French Fries All Day
New restaurant in Deep Ellum Dallas will be french fries all the time
French fries are about to rule Dallas and, eventually, all of Texas with the arrival of a new restaurant concept in Deep Ellum that's dedicated to french fries. Called Get Fried, it'll open at 2656 Main St. in early 2018.
Get Fried was established in 2015 in Buffalo, New York, and has big plans for 2018, with several more openings in the works, including locations in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio — nearly all of the cities where CultureMap has offices. The only CultureMap city without a Get Fried planned is Fort Worth. What, Get Fried, no fries for FW?
The menu has six versions of french fries: hand-cut, seasoned waffle, coated straight cut, curly, sweet potato, and funnel. You choose a fry and then a sauce, from more than a dozen selections that include ketchup, malt vinegar, chipotle mayo, and maple syrup.
You can get "topped" baskets, in which fries are topped with ingredients like bacon, pulled pork, and shredded chicken. A sweet version has sweet potato fries topped with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Texas cheese fries has cheese, bacon, chive, and chili powder.
There is also poutine, the famed Canada french fry dish topped with cheese curds and gravy; and a few non-FF items such as chicken fingers; Buffalo chicken; and pizza logs, consisting of pepperoni wrapped in dough with a side of marinara.
Get Fried was founded by Chris Covelli, who was inspired by the french fry cafes he saw on a trip to Amsterdam. He'd also heard about Canada's famed poutine shops. He saw an opportunity.
He and his entrepreneurial partner Garrett Green opened their first store in February 2015 in Buffalo, New York. There are now two corporately owned stores in Buffalo, with more franchises teed up for New York City and Texas.
The Dallas branch is going into a spot advantageously positioned across the street from BBQ juggernaut Pecan Lodge. The location has been home to fine restaurants such as Pepe's Ranch Nairobi Grill, but has had no luck keeping a tenant.
Deep Ellum did have a Belgian-style french fry offering when Amsterdam Falafelshop opened on Commerce Street in 2016; sadly, it closed in July. But that was probably partially due to the fact that it opened with a strong profile as a vegan-friendly place. French fries will likely not be as troubling to the carnivores.
Get Fried first hit Texas in 2016 with a San Antonio franchise. Local franchisor Muhammad Abdullah says that Texas is on track for french fries everywhere. "We already have a food truck in San Antonio, and all of the big cities in Texas will have stores open by the end of the first quarter of 2018," he says.
