Where to eat: Best Fort Worth restaurants for Easter 2023 dining

Holiday News

Photo courtesy of Las Ramblas

Brunch has become a big trend, but it has always been a thing on Easter Sunday, when it's a tradition to hit up a brunch as a reward for attending Mass. It's such a thing that some restaurants in Fort Worth that are usually closed on Sundays open for special hours on this one holy day.

Here's than where to get brunch (and dinner) on Easter Sunday in Fort Worth:

Blue Mesa Grill. Brunch award-winner will add extra items for Easter including ginger chipotle glazed ham, on top of signatures like street tacos, omelets, Belgian waffles, churros, biscuits & gravy, blue corn cheese enchiladas, potato chile tarts, Chimayo corn, Adobe Pie, and dessert bar with chocolate-dipped strawberries, banana pudding, fruit cobbler, raspberry-cajeta bread pudding, cookies, and bars. $35, includes Mimosas, or $10 for 11 and under. 8 am-4 pm. 817-332-6372.

Bonnell's. Chef Jon Bonnell has a dozen to-go options for Easter, including rack of lamb, beef tenderloin, prime rib, turkey breast, and sides for 4 or 8 people, plus cake, cheesecake, and pies. $35 to $300. Order online by March 31 at 12 noon for pickup on April 8 from 11 am-6 pm. 817-738-5489.

Capital Grille. Opening early with full dinner menu, as well as four special brunch features: lobster frittata with asparagus, NY strip steak & eggs, filet mignon with white cheddar hash browns, and smoked salmon and caviar. 10 am-2 pm. 817-348-9200.

Eddie V's. 3-course brunch includes cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, choice of salad, lobster bisque, smoked salmon, steak & eggs with red-eye gravy, lobster quiche Florentine with Fuji apple salad, avocado and crab on brioche toast, seasonal berries, or bananas Foster cake. Kids menu includes fruit, scrambled eggs, chicken fingers, Mac & cheese, sorbet, or ice cream. Full menu also available. $52, or $16 for 12 and under. 10 am-2 pm. 817-336-8000.

Fort Brewery and Pizza. Regular brunch menu with signatures like their "Panther Bones" extra-large extra-garlicky breadsticks, avocado toast, biscuits & gravy, the hangover burger, pizzas, cinnamon roll, waffle on a stick, do we need to go on. 10 am-10 pm. 817-923-8000.

Fuzzy's Taco Shop. Easter to-go for parties of 10 or more with Build Your Own Taco bar ($120), Fajita bar ($140), and Nacho bar ($100). Order online by April 7.

Hotel Vin Autograph Collection. Brunch in the Bordeaux and Tuscany ballrooms with chef Juan Pablo Silva's bountiful menu includes flambee crepe and Belgian waffle station, seafood station, raw bar, prime rib carving station, omelet station, and kids buffet. Reservations include entry into an Easter egg hunt plus Easter bunny photo op. 11 am-3 pm. $90, or $45 for 12 and under. 817-796-9696.

Malai Kitchen. Brunch includes banh mi French toast, Thai eggs benedict, fried rice “over easy”, spicy bloody Marys, and mimosas. Price varies. 11 am-3 pm. Southlake 682-707-3959.

97 West. Brunch at Hotel Drover includes taco board, giant cinnamon roll, apple churro pancakes, avocado & toast, hot chicken & biscuits, chicken Caesar, egg white frittata, Stockyards hash, crab cake benedict, chicken-fried steak & eggs. 8 am-2 pm. 682-255-6497.

Omni Fort Worth. Brunch includes charcuterie, deviled eggs, ceviche, cheese & herb soft scrambled eggs, Belgian waffles, spice-rubbed chicken, bourbon-honey smoked brisket, honey-baked ham, cakes, tarts, cookies, cupcakes, rocky road bread pudding, dark chocolate pot de creme, green matcha tiramisu, profiteroles, and an Easter Boulangerie with poblano corn loaf, beer bread, Parmesan lavash, hot cross buns, lemon meringue muffins, bagels, pumpernickel, focaccia, and cinnamon-raisin toast. Plus egg hunt and Easter bunny. $76 or $40 for 12 and under. 11 am-3 pm. Seatings every 45 minutes. 817-535-6664.

