Chicken News

Guy Fieri chicken restaurant to open first Texas location in Dallas

Fried chicken

Chicken Guy!

Chicken a la Guy Fieri is coming to Dallas: Chicken Guy!, the fast casual restaurant chain from celebrity chef and Emmy Award-winning TV host Guy Fieri, is opening its first ever Texas location in Preston Hollow Village at 7859 Walnut Hill Ln. #190.

According to a release, it'll open on February 6.

Chicken Guy! is a collaboration between Fieri and restaurateur Robert Earl, former CEO of Hard Rock Cafe and current chairman of Earl Enterprises (Buca di Beppo, Bertucci's, Brio Italian Grille, Bravo Italian Kitchen).

They debuted Chicken Guy! in 2018, when they opened the first location at Walt Disney World in Florida. The concept is primarly about tenders: solo, or in sandwiches and salads, accompanied by an abundance of sauces including Fieri's famous Donkey sauce.

The chicken gets brined, which keeps it moist; Fieri adds pickle juice to the brine along with lemon and buttermilk.The tenders are available solo or stacked in a small assortment of sandwiches such as the BLAT with bacon, lettuce, avocado crema, tomato, and buttermilk ranch. Sandwiches start at $7.

Earl and his son Robbie have been on the vanguard of virtual kitchens and delivery-only concepts, and have already teamed with Fieri on Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen, a delivery-only concept featuring wings and burgers, which operates out of Brio Italian Grille and Buca di Beppo locations.

Fieri also has Guy Fieri's Taco Joint, a restaurant at Texas Live, the entertainment district in Arlington.

Chicken Guy! Dallas is locally owned and operated by Kris and Ram Daswani, who each have over a decade of experience in franchise management, hospitality and food service. The brothers plan to bring multiple Chicken Guy! locations to the metroplex over the next years.

“As fans of Guy Fieri, Robert Earl and Chicken Guy!, we think local diners will welcome the bold new flavors and high energy vibes that the brand brings to Texas and the Dallas food scene,” says Kris Daswani. “The central Preston Hollow Village location is a popular shopping and dining destination, making it the perfect spot a to introduce the brand to a host of new Chicken Guy! fans.”

Fieri has been no stranger to Dallas lately: He came to town in December, officially to do a meet & greet for his Santo Spirits tequila brand, but unofficially to do a series of tapings at seven Dallas-area restaueants for his perennially popular Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. One of those tapings — at East Dallas restaurant Hello Dumpling — is already scheduled to air in mid-February.

A grand opening event at Chicken Guy! will take place on February 6 at 4:30 pm. Guests who show up dressed like Guy Fieri will have a chance to win prizes, signed books, framed photos, and wine bottles from Hunt & Ryde Winery autographed by Guy Fieri.

Dallas is not the only city to welcome a new new Chicken Guy!: A location has just opened in New York's Times Square, and another opened in December in California’s Napa Valley.

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Taking the field

Dak Prescott-backed Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux kicks off in Wylie

Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is opening in Wylie on August 10.

A Louisiana sports bar chain that counts Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as a partner continues to build its fan base in Dallas-Fort Worth: Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is set to open a new location in Wylie on Monday, August 10.

Announced earlier this year, the restaurant is at 906 FM 544, near the intersection of Highway 78 and FM 544. The opening marks the chain's 20th Texas location and its second operating restaurant in the DFW area.

Founded in Baton Rouge in 2003 by former LSU basketball "walk-ons" Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, Walk-On's has grown to more than 80 locations nationwide. The company is co-owned by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (an Austin native), and franchise partners include Prescott, along with former NFL player Derrick Brooks, and college football coach Dabo Swinney.

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Wylie The new Walk-On's is at 906 FM 544, Wylie.Photo courtesy of Walk-On's

The menu is centered on seafood and classic Louisiana dishes: fried seafood platters, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, po'boys, fried oysters, gumbo, fried alligator, and boudin balls. Prices range from $10 to $20.

Starters include waffle cheese fries, fried pickles, boneless wings, cheeseburger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and venison nachos. They have a bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

There's also a plentiful selection of beers on tap, plus margaritas and other crafty-ish cocktails.

The Wylie restaurant is owned by franchisee Cooper Thomson, who says the community made the city an appealing place to expand.

"I am thrilled to expand Walk-On's presence in Dallas, and particularly in the community of Wylie," Thomson says in a release. "To be a part of the growth in this area - to serve families and be a place where little league teams celebrate and football fans cheer on their team - is such a special opportunity."

Although Walk-On's has been in the DFW market since pre-pandemic times, Wylie will be its second restaurant in DFW open currently, joining a location at Grandscape in The Colony. Earlier Dallas-area locations in Irving and Arlington have closed, although the company has previously said it plans to reopen the Arlington restaurant at a new location.

The Wylie restaurant features a sports bar with dozens of TVs, a large outdoor patio, and a family-friendly dining room designed for game-day crowds.

Grand opening festivities will kick off at 10:30 am on Monday, August 10, with a ceremony featuring Walk-On's founder Brandon Landry, franchise owner Cooper Thomson, Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter, city officials, and representatives from Wylie High School and Wylie East High School.

The celebration will include donations to the two schools' athletic departments, followed by a ribbon-cutting at 10:45 am. Doors open to the public at 11 am, and the first 100 guests to dine will have a chance to win free Walk-On's for a year.

Walk-On's will be the second sports bar concept with celebrity cred to open in DFW within a few days' time. Shark Club, from Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi, opened Friday, August 7 in Northlake.

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