Bar News

East Dallas neighborhood bar closes after 4 years of pandemic woes

Get drinks at BarNone in East Dallas

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A family-owned restaurant-and-bar in East Dallas is sadly closing: BarNone, a fun sports-bar destination in the White Rock Center at 718 N. Buckner Blvd., #100, in Lake Highlands that opened in 2020, will close on August 13, after nearly four years.

Husband-and-wife Todd Dickerson and Jennifer Rohde Dickerson said in a statement that they had never fully recovered from the pandemic and that business had slacked off in recent months.

But they wanted to make sure to throw a going-away event before they closed.

BarNone was a true neighborhood spot, catering to East Dallas: Lakewood, Forest Hills, Hollywood Heights, Casa Linda, Eastwood, and Old Lake Highlands, with signature drinks, beer, wine, and sports on TV.

The couple opened in December 2020 with lots of experience under their belt, including Todd's 30-plus years of food & beverage experience, 20 years as managing partner of Angry Dog; and Jennifer's industry savvy via her family's business, Bud's Salads.

At BarNone, they served all-American fare, including a burger made with meat ground in-house, clams Casino, wings, Todd’s Sunday gravy, and Manhattan clam chowder. (Their patty melts are said to be particularly amazing.) They innovated frequently, introducing and rotating in new dishes and novel specials, such as their half-price special on grilled cheese sandwiches every Thursday.

BarNone patty melt BarNone's patty melts are said to be particularly amazing.BarNone

Their accolades included earning a nomination in 2021 in CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards for Best Neighborhood Bar.

Unfortunately, timing was not on their side, as they made the decision to open just prior to the pandemic.

“Six years ago we started working on BarNone, as a work of passion," Dickerson said in a statement. "We’ve lived in East Dallas the majority of our lives and wanted to bring our style of food and drinks to the ED neighborhoods. While planning BarNone, we thought of everything; the food, the drinks, the atmosphere, the music, the service we wanted to provide…everything except a global pandemic. The pandemic happened and we opened right in the middle of it."

"We fought the good fight and we held on for nearly four years. But come Tuesday, August 13, we will be closing BarNone," they said.

The couple thanked their customers and regulars, calling it an honor to serve them, and offered special thanks to their employees, stating, "We’d like to thank our loyal employees, both the front of house and kitchen staff. Of all the aspects that made BarNone so amazing, the staff was the most special part of the equation."

Part of their desire to host a final going-away party is to put their staff's skills on display.

"We want to offer potential future employers the opportunity to meet our amazing staff," the couple said. "If you are in a hiring position in the hospitality industry, do yourself a favor and drop by BarNone to check out our outstanding staff. Our biggest regret is letting them down. Every one of our employees is amazing at their job."

For the rest of us, it's sad goodbyes.

"Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end," they said. "That time comes for us at 11:55 Tuesday night. Please stop by Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday to say goodbye to BarNone, our staff, our food, and our drinks. We will be offering very deep discounts on all alcoholic beverages. The closer to midnight on Tuesday, the cheaper we’ll get. So, please come by, even just to say goodbye."

cocktails closing

Diner News

Home-cooking classic Chubby's closes location in southwest Dallas

Chubby's

Biscuits and gravy at Chubby's

A beloved diner near Duncanville in southwest Dallas has closed: Chubby's, famous for its home-cooking cuisine and splendiferous breakfasts, has closed its location at 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd., near I-20 and 67, after 18 years.

In what will be a relief for Chubby's many fans, the original location, at 11331 E. Northwest Hwy., is still open. A manager at the original location confirmed that the Cockrell Hill location had closed, while a spokesperson for the property said the building was up for sale because the owner was "ready to retire."

The location has been on the market since June, but they finally shuttered the restaurant on October 31. It had been at that address since 2008, taking over a space that was formerly Owens Family Restaurant, and originally a Bob Evans Restaurant.

Chubby's was founded by brothers and Greek immigrants John and George Touris, who opened the first location in 1987. Over the years, they opened more locations, winning over fans with their pancakes, omelets, chicken-fried steak, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and more, as well as a few Italian and Greek dishes.

If you know restaurants, you know that Greek restaurateurs usually adhere to a high standard of quality. Stellar signatures, shown in their most tempting light on Instagram, include biscuits & gravy, chicken-fried steak, Greek baked chicken with potato wedges, banana pancakes topped with banana slices and whipped cream, Greek salad, and masterful desserts including multi-layer cakes and baked pies in varieties such as cherry, coconut cream, and the rare chocolate meringue.

As their website explains, John Touris was 16 when he, his brother, and mother left Greece in 1978 and emigrated to Buffalo, New York, where John learned the ropes from his uncle, a restaurant veteran who worked at Towne Restaurant, which helped many Greek immigrants find their way in the U.S.

John moved to Dallas and in 1982 opened his first restaurant, Dough Boys, which eventually evolved into Chubby’s when it moved to its location on Northwest Highway. Together with his brother George, John built Chubby’s into a community cornerstone, expanding to four locations across Plano and Lancaster, which both closed, and this location near Duncanville, which has now closed as well.

Chubby’s is treasured by old-timers as one of a shrinking pool of diner-type places, like Mama's Daughters' Diner, Original Market Diner, Metro Diner, and Norma's Cafe, that offers unpretentious, well-prepared food at a relatively low price.

breakfast closings greek cuisine