RIP Murph
Dallas restaurateur Ed Murph, owner of Norma's Cafe, dies at 78
Edward "Ed" Murph III, RIP
Dallas restaurateur Edward "Ed" L. Murph III, owner of Dallas' treasured home-cooking chain Norma's Cafe, passed away on Monday, February 23; he was 78.
A statement from the Dallas chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association called him "a respected leader and cherished member of our restaurant community" who'd served as a former GDTRA President, Texas Restaurant Association State Board Member, and was a Hall of Honor Inductee.
Murph was also the first-ever Texas recipient of the National Restaurant Association Restaurant Neighbor Award, reflecting his unwavering commitment to community service and leadership through Norma's Cafe.
"His impact on our industry and the countless lives he touched will not be forgotten," the association said. "He was truly a great man who will be greatly missed."
One of Dallas' oldest restaurants, Norma’s Cafe was originally opened in Oak Cliff in 1956 by namesake Norma Manis. Murph was a Dallas native who grew up in Oak Cliff and ate at the original location even into his days as a student at Adamson High School.
He'd been in the hospitality industry since 1970, owning a series of clubs, bars, and restaurants, including Café Cancun in the early 1980s.
When he learned Norma's was up for sale, he acquired it in 1986, seeing an opportunity to buy a restaurant that was not only a Dallas icon, but a place he enjoyed as a child. It became his legacy.
"As a kid, my parents took me [to Norma’s Cafe] to eat, and in high school it was the place to go to have French fries and a Coke, because that’s all the money you had,” Murph said in a 2017 interview. “It’s been around for so long that [it seems like] everybody in the world has eaten there."
Norma's is the ultimate everyman restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with signature dishes such as the “eNORMAus” chicken fried steak, fried chicken, fluffy biscuits & gravy, cornbread, and housemade "Mile-High Pies."
Murph went on to open four more locations — in Plano, Frisco, North Dallas, and Park Lane — as well as takeout operations in Garland and Fairview. Each location became a destination for its neighborhood.
He also exhibited an uncommon sense of philanthropy, stepping up with many charitable overtures during the pandemic, and continuing its epic annual tradition of serving a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day to those in need.
“Working people like to have breakfast and lunch,” Murph told D Magazine in a 2017 story about his passion for outfitting each location with period-era antiques that would match the profile of the food: lowkey, homestyle, and friendly.
"It gives a feeling of comfort," he said.