Perry's Steakhouse. Holiday specials include choice og glazed ham ($49) or prime rib ($69) accompanied by whipped potatoes and green beans almondine, with choice of starter from salad or carrot-ginger soup. Regular menu is also available. 11 am-9 pm. 214-855-5151.

Pinstripes. Brunch buffet includes waffle station, carving station, sweets table, bottomless mimosas, and Aperol spritzes. The Easter Bunny will hand out treats and take pictures with the kids. $32, or $15 for 12 and under. 10 am-3 pm. Reserve online or call 682-352-0905.

Reata. Brunch with pecan biscuits & elk sausage gravy, fried quail & waffles, hues rancheros, stuffed French toast, chicken chilaquiles, shrimp & grits, crab eggs Benedict, and scrambled eggs with ham or chicken-fried steak. $13-$17.11 am-2 pm. 817-336-1009.

Silver Fox. Full menu plus an Easter special: Roasted Beef Tenderloin Benedict, with poached egg, hollandaise, asparagus, and fingerling potatoes, for $60. Drink specials include a Bloody Mary with Tito’s Handmade Vodka for $18, and a Mimosa for $12. 11 am-4 pm. 817-332-9060.

61 Osteria. Brunch includes scrambled egg bruschetta, granola, semolina Dutch baby, and mozzarella in carrozza. Prices a la carte. 10 am-2 pm. 817-953-3271.

SusieCakes. SusieChick luscious lemon cake, Easter cupcakes (with carrots, bunnies, and Happy Easter decorations), Peeps sugar cookies, cookie decorating kits, and cakes with bunny and cross decorations. 817-813-2253.

Taste Project. Special pay-what-you-can brunch prepared by chef Jeff and team of volunteers. 9 am-2 pm. Reservations required, online only. 817-759-9045.

Toro Toro. Signature brunch at Worthington Renaissance Hotel with unlimited shrimp cocktail, grilled corn, arepas, steak & eggs, Belgian waffle, plus bloody Mary bar and a la carte options. $49. 11 am-3 pm. 817-975-9895.

Truluck's. Easter special favorites including miso-glazed sea bass with crab fried rice, tuna, King crab, lobster tail, and a spring fling cocktail with vodka, ramazotti rosato, and cava. 11 am-8 pm. Southlake, 817-912-0500.

Photo courtesy of Lawn Love

5 Texas cities make a splash as best places for family-friendly vacations

FUN FOR THE FAM

Fort Worth families looking to create lasting memories - or just really need a last-minute getaway for spring break - don’t need to look outside their state.

In a new report from lawn care company Lawn Love, five Texas cities ranked high as Best Cities for Kid-Friendly Vacations. Houston scored No. 8, San Antonio landed at No. 10, and Dallas came in at No. 11. A little further down the list, Austin scored No. 29, and (for those wanting a great staycation location) Fort Worth came in at No. 44.

Not bad, considering 200 of America’s largest cities were ranked using 23 metrics, including affordability, family-friendly accommodations, attractions, transportation options, and more.

Houston, the highest rated Texas city, was classified as the third safest city for kid-friendly vacations, and earned the No. 6 spot in the category of “getting around." In the category of most amusement and theme parks, Houston ranked No. 5 in a three-way tie with San Diego, California and Denver, Colorado. Houston also tied at No. 3 with Baltimore, Maryland in the category of most children’s hospitals.

San Antonio was hot on Houston's heels, just making the top 10 with its highest ranking in "having fun" (No. 5), the highest of any Texas city. It also had a high ranking in safety (No. 8), and all its scores were above average, including the lowest ranking in "eating" (No. 97).

