Breakfast News

Denny's sibling Keke's Breakfast Cafe opens 2 locations in Fort Worth

Keke's breakfast

Keke's

An intriguing new breakfast option has debuted in Dallas-Fort Worth: It's called Keke's Breakfast Cafe, and it's a fast-growing breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain making a big Texas debut with five new cafes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Two locations have just opened in Fort Worth:

Victory Shops at Heritage Trace, 9821 N Fwy. #120
Trinity Commons, 3000 S. Hulen St.

They join the first Texas location which opened in Dallas across from NorthPark Center in mid-December.

Keke’s was founded by two brothers in 2006 who couldn't find a quality breakfast like the one they enjoyed back home in Philadelphia. ("Keke" comes from a combination of the first syllables of the founders' names, Keith and Kevin.) Their vision: a better version of an American cafe focused on fresh, quality ingredients, abundant portions, cleanliness, and fast, friendly service.

In 2022, they were acquired by Denny's, but Keke’s operates independently from Denny’s, with its own development and marketing.

Keke's menu highlights include a "Create Your Own" omelet and their signature "Florida Pancakes" which come topped with fruit: strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. There's oatmeal; yogurt with granola; and a scrambler bowl — like a bowl version of an omelet with eggs, vegetables, home fries, and toast.

Seven waffle options include chocolate chip, strawberry, and chicken & waffles; and an assortment of stuffed French toasts come with cream cheese and choice of filling such as apple-cinnamon and banana-caramel-pecan.

The lunch menu has panini including their signature Cheese Steak Panini, plus sandwiches, wraps, and salads including the Carolina Chicken Salad which has fried or grilled chicken strips, iceberg lettuce tomato, pecans, cheddar, and bacon in honey mustard dressing.

The Texas expansion marks another milestone in Keke's growth story, following launches in Tennessee, Colorado, and California, with additional locations planned in Georgia and Nevada.

"Every new market we enter becomes part of our extended family," says Keke’s Breakfast Cafe President David Schmidt. "We're not just opening restaurants – we're joining communities. The enthusiasm we've seen from guests in our new locations has been extraordinary, and we're confident Texans will find something special in Keke's combination of generous portions, quality ingredients, and genuine hospitality."

Two other locations will open in the DFW area over the coming months as follows::

Grand Prairie: Epic Towne Crossing, 1020 Mayfield Rd. #630
McKinney: West Grove, 8885 W University Dr.

"Texas's bold spirit and legendary hospitality make it the perfect home for Keke's," says Keke's Director of Marketing Jenna Law. "We believe in doing breakfast the right way – abundant portions, premium ingredients, and service that makes you feel like family."

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Pancake News

Tres leches pancakes are a must-get at Fort Worth Mexican snack shop

Kokitos

Kokitos tres leches pancakes

A Fort Worth snack shop serving Mexican treats and drinks has an adorable new dish that's a must-get. The shop is Kokitos, a family-owned mini-chain with two locations in Fort Worth: 6708 Camp Bowie Blvd., which opened in 2012; and 6425 McCart Ave. which opened in 2017.

Kokitos comes from the Santos family, owned by Alicia and Ruben Santos, who run it with their daughters, including Briana who runs the social media accounts and helps with marketing. Each item is inspired by their cultural roots in Mexico, with a goal to take traditional items and bring them into the modern world.

Their latest and greatest is a delight called tres leches mini-pancakes, which come 18 mini pancakes to a serving.

“My dad loves to think of new ideas and is always pushing for new items because he just loves to get in there and try something,” Briana says. "His inspiration on this was to do a pancake version of tres leches cake — it's such a popular cake and he wanted to do a breakfast version."

It starts with mini pancakes, which they make in a cute little muffin-style pan with cut-outs for each mini pancake. Once the pancakes are done, they get drenched in the sweet tres leches milk sauce, the same as tres leches cake. They're layered on a plate in symmetrical little rows, then drizzled with chocolate and tres leches sauces and topped with choice of fresh fruit like bananas and kiwi or even chocolate chips, before being garnished with whipped cream and fresh mint. (If you want to see it made, they've posted a helpful reel.)

Brianna says it's just the latest invention from Ruben, who rotates in specials that embrace hot trends and ingredients like Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Decadent and fruity drinks are the centerpiece of their menu such as the rusa, with chile, chamoy, Squirt soda, stacked with oranges and pineapple; and the mango Kokilocos, a smoothie-like drink topped with mango.

They also serve cheesecakes, milkshakes, cochinadas, nachos, fruit bowls, and crepes. Prices range from $4.25 for a slice of cheesecake to $13.50 for a shrimp cocktail.

Before opening Kokitos, Ruben was in the AC business, while Alicia worked in El Fenix restaurants for 10 years. Many of their recipes such as the rusas and escamochas come from family members who have similar stores in Mexico. According to Briana, some of the recipes they use are held so dear that her mom Alicia will only make them herself rather than the employees.

“My dad opened it because he saw that there wasn’t another store like ours around at that time on the west side of town,” Briana says. “He saw an opening for Mexican culture, and both of my parents are from Mexico, and they wanted to open it to a different crowd that might not have experienced Mexican desserts.”

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