Tex-Mex News

Darden Restaurants acquires Texas' beloved Tex-Mex chain Chuy's

Chuy's Tex-Mex giant burrito

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Austin-based Tex-Mex restaurant chain Chuy's has a new owner: According to a release, the chain has been acquired by Darden Restaurants, Inc., the Florida-based hospitality company that also owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V's, and Bahama Breeze.

The two companies have entered into a definitive agreement in which Darden will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Chuy's for $37.50 per share, in an all-cash transaction with a value of approximately $605 million.

Founded in Austin in 1982, Chuy's is known for its authentic, Tex-Mex food served in a fun, eclectic, irreverent atmosphere, with each location boasting its own unique, non-chain feel — expressed so cleverly by Chuy's motto: "If you've seen one Chuy's, you've seen one Chuy's!" They currently have 101 locations in 15 states including 10 locations in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Their dishes feature irreverent names like their "Big As Yo' Face Burritos and their signature Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom Enchiladas. The chain is also well known for its early embrace of Hatch chiles, hosting an annual "Hatch Green Chile Festival" every year during the season, showcasing a menu with special Hatch chile dishes.

Darden president and CEO Rick Cardenas says in a statement that Chuy's is "an excellent fit" for the company, while Chuy's chairman/CEO/president Steven Hislop says they're excited to join the Darden family.

"Darden shares many of our same core values, particularly our operating philosophy and strong team member cultures," Cardenas says. "Together we will accelerate our business goals and bring our authentic, made-from-scratch Tex-Mex to more guests and communities."

Chuy's board of directors unanimously approved the merger agreement which includes a 30-day "go-shop" period that will allow Chuy's to solicit alternative proposals from interested parties.

It's a happy turn of events for Darden, offsetting its sad closure of its Dallas location of Eddie V's at the end of July.

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Magazine lists

Only one Dallas eatery earns spot on Esquire best new restaurant list

Photo courtesy of Joey Stewart

Yakitori at Mabo Dallas

One Dallas restaurant has made a prominent annual list: It's the 2024 rendition of Esquire magazine's Best New Restaurants in America and the only Dallas entry on the list is Mābo, the Asian restaurant in Preston Center from acclaimed chef Masayuki Otaka.

The newly released list has 35 restaurants, with the majority of the entries in New York and California, including the top restaurant of the year: Four Kings, a Cantonese restaurant in San Francisco.

The list is dominated by Asian cuisine: Of the 35 restaurants, fully one third are Asian.

The authors are "Jeff Gordinier and The Esquire Editors," which includes Omar Mamoon, a San Francisco-based writer (who calls himself not a critic but a "curator" oh dear) who got dispatched to Dallas. In his writeup of Mabo, he waxes on about chicken being his favorite before hailing Mabo as the best place in America to eat chicken yakitori, a Japanese grilling technique.

"… When you consider the Japanese art of yakitori, in which skewered chicken parts grill over binchotan coals until they achieve maximum smokiness and juiciness—well, this is where the bird gets transcendent," he writes. "At Mābo, his eight-seat counter, chef Masayuki Otaka prepares a two-hour meal in which poultry is the star. He sources free-ranging heritage breeds from Pennsylvania, and he lets you order additional skewers—maybe you’re in the mood for more tail, or for the fatty triangular nub known as the pope’s nose—when the planned courses have reached their completion."

Otaka is the former chef/owner of Teppo on Greenville Avenue (which closed in 2022 and is now home to sushi restaurant Kaiyo) who opened Mabo in spring 2024. It's an omakase-style spot with a 14-course tasting experience, with two tastings per night at 5:30 and 8:30 pm, only eight guests per seating, for $200. Otaka has a devoted following, and his version of omakase is less about raw fish and more about the yakitori-style of cooking for which he was famous at Teppo, featuring grilled meats, mushrooms, and other bits on a skewer.

Despite its coastal focus, the list does not completely ignore Texas: Houston restaurant Late August also earns a spot on the list along with nods to Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Karla Espinosa, owners of Nicosi in San Antonio who are pronounced Pastry Chefs of the Year.
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Eric Sandler contributed to this story.

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