Dallas - a hotel-rich city - scored highest in the category of "staying" (No. 11). Dallas also did well in the "having fun" category (No. 14). The city ranked 21st for "getting around," and an inexplicable 53rd for "eating."

Austin did better than average on most metrics except affordability (No. 115 of 200). In an odd order, the city's best rankings were "getting around" or ease of transportation (No. 30), followed closely by "having fun" (No. 36).

Fort Worth lagged behind these four Texas counterparts, but still made the 78th percentile and beat cities like Killeen (the worst in Texas at No. 192). It did very well in "staying" (No. 16) and better than average in all other metrics than eating (No. 116), which sees to have dragged the overall ranking down significantly.

When planning a vacation, Christina Sharp, faculty member at MiraCosta College in California, says there are no rules that say all family members have to agree on what to do.

"Let folks carve out time for themselves and the activities they want to do and ensure that there are activities for everyone to do together," she suggests. "My 92-year-old father-in-law didn’t want to go to the beach – and that was fine. We went while he read. But we all did take walks, eat meals, and watch TV together – and it was wonderful."

Sharp also recommends families plan ahead when deciding their mode of travel, and to limit use of technology once at their destination in order to connect and bond with each other.

The full top 10 list of best US cities for kid-friendly vacations includes:

No. 1 New York City, New York
No. 2 Orlando, Florida
No. 3 Miami, Florida
No. 4 Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 Chicago, Illinois
No. 6 Tampa, Florida
No. 7 San Francisco, California
No. 8 Houston, Texas
No. 9 Los Angeles, California
No. 10 San Antonio, Texas

More information about Lawn Love’s report can be found at lawnlove.com.

scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net

Where to eat in Fort Worth right now: 6 best restaurants to grab lunch

Where to Eat

The March edition of Where to Eat, our monthly feature recommending best Fort Worth restaurants to try, centers on a meal that needs some attention: lunch.

Lunch has been in trouble, ever since the pandemic, when COVID-shy workers stopped going into the office and thus began the work-from-home trend. Pouf: Bye-bye office lunch hour, no more lunch business at all.

In good news, that trend is starting to reverse. According to security company Kastle Systems, which monitors the WFH trend weekly, more office workers are returning to the workplace. A recent survey of 10 of the largest cities in the country found that office occupancy is at its highest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

So whether you're a worker back in the office or someone still doing the WFH thing, it's time to get out and support the restaurants putting out mid-day spreads.

Here are six Fort Worth restaurants where you can grab a bite for lunch:

Benito's
For hurried lunchers, Tex-Mex is always a good option, and this long-running, festive spot in the Near Southside offers some of the area’s best – as inexpensive as it is quickly served. Nothing on the lunch menu is more than $10, with most of the dishes priced between $7-$9. Options include enchiladas stuffed with spinach or cheese and onions; tostados topped with chorizo; and chicken flautas. Each dish comes with rice and beans, and the portions are huge.

Boozie's Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches
Sandwich and suds brewpub on the west side recently reopened under a new name but, it's still under the guidance of chef Dave Hollister, who made a name for himself in Fort Worth food circles as a talent. Boozie's specializes in sandwiches, that lunchtime staple, with top shelf ingredients: a Reuben made with in-house brined Akaushi Wagyu pastrami; croque madame with housemade Canadian bacon; chicken-fried chicken sandwich with house pimento cheese. There are burgers including a build-your-own option, a Chicago hot dog, soups, and sides including bacon ranch potato salad and fried broccoli with basil pecan pesto. It's a family-friendly place, with a huge kids menu and housemade sodas. There's also a full bar with craft cocktails and in-house brewed beer.

