Closure News
Burger stand in Fort Worth that tried to do something special closes
In terrible news for those who appreciate the little guy trying to do something new, Sear-N-Dip, a burger joint with ice cream made in-house, has closed.
The restaurant opened in July, surviving a mere two months; their final day was September 26.
Owner Kirk Bennett, who opened Sear-N-Dip in June, says that it was ultimately COVID-19 that did him in.
"53 days and done," he says. "August wasn't that bad but September fell off pretty good."
Taking over a storefront at 5800 N. Tarrant Pkwy. that was previously home to LA Burger, and before that, Smashburger, Bennett had an idea to make basic burgers — thin patties seared with a nice crust — plus an ice cream stand on the side.
His menu included French fries, curly fries, crinkle cut fries, onion rings, mac & cheese, chips & salsa, queso, guacamole, nachos, chicken tenders, and a grilled cheese patty melt.
He did ice cream in creative flavors like Nutella and pistachio — ice cream that earned raves from customers.
But Bennett was surprised to learn that the demand for ice cream made in-house was not that strong. "Ice cream sales were not even close to what I was anticipating," he says.
In addition, he'd been paying rent and other expenses on the location since the beginning of 2020, but didn't actually open until the summer.
"The landlord was very helpful," Bennett says. "But with all the unknowns with the election, COVID-19, the colder/rainy months, I wasn't willing to risk any more money, and we came to an amicable termination."
"I would have thrown in the towel in April but I wasn't taking COVID seriously," he says.
Bennett was a generous host to the very end. After he posted on Facebook that the restaurant was closed, a customer commented that the cherry amaretto ice cream was "possibly the best ice cream I've ever had."
Bennet responded, "I still have some cherry amaretto, lemon Oreo and pinwheel, no charge," and met the customer at the shop the next day.