Working Holiday News

Dallas restaurants are turning Labor Day into a 3-day weekend

Fun people having brunch at Haywire

Haywire

Labor Day is the federal holiday honoring American working stiffs — a holiday one used to celebrate at a backyard barbecue or picnic. There are surely plenty who take that route. But for others, every holiday is an excuse for brunch and/or cocktails, and/or both, and that's what this list is about.

Here are restaurants and some hotels doing their best to turn Labor Day into a three-day weekend.

Cantina Laredo
Tex-Mex chain will bring back its USA ’Rita, a patriotic twist on the restaurant’s signature Casa ’Rita — a colorfully layered red, white and blue frozen margarita with flavors of blue Curaҫao and strawberry puree. The USA ‘Rita will be available from Friday August 29-Monday, September 1 at the locations in Addison (4546 Belt Line Rd.) and Frisco (1125 Legacy Dr.)

The Charlotte
Henderson Avenue spot will host an All-Day Happy Hour on Monday, September 1, featuring favorites such as the Smash Burger or Wagyu Glizzy, alongside cocktails like the Margarita, Espresso Martini, frozen Peach Bellini, and Ranch Water, all for $9.

City Works Eatery & Pour House
Fort Worth is the only Texas location of this Chicago-based chain with chef-driven food and craft beer on tap, and they'll be open for brunch on Labor Day, Monday — the one day of year you can celebrate a Monday off with brunch. The menu will include a breakfast burger (with egg, candied bacon, arugula, cheddar, and fries); bananas Foster pancakes with rum caramel & spiced walnuts; brunch shots like Cinnamon Toast with Fireball and rumChata; and a Mini Espresso Martini with Absolut, Kahlua, and Owen’s nitro-infused espresso.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle
Steakhouse is hosting a shareable feast for two, from August 28-September 1, featuring a 32-oz Prime Porterhouse + sides, plus salad, plus dessert for $155.

Del Frisco's Grille
The upscale American grill chain will offer a Labor Day special, extending from August 28-September 1, featuring a half rack of ribs glazed in BBQ sauce, served with potato salad and street corn for $25. At all three locations: Plano (7200 Bishop Rd. #D9), Southlake (1200 E. Southlake Blvd.), and Fort Worth (154 East 3rd St.).

Fish City Grill
Fish City Grill locations will be offering a Cajun shrimp boil special with Gulf shrimp, Andouille sausage, corn, potato, and a toasted baguette for $19. Select oysters are $2, and they also have drink specials: rose bottles half off, margaritas for $5, and mystic mermaids for $2. Available August 30-September 1 at Burleson, Mansfield, Richardson, Flower Mound, Lake Highlands, Preston-Royal, Prosper, and Watters Creek in Allen, plus Half Shells at Plano Legacy and Dallas Snider Plaza.

The Hampton Social
Downtown brunch spot is adding an extra day of brunching, beyond its usual Saturday-Sunday, on Labor Day Monday, from 10 am–3 pm with dishes like wild berry French toast, lobster rolls, and steak & eggs, plus cocktails such as the signature Hampton frosé and espresso martinis.

Haywire
Enjoy Hill Country-inspired brunch from Wagyu pastrami hash to cinnamon-orange pancakes to barbacoa chilaquiles: Saturday August 30–Monday, September 1, when they'll be open until 3 pm.

The Henry
Uptown-adjacent restaurant and bar that's part of Fox Restaurants Concepts (Flower Child, Culinary Dropout) will extend its inordinately popular Saturday-and-Sunday weekend brunch to Labor Day, with the same menu of dishes such as egg white turkey omelet, harvest bowl, honey hot fried chicken sandwich, and avocado toast.

Ida Claire
Southern restaurant will host a three-day Labor Day weekend brunch, with pull-apart blueberry biscuits, fried chicken, creme brulee French toast, lemon-poppyseed pancakes, mimosas, and more. Saturday-Sunday August 30-31, 9 am-4 pm, Monday September 1 from 11 am-4 pm, and they'll also host a regular breakfast on Labor Day from 8-11 am.

JOA Grill
Korean BBQ spot is usually closed on Mondays, but it will open on Monday, September 1 for dinner, with a variety of menu items from their “Taste of JOA” including meats to grill at the table, pork kimchi stew, and tofu steak. Sounds intriguing!

