Burger News
Amazing-sounding fast-food diner from California relocates to Dallas
Nation's burger & fries are coming for DFW.
A fast-casual restaurant chain from Northern California is not only opening a location in Texas, the company is moving here: Nation's, a diner-style restaurant with hot dogs, giant burgers, and pie, has opened a location in Frisco, at 3311 Preston Rd.
Nation’s is a family-owned restaurant chain that started as a hot dog stand in 1952 but has become famous for its oversized burgers. They've relocated their headquarters from California to Garland, says owner and chairman Grant Power.
“Everyone knows the Dallas/Fort Worth area is the hottest metro area for growth, but we found a home here, our leadership team has moved here with their families, and we are committed to this community and the exciting growth of our company,” Power says.
This Frisco debut marks many firsts:
- It's their first location outside California
- It's their first location in Texas
- It's their first-ever franchisee
While their initial signature hot dogs and chili dogs are still on the menu, they have diversified with made-to-order giant burgers, so big, they claim it takes three hands to eat them. They also have sandwiches and they serve breakfast all day.
This all sounds like perfection, but there's more:
They offer more than 20 flavors of pies made daily from scratch. The pies are such a hit, they represent 25 percent of company sales.
They don't complicate the menu too much. Burgers include a cheeseburger, veggie burger, and a chili burger. Sandwiches include a BLT, grilled cheese, chili hot dog, and a salmon sandwich on a wheat bun. Sides include fries, chili fries, and onion rings.
Prices range from $7.45 for a regular burger to $12 for a bacon cheeseburger. The most expensive sandwich is the salmon at $10.25. An 8-ounce hot dog is $5.65. Bacon & eggs with home fries is $11.95, omelets are $7 to $15, and breakfast burritos range from $8 to $12.
But back to the pies, they look really good. They do pies with real crust, not the quick-and-dirty crumb crusts some Dallas-area bakers use. There are fruit pies — boysenberry, cherry, peach, and apple — plus cream pies: banana cream, coconut cream, chocolate cream, and lemon cream. Plus lemon meringue pie. Plus custard pie, not a common option. Plus pumpkin cheesecake, strawberry-topped cheesecake, pumpkin cream pie, their pie thing is a deal!
According to a release, they'll open a second location in Arlington, 4180 S Cooper St. at the end of May. That location features the company’s first ever online order drive-through as part of operations.
Their plan is to open 30 franchised locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the next five years. The next three locations will be in Sachse, Denton, and Mesquite.
Nation's Giant Hamburgers was founded by Russ Harvey in San Pablo, California, as a hot dog stand and six stools. Dale Power joined the company in 1961, starting as a janitor and working his way up to manager eventually becoming a partner. Today, Dale’s son Grant Power serves as owner, continuing to fuel the mission to serve the best burgers and handmade pies in the nation.
Up until now, the company has owned all of its 29 locations over its 72-year history, but recently made the leap to start franchising. The first franchisee is Tommy Coker, who moved his family to Texas to open the Frisco location.
"Nation’s is something we grew up on and it’s always been a place families to go to be together,” says Coker. “When this opportunity came up, this is where we decided to invest because of the passion we have for the brand.”
Power says Nation’s is a “destination” restaurant that has capitalized on being a social gathering spot for families.
“We’re not ‘fast food,’ we offer a different type of food experience with an incredibly diversified menu,” he says.
