Adios Margaritas

Primo's Tex-Mex closes abruptly after 28 years as Uptown's favorite patio

After presiding from its patio perch over McKinney Avenue for 28 years, the original Uptown branch of Primo's closed abruptly on December 20. Calls to the restaurant went unanswered, but an employee at the Garland location confirmed the closure.

"It's a really big deal, but I'm not sure I can talk about it," she said. "There's a chance they might reopen but probably not."

Employees at the Uptown location discovered locked doors when they reported to work on Friday. A hand-written sign posted on the restaurant's back door read, "Primo's is now closed for business. Thank you for the 28 years of patio fun and margaritas."

Although the restaurant gave no hint it was closing, it did stop posting updates on Facebook and Twitter on December 13.

Primo's opened in November 1986 as an early settler of Uptown. By the '90s, its convenient location and late hours made it a popular after-hours chef hangout, especially from the nearby Mansion on Turtle Creek and Hotel Crescent Court. It proudly celebrated its role as the place where chef Dean Fearing met former wife Lynae.

By 2008, it had sunk in stature to a place known best for its cheap, watered-down margaritas. In 2009, owner Eddie Cervantes sold it to Phil Lacerte and Frank Bonilla, a pair of entrepreneurs without much experience in the restaurant industry.

In March 2013, the owners were served with a lawsuit by BMI for airing music without paying royalty fees. The restaurant was also the target of a break-in in August.

The timing of the closure puzzled staffers at neighboring restaurants. "It doesn't seem like it would be a landlord issue," said one server at a nearby spot. "I can see if it was December 31, maybe, but not December 20. And not right before the holiday."

Hand-written sign on Primos back door announces the bad news.

Courtesy photo

Hand-written sign on Primos back door announces the bad news.

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Frisco News

High-profile Dallas restaurant to open in Frisco's Firefly Park

Frenchie

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Two high-profile Dallas-Fort Worth food & beverage concepts are headed to Frisco: That includes Frenchie, an all-day Dallas cafe from Travis Street Hospitality, and Second Rodeo Brewing, a Fort Worth brewery and garden from Jason Boso (Truck Yard).

According to a release, the two restaurants will open locations at the Shops at Firefly Park, a 217-acre mixed-use development by Wilks Development at 8000 McKinney Rd., at the nexus of US Hwy. 380 and the Dallas North Tollway that's been in the works since 2022.

In addition to the restaurants, Woodhouse Spa, a luxury spa chain with 90-plus locations across 25 states, will also open a location.

The trio will join Tyler's, a Texas-based sportswear retailer which will open a location on the ground floor of Aurora, the 18-story residential high-rise. This brings phase one at The Shops at Firefly Park to 41 percent leased, with an additional 29 percent under LOI and lease agreements still to come.

Frenchie
Frenchie is the concept from Travis Street Hospitality (Knox Bistro, Georgie, Rose Cafe), created by Stephan Courseau and Daniele Garcia, which made its debut in 2025 with a first location in North Dallas, taking over the long-occupied Corner Bakery space at 8420 Preston Center Plaza.

Frenchie is described as a quintessential French brasserie — a casual, everyday restaurant serving an all-day menu of French comfort food: crepes, rillettes, quiche, poulet rôti, tartare de boeuf, salade Parisienne, and pâtes au pistou. In the morning, coffee and croissants. At lunch, burgers and onion soup. At dinner, steak frites and profiteroles.

The Dallas location spotlights small French wineries, while cocktails include a "freezer martini" — custom bottled and pre-chilled by Travis Street Hospitality’s Executive Mixologist, Mario Martinez, exclusively for Frenchie.

"Firefly Park was an opportunity not to be missed," says Travis Street Hospitality founder Stephan Courseau in a statement. "The vision of a high-end, family-oriented development in fast-growing Frisco checked all the boxes for our concept."

Second Rodeo Brewing
Second Rodeo is an indoor/outdoor destination created by Boso, known for live music, on-site brewing, and an approachable menu. The concept made its debut at Mule Alley at 122 E. Exchange Ave. in the Fort Worth Stockyards in September 2021.

Boso had already brought the Austin-style beer garden concept to Dallas with the 2013 opening of Truck Yard off Greenville Avenue, went the next step with Second Rodeo by adding a beer brewing component as well. There are now Truck Yard locations in Fort Worth's Alliance, Richardson, The Colony, and Oklahoma City, but this will be only the second Second Rodeo.

At the Fort Worth location, food consists of dressed-up cheesesteaks and chicken wings, plus cocktails and Texas beer. The space has an enclosed patio with retractable roof, entertainment stage, small dance floor, with live music every day plus outdoor games and a giant swing.

Woodhouse Spa
Offerings include spa treatments, facials, body therapies, sleep-focused services, and nail care. There are currently two Dallas-area locations, at Mockingbird Station and in Plano at Legacy Town Center.

All three tenants are scheduled to open in Fall 2027 — part of Firefly Park's first phase, which will include retail, residential, office, and hotel components.

Upon full buildout, Firefly Park will feature 4 million square feet of Class AA office space, 400,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment, 1,200 hotel rooms, 230 townhomes, and 1,970 residential units, anchored by a 45-acre signature park with pond, trails, water features, and event programming

"With the addition of Second Rodeo, Frenchie, and Woodhouse Spa, we are continuing to curate a vibrant and intentional experience in Frisco," says Wilks Development president & CEO Kyle Wilks in a statement. "Firefly Park will be a place people return to again and again—whether to dine, unwind, connect, or explore."

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