Santa Cabana Weekend at Hotel Anatole with Santa and Mrs. Claus in their summer togs.Hotel Anatole

Mexican Sugar
Latin-inspired brunch with vanilla cinnamon pancakes, steak & eggs, and cocktails. Saturday, August 30–Monday, September 1 from 11 am–3 pm.

North Italia
Italian restaurant is sending off summer with a celebratory and discounted toast: From Saturday, August 30-Monday, September 1, they'll offer their limited-edition $15 Summer Sips cocktails — Watermelon Sugar, Pink Pony, Strawberry Blush, Maneater — for $10. That's $5 off each drink — one third off.

Sixty Vines
Escape to wine country with vineyard-style dining and shared plates including orange morning bread, tuna crudo, or Spanish-style albondigas, with a BYO Mimosa Bar featuring fruits and juices. Brunch is served all three days: August 30-September 1 from 11 am-3 pm.

Whiskey Cake
Local American chain is rolling out a new brunch menu and they're debuting it on Labor Day weekend, when brunch will run for three days straight — Saturday-Monday. New dishes and cocktails include the B.L.T. Toast with candied bacon, steak hash with grilled flat iron and avocado hollandaise, and deviled eggs with a Bloody Mary twist.

HOTELS

Hilton Anatole Santa Cabana Weekend
Four-day event from August 29-September 1brings Santa and Ms. Claus to the Hilton Anatole's JadeWaters Resort Pool Complex for poolside family-friendly activities and a sneak peek of the hotel’s signature Christmas at the Anatole programming, including holiday crafts and photo ops with a giant polar bear, train rides, foam parties, themed food & beverage offerings like Christmas cookies and snow cones. If you're not staying at the hotel, you can join the fun with a day pass via ResortPass.

Virgin Hotels Dallas Celebrate Labor Day Weekend
Expect fun all weekend long at the Design District hotel, from August 29-September1, with rooftop pool parties, pilates & Patrón, drag brunch, and sunset swims. Book a room at Virgin Hotels Dallas for suite accommodations and pool access, or reserve a VIP table at The Pool Club for spritzes, margaritas, and frozen specialties. [Note: Non-hotel guests must purchase a $25 day pass or VIP reservation for pool entry.]

brunch holidays

THE FUTURE OF FOOD

Buzzy delivery app Wonder to launch in Dallas with food from celeb chefs

Di Fara Pizza/Facebook

Wonder offers pies from New York's famous Di Fara Pizza.

Fast-growing food platform Wonder is launching a Texas takeover. The upstart app, which describes itself as a “new kind of food hall,” is set to launch in Dallas in early 2027, as part of its Texas expansion.

Unlike traditional food halls or food delivery apps, the platform operates multiple “restaurants” out of one space. Diners can order fare from buzzy eateries, like Tejas Barbecue and Di Fara Pizza, as well as celebrity chef-driven concepts from Bobby Flay, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson. Everything is precooked in a commissary space and finished in one central kitchen, prepared to order by one operations team.

The centralized approach "makes it possible for everyone at the table to get what they want," Wonder says. Its "Multi-Restaurant Ordering" feature lets customers mix and match dishes from a host of "restaurants," all on one order.

Wonder also operates storefronts, which offer pick-up service and limited dine-in space.

In 2024, Wonder also purchased struggling delivery service Grubhub, making it possible to order from other local restaurants from the same app. Faster than you can say “vertical integration,” the start-up also gobbled up food media company Tastemade in 2025, blending commerce and content. The food-focused company also owns meal kit pioneer Blue Apron, AI-powered restaurant rewards program Claim, and robot-powered restaurant Spyce, known for preparing food in “three minutes or less."

The corporation says Texas’ “suburban areas, characterized by densely populated communities and car-dependent infrastructure,” make it one of the nation’s most attractive markets. Wonder’s expansion will include storefront construction, kitchen buildouts, and technology infrastructure.

“We're excited to enter Texas and introduce more people to what makes Wonder unique — chef-crafted menus, unmatched variety, and seamless convenience," says Tony Hoggett, CEO of Wonder North America, in a release. "Texas' dynamic food culture, population growth, and suburban footprint align closely with our delivery-first model.”

While Wonder has not shared exactly when it will flip the switch on Texas service, it will first debut in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, followed by expansion in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. It plans to have more than 100 locations in Texas by the end of 2027.

technology innovation ghost kitchens delivery restaurants chefs apps