Opening News

Fig & Favor market-wine shop joins Harwood District near downtown Dallas

Grocery staples from Fig & Favor, opening in the Harwood District.

Harwood District

There's another addition to the ever-growing world of the Harwood District near downtown Dallas: Called Fig & Favor, it's a local market concept from the Harwood Hospitality Group (HHG), set to open this spring at 2850 N. Harwood St. #110.

UPDATE 4-10-2023: Fig & Favor is now open, featuring daily essentials, gifts, gelato, meals to-go, and wines.

Grab-and-go options include sandwiches, salads, snacks, and meal kits. There'll be gelato by the scoop and a full espresso bar.

This is HHG’s 12th concept, but it adds a new twist to a portfolio that consists mostly of restaurants. The team behind the concept is Harwood VP of culinary Taylor Kearney and VP of Hospitality Warren Richards.

Some of the to-go options will be dishes from Harwood 11 restaurants.

"We took our customer favorites from sister concepts and put them all together at Fig & Favor," Kearney says. "Look forward to Dolce Rivera’s pasta dishes to take home for an easy dinner, Magnolia: Sous Le Pont’s coffee beans, a sandwich inspired by Mercat Bistro, and steak and jerky from our HWD Beef program - just to name a few."

Richards says that they'll also capitalize on Harwood Hospitality Group's wine lists.

"From the hard-to-find wines at The Parlor, Italian coastal wines at Dolce Riviera, California favorites at Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar, and French wines at Mercat Bistro, this new concept will give customers a chance to bring a taste of Harwood home," Richards says. "Fig & Favor will feature the best wines from around the world, including some of the popular brands you already know, to smaller vineyards and wines that will broaden your horizons."

The 1,000-square-foot space is in the quaint La Rue Purdue near sister concepts Harwood Arms, Elephant East, and Poco Fiasco. HDF design director Melinda Clark says their goal was to approximate a street in France.

“We designed the space to feel intimate, fresh, and cozy — as though you've left Dallas and found yourself in a corner shop on a charming street in Bordeaux, France," Clark says. "You can expect to find a fix for your snacking cravings, a bottle of wine fit for a client gift, and a perfectly balanced shot of espresso.”

downtown openings

Hugs all around

Nonprofit Hugs Café expands with $10M McKinney headquarters and eatery

Photo courtesy of Hugs Cafe

Hugs Cafe has debuted a new cafe in its new McKinney headquarters.

A culinary-centric charity that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities build careers in hospitality has a snazzy new home in downtown McKinney: Hugs Café Inc. has opened a new $10 million headquarters, eatery, and training center at 221 Andrews St., McKinney.

The 13,500-square-foot facility brings together the organization's administrative offices and Hugs Training Academy under one roof, a release says, creating what it calls a centralized hub to expand workforce training and employment opportunities.

“This new space allows us to grow our programs and serve more individuals than ever before,” says Lauren Smith, CEO at Hugs Café Inc, in the release. “It represents a major step forward in our mission to create meaningful training and employment opportunities. We are deeply grateful for the community support and partnerships that have helped bring this vision to life and continue to make our work possible every day.”

The new HQ is called Home for Hugs.Photo courtesy of Hugs Cafe

Called the Home for Hugs, the building includes a commercial training kitchen, four classrooms, administrative offices, flexible workspaces, a rooftop deck, and an outdoor patio. The facility is designed to increase the organization's training capacity while supporting future expansion of its programs, leadership says.

Hugs Café Inc. is a McKinney-based nonprofit social enterprise that provides hospitality training and competitively paid employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its flagship venture is Hugs Café, which offers on-the-job experience in an inclusive restaurant environment.

Dining at Hugs Cafe
Founded in 2015 by Ruth Thompson, the organization has grown from a single McKinney café into a network that now includes two café locations (the other's at 2918 Live Oak St. in Dallas), along with two Hugs Training Academies, the new headquarters, and affiliate partners across the country.

The McKinney cafe is open to customers for dine-in and delivery at breakfast and lunch, 8 am-3 pm Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday), with catering available. The menu includes breakfast items such as biscuit sandwiches and breakfast burritos; salads, sandwiches, soups, and desserts.

Sweet treats from Hugs Cafe. Photo courtesy of Hugs Cafe

Sandwiches include grilled cheese, a Monte Cristo, a BLTA with avocado, and a "chickie hug" sandwich with cranberry pecan chicken salad and mixed greens.

Salads include a Greek salad, spinach salad, and a chef's salad with turkey and bacon. Desserts include cookies, carrot cake, and chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

Catering choices vary from sandwich boxed lunches to whole cakes and jumbo quantities of pimento cheese or chicken salad. White Rhino coffee in large quantities is offered, as well.

Building a lasting impact
Construction on the headquarters began in May 2025. Dallas developer KDC led the project, with Corgan serving as architect, Brasfield & Gorrie as general contractor, and Valliance Bank providing financing, according to the release.

“Bringing this vision to life alongside Hugs Café Inc. is a meaningful opportunity for KDC to support individuals seeking personalized training and a pathway into the workforce,” says Eric Hage, KDC president. “We’re grateful to the Hugs Café team and our fellow donors for allowing us to play a role in creating lasting impact for these individuals and their families.”

openings mckinney nonprofits