Bittersweet goodbye

Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes in North Richland Hills closes after 5 years

Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes is closing its last location, in North Richland Hills.

Photo courtesy of Sweetie Pie's

A family-owned steakhouse in North Richland Hills is turning off the grills: Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes, a sibling to the beloved Babe's Chicken chain, is closing its location at 6720 Northeast Loop 820, after five years.

NRH was the last remaining Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes location; the longtime Decatur restaurant closed in November 2025.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the owners said the doors would close at 9 pm Friday, May 15. There's still time to stop by for a farewell chicken fried steak.

They also indicated there's something new in the works.

"While difficult, this decision allows us to turn our attention toward developing an exciting new concept at this location — one we believe will better serve the community and the future of our company," says the post.

CultureMap reached out to management for more information on the "exciting new concept."

"We are genuinely excited about the new concept and the future ahead," a spokesman said, but added, "we’re not quite ready to discuss the details publicly just yet."

The owners say in their announcement that "the many operational and financial challenges facing the restaurant industry today" contributed to their decision to close Sweetie Pie's, but they also decided that the concept "was not delivering the experience and connection we had hoped to create for our guests and the community."

They say Sweetie Pie's employees will be offered positions at their other restaurants.

Sweetie Pie's was founded by Paul Vinyard, founder of the hugely popular home-cooking chain Babe's Chicken, who opened the original location in Decatur in 2006. The concept specialized in ribeye steaks, obviously, but also fantastic baked potatoes and pot pies, as well as the usual conscientious cooking for which Babe's is known.

In 2021, they opened the second location in North Richland Hills, next to a mega-location of Babe's Chicken, which opened in 2018. Sweetie Pie's massive building had been a library and recreation center and before that, a church.

The NRH restaurant was anticipated to open sooner, but construction delays and COVID-19 pushed that back; the restaurant had been waiting until restrictions on capacity were lifted.

They served Angus beef ribeye steaks in five sizes: from a 10-ounce all the way up to a 24-ounce for $53. There was also a chicken-fried ribeye with cream gravy; a chili made with rib eye; and chipped beef on toast, featuring thinly sliced ribeye on Texas toast topped with bacon gravy.

The menu also included burgers, fried catfish, lemon sole, pork chops, and chicken tenders, either fried or grilled, and more. Plus a Babe's-style assortment of sides that include green beans, mac & cheese, baked potato, and Gruene rice.

Like Babe's, it also had a folksy decor, with American and Texas flags and old photos that gave the space a homey, vintage touch.

"Serving our guests has been an incredible honor, and we are deeply grateful for the support you have shown us throughout the years," the owners say, concluding, "This is not goodbye; it is simply the beginning of a new chapter. Be on the lookout for future announcements — we can’t wait to see you again soon!"

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

The menu also includes burgrs, fried catfish, lemon sole, pork chops, and chicken tenders, either fried or grilled. Three entree salads include steak salad, fried chicken salad, and grilled chicken salad. Plus a Babe's-style assortment of sides that include green beans, mac & cheese, baked potato, and Gruene rice.

Like Babe's it also has a folksy decor, with American and Texas flags and old photos that give the space a homey, vintage touch.

closes ribeyes steakhouse sweetie pies nrh north richland hills closures

Bubbly News

Bubbly-obsessed champagne bar Pop and Pour set to fizz in Colleyville

Courtesy

The new bar will feature bubbly by the glass.

A bubbly new bar is about to pop open to Colleyville: Called Pop and Pour, it's a champagne lounge at 5665 Colleyville Blvd. #150, in a former office space at Colleyville Town Center, where it will feature sparkling wines and small bites.

According to owner Jessica Glenn, the lounge will open in mid-May.

Glenn has a hospitality background including doing events and outings for Dallas Cowboys suite holders; she also worked in the healthcare and nonprofit fields.

"I love creating fun experiences through events," Glenn says. "Meanwhile, my family always enjoyed sparkling wine every Sunday as a celebratory thing, as something to share. That's where my love of bubbles came in — I always wanted to do this."

She'll keep the primary focus on champagne and sparkling wines.

"It'll be all sparkling wines — champagne, cava, prosecco, sparkling rose — both imported and domestic, with some non-alcoholic sparkling as well," she says.

They'll focus on by the glass, starting at $7 for their house bubbly Kraemer Blanc de Blancs, and top out at $34 a glass for Godme Sabine Grand Cru Rosé. The only exception will be two luxury Champagnes sold by the bottle. They also have a retail license so that customers can buy bottles to take home.

"The plan is to have three to five by-the-glass offerings, spanning varieties such as cava, prosecco, moscata," she says.

Food will consist of charcuterie boards, snack plates, and other bites, including an exclusive cookie made for them by The Cookie Bar, a neighboring business with whom they'll collaborate.

Glenn grew up in south Florida, but her parents relocated to Keller while she was attending college at DePaul University, and she would come here on breaks from school. That's what led to the fortuitous choice of Colleyville as the location.

The space will seat about 30, including seven seats at an L-shaped marble-topped bar. The color scheme features a cheerful Tiffany-esque turquoise interior with black and yellow accents. They've been keeping a large mural under wraps, which they'll unveil when they open.

"I'm calling it elevated casual," Glenn says. "Other champagne bars I've seen are generally romantic and dimly lit. I want this to be a fun space with brighter colors and fun lounge furniture that make it inviting — a place where people can come in and do happy hour in a casual non-intimidating environment."

The warm reception she's received from residents and businesses nearby, such as The Cookie Bar, has been an encouraging sign.

"People who live in Colleyville have told me, 'We need something like this here'," she says. "I'm thankful that we've had quite a few people reach out, like moms groups, who love bubbles and are super excited to do events here."

"My idea is to make bubbles more approachable. I'd like to introduce people to the variety of bubbles and hopefully turn them on to something new."

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Bubbly News

Bubbly-obsessed champagne bar Pop and Pour set to fizz in Colleyville