Here Comes Gus's Fried Chicken

North Texas city makes short list for coveted spicy fried chicken

Fort Worth is one of eight cities to get its own branch of Gus’s Fried Chicken.

Photo courtesy of Gus's

Famed spicy-chicken specialist Gus's Fried Chicken is swooping in on Dallas-Fort Worth. The Memphis chain will open its first location in Fort Worth's Near Southside neighborhood, at 1067 W. Magnolia Ave. Opening date is set for early spring 2016.

The 3,720-square-foot space, previously a campaign headquarters for Fort Worth representative Lon Burnam, will seat about 100 people and feature a casual, family-friendly atmosphere with some of Gus's trademarks, including its signature yellow-and-white exterior awnings.

This location will be the second in Texas; Gus's opened in Austin in early 2014.

"We chose to open in Fort Worth on Magnolia because the area has grown a lot in recent years but isn't overdeveloped," says franchisee Daniel Bryant in a release. "It's a great fit for Gus's because we like to think of ourselves as the 'un-chain.'"

In addition to chicken known for its crunchy bronze crust, the menu also features sides such as potato salad and coleslaw, and house-made pies. It'll stay open later on weekend evenings, as befits the neighborhood's nightlife.

Gus's Fried Chicken was founded in 1953 by the Bonner family in Mason, Tennessee, and they still run that original location. A new owner came aboard in February with plans to open eight branches across the country, including Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Knoxville, Kansas City, Kansas, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The franchisees were selected with care, from a pool of more than 500 applicants.

Another new fried chicken concept called Chicago's Chicken Coop was previously announced to open in North Dallas; a company representative says they're aiming for the beginning of November.

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RIP Al

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP

Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

Biernat was one of Dallas' all-time great hospitality figures, dating back to his days at The Palm steakhouse, for whom he worked in Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Biernat founded his namesake restaurant in 1998 on Oak Lawn Avenue, where his standard of excellence and doting charm made it a destination for special occasions, Park Cities swells, and celebrities in town.

His sense of hospitality had little competition in Dallas. He was a charming and personable host who genuinely liked people, and it didn't matter whether you were Conan O'Brien, David Crosby, or one of the other high-profile diners that visited his restaurants — or else just a regular schlub: He had a knack for making everyone feel special and remembered.

Biernat was born on August 20, 1955 and grew up in Michigan, then lived in Colorado, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, before moving to Dallas to work at The Palm in the West End, where his dynamic presence gave the restaurant an incomparable vitality; it closed in 2017.

He opened Al Biernat's at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave. in 1998, followed by a second location in North Dallas at 5251 Spring Valley Rd. in 2017.

He began to experience ALS symptoms in May 2023, was diagnosed in December, and revealed his condition in February 2024. The revelation was met with an outpouring of sympathy and well wishes from the hospitality industry — a sign of the high regard in which he was held.

The average life expectancy for people with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis. Symptoms can begin in the muscles that control speech and swallowing, or in the hands, arms, legs, or feet. He began to have difficulty communicating in September, and spent his last days in a hospice.

On September 18, he broached the topic of dying, before ending on a note of gratitude to friends and family.

"Having Bulbar ALS I am realistic about my future," he said. "Friends and family have asked me if I’m afraid of dying, and this is what I say to them. Because of the salvation of Jesus, I will be rejoicing in my spirit to see him in all of his glory. Since we are all flesh, soul, and spirit, only my flesh is being left behind. But don’t get me wrong, I have a blessed life in this world, with a loving wife, and a beautiful family and many wonderful and caring friends. I am grateful!"

Both Al Biernat's locations will continue to remain open under the management of Biernat's nephew Brad Fuller, as they have for nearly the past two years.

Biernat is survived by Fuller, as well as his wife Jeannie and three daughters: Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat, plus five grandsons and two granddaughters. . According to family members, details regarding a celebration of his life will be announced soon.

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