Closure News
Small biscuit-centric restaurant in East Dallas gives up the fight
The biscuits are down with the closure of Jack's Kitchen, a small Southern spot tucked away in an East Dallas neighborhood from restaurateur Scott Jones.
According to Jones' sister, Sandy Jones Inman, they were dealing with a number of challenges, including robberies, limited parking, no liquor license, and a lawsuit. That's a lot of challenges.
"We couldn't get a liquor license because the restaurant was too small," Inman says. "Without a liquor license, it's hard to make ends meet. So we had a problem with size. And then it was an odd location, tucked away in the middle of a neighborhood."
Jones has a long history, having founded Screen Door at One Arts Plaza, Cowtown Diner in Fort Worth, and the reboot of Dallas Italian restaurant Café Italia.
His specialty has always been Southern dishes such as chicken and dumplings, and he's known for his biscuits, which they did in varieties such as buttermilk, jalapeño bacon and cheddar, sundried tomato, basil and mozzarella, and cheddar and chive.
He was definitely ahead of the curve on the biscuit front. Since he opened this restaurant in 2017, Dallas has seen a bounty of biscuit concepts such as Biscuit Bar debut. Five years ago, not many biscuits. Today, many biscuits.
One might think the location would have been a known quantity before they opened, but then again, Jack's relocated from a far less advantageous spot on Greenville Avenue that had no parking.
But it wasn't just the location alone. No. Inman says they also endured eight break-ins, which they were unable to foil.
The last straw was a lawsuit filed by Jack Allen's Kitchen, a small chain in Austin. "They sued us for name infringement because they claimed people were coming in and thinking it was Jack's Kitchen from Dallas," she says.
"My brother said he was tired of fighting," she says. "All of these things adding up are the universe telling you to let it go."
Is there any good news to take away from this? Inman says she'll continue her pie-baking business which she was running out of the restaurant, and they're doing side dishes for Thanksgiving. She can be reached via email at sweetcarolinespies@yahoo.com.