
Top Dallas chefs join John Tesar at the home of Karen and Bill Seanor for this popular event, during which chefs whip up burger sliders to complement a Burgundy wine of their choosing. Wines and specialty cocktails are also available. Funds raised benefit DIFFA/Dallas, whose mission is to serve those affected by AIDS and HIV across North Texas. Tickets are $100 for general admission and $150 for VIP entrance, which includes a private bar, entertainment, butler service and exclusive seating area. Buy your tickets online.

Saturday, October 4

Smoked at Main Street Garden
Smoked Dallas is a full day of smoked meats and smokin' tunes from participants such as Black's Barbecue, BBQ on the Brazos and Lockhart Smokehouse. Singer-songwriter Bob Schneider and blues/funk/soul band Black Joe Lewis are the headlining entertainers. Beneficiary for this inaugural year is Cafe Momentum, and students enrolled in the CM program prepare side dishes at the event. VIP tickets get you a one-hour jump on the BBQ tasting; general admission tickets enable fans to attend the tasting and concert from 2-5 pm. After 5 pm, tickets are for the concert only, with BBQ available for purchase separately. All tickets are available online.

11th Anniversary at Double Wide
Double Wide marks 11 "twisted years" in Deep Ellum with a two-block festival on Exposition Avenue, from Main Street to Elm. Double Wide is hosting High on Fire, Roky Erickson, Riverboat Gamblers and The Derailers, in addition to an outdoor stage provided by Lakewood Brewery. Easy Slider, Cold Beer Company and Eat Joe Dawgs are providing the sustenance. The fun starts at 5 pm, and tickets are $25. Buy them online.

Taste of Fall Cooking Class at Second Floor Bistro by Scott Gottlich
Join chefs Scott Gottlich and Andrea Maricich for a cooking class exploring the tastes of fall. The menu includes roasted butternut squash soup; grilled pork loin roulade filled with apple, cranberry, cider and toasted pumpkin seeds; braised red cabbage with raisins; and old-fashioned cinnamon sugar doughnuts. Additionally, mixologist Seth Brammer demonstrates fall cocktails and shares wine-pairing tips to conclude the class. Happening from 1-3 pm, the class is $45, and you can reserve your spot online.

Sunday, October 5

30th Anniversary Soiree at Parigi
Toast Parigi's three decades in Dallas with champagne and cocktails from Veuve Clicquot and Belvedere vodka, along with food prepared by Parigi chef-owner Janice Provost and the El Centro culinary students and staff. Andree Falls, founder of Parigi, is expected to attend, and Vince Martinez is providing the tunes. All proceeds go to the Parigi scholarship endowment fund at the Food and Hospitality Institute at El Centro College. The cost of the meal is $84 — representing the year it opened — and you can buy tickets online.

Against the Grain Book Signing with Danielle Walker at Half Price Books
Come meet Danielle Walker, author of Against the Grain, who is signing books and talking about her passion for Paleo. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when she was 22, Walker realized that she needed to make dietary changes to end her suffering. She removed grains, lactose and legumes from her diet, then started a blog to help others suffering from similar ailments continue to enjoy food. The signing lasts from 7-9 pm. There is no cost to attend, but you need to RSVP.

The sixth annual Burgers & Burgundy benefiting DIFFA Dallas goes down October 3.

Photo by William Bichara

The sixth annual Burgers & Burgundy benefiting DIFFA Dallas goes down October 3.

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PIZZA PROBLEMS

Plano-based Pizza Hut to close 250 restaurants as U.S. sales plummet

Pizza Hut/Facebook

Pizza Hut will close 250 restaurants by mid-2026.

By the middle of the year, the country will have fewer Pizza Huts. Yum! Brands, the parent company of the almost 70-year-old chain, announced it plans to close an estimated 250 restaurants — about 4 percent of Pizza Hut's massive global footprint.

The closures were revealed during Yum's fourth quarter earnings call on February 4. While Yum! Brands is based in Louisville, Kentucky, Pizza Hut is headquartered in Plano.

Yum! representatives said that U.S. Pizza Hut store sales slid 3 percent as value initiatives, like the $5 Crafted Flatzz personal pizza, have failed to take hold with customers, who are increasingly spending their pizza budget at rival Domino’s.

In November 2025, Yum! Brands announced that it would launch a “formal review of strategic options,” a program called “Hut Forward,” which officials said could result in a global reduction in the number of Pizza Hut outlets or an eventual sale of the concept.

“The Pizza Hut team has been working hard to address business and category challenges; however, Pizza Hut’s performance indicates the need to take additional action to help the brand realize its full value, which may be better executed outside of Yum! Brands,” said Chris Turner, CEO of Yum! Brands, in a previous press release.

It’s unclear how any such sale would affect the franchise’s Plano headquarters. The corporation is currently in the process of moving KFC, which has been experiencing its own financial struggles, from Kentucky to its Plano home base.

In recent years, the overall pizza landscape has been rocky for national chains. Concepts like Papa John’s, Blaze Pizza, and Mod Pizza have closed units as dining shifts increasingly to favor more “interesting” concepts like Nashville-style hot chicken. In early January, the Wall Street Journal reported that pizzerias are no longer the second most popular chain format in the U.S., plummeting below Mexican restaurants and coffee shops to sixth place.

Although Pizza Hut has not disclosed exactly which locations would be shuttering, it did say it expects to wrap up the closure round by the middle of 2026.

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