Hurtado BBQ
Most barbecue restaurants have limited hours; many aren't even open Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. But the new Hurtado BBQ in Fort Worth (the original location is in Arlington), which recently took over Derek Allan’s BBQ’s space in the hospital district, is open seven days a week, making it a good option for a weekday barbecue lunch. Owner Brandon Hurtado’s menu combines Central Texas-style barbecue with Mexican food. The barbecue basics are all there - fatty or lean brisket, ribs, both beef and pork, housemade sausages, smoked turkey and chicken – and are available by the pound, in a sandwich or in tacos or on nachos. Sides are made on-site and include green beans spiked with chorizo, Hatch chile mac & cheese, elote, and pinto beans. The space inside is super tight but there’s a nice patio area with additional seating. Hurtado is open for breakfast, too, with items such as brisket and egg tacos.

Righteous Foods
If it's a healthy lunch you want, it's hard to beat Lanny Lancarte's Righteous Foods, a pioneer in the realm of better eating that Lancarte opened nearly a decade ago - far ahead of what is a growing healthy-restaurant scene in Fort Worth. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Righteous meets the needs of all the specialized dining segments, from vegan and vegetarian options such as eggless curried noodles and coconut chia seed pudding, to organic burgers, gluten-free deviled eggs, keto-friendly pistachio guacamole, and other dishes that are mindful of your health.

Secret Garden
For years, the Secret Garden was just that – a well-kept secret known only to antique shoppers and dealers at the Montgomery Street Antique Mall. But this small café has become a major ladies-who-lunch spot and on weekends especially, there’s usually a wait for a table. From the small menu comprised of sandwiches, salads, quiche, and a half-dozen desserts, many opt for the excellent chicken salad, available as an entrée or sandwich; or the sampler, made up of small portions of a soup and salad of your choice, plus fruit bowl. There’s a wide variety of teas and several desserts, including a housemade bread pudding drowned in a sweet praline sauce.

3rd Street Market
After so many downtown restaurants have closed over the past three years, this salad, sandwich, and soup shop has been a godsend for downtown lunchers. Opened last fall by local culinary power couple Dena Peterson Shaskan and her husband Trent Shaskan, 3rd Street is an all-in-one restaurant, bakery, tearoom, and coffee shop. Its main emphasis is on freshly baked sourdough bread – available by the loaf, half loaf, or in the form of imaginative sandwiches. Those sandwiches rotate daily and have included roast beef with horseradish herb aioli, and paneer with garam masala aioli. Soups include nice surprises like bouillabaisse and white bean & kale.

Olivella's

Iconic restaurant says goodbye and more Fort Worth restaurant news

News You Can Eat

This roundup of restaurant news around Fort Worth includes some openings, some expansions, and a big closure or two. There's also new dishes and menus to try.

Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news:

Edelweiss, the authentic German restaurant in west Fort Worth, closed on February 28, after 56 years. The owners posted an announcement on their website, citing rising food costs, staffing shortages, and lack of business, but also said they are actively working to secure a new location.

Great Harvest Bread Co. in Fort Worth closed on February 25, after six years. The restaurant posted a notice stating that staffing was a major issue. Two locations of this chain remain in DFW, in Southlake and Frisco.

Olivella's Pizza & Wine, the Roman and Neapolitan-style pizza kitchen, has completed a 1,200-square-foot expansion of its existing space located “on the bricks” at 4910 Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. The new 3,000-square-foot space features a full-service dine-in experience with seating for 70, a full bar, daily food and drink specials, and online ordering. They've also increased their wine list to more than 60 red, white, and sparkling wines, priced from $18 to $140 per bottle and $8 to $25 by the glass.

Thirsty Lion Gastropub is serving Irish dishes from March 2-17 such as Bacon Cheddar Potato Cakes, Scotch Eggs, Reuben Sandwich, Irish Shepherd’s Pie, Beer Braised Corned Beef & Cabbage, Irish Whiskey Salmon; and Whiskey Bing Cherry Bread Pudding with whiskey caramel sauce, at four locations in Grandscape, Preston Hollow, Irving, and Euless.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is introducing the new Fajita Quesadilla as a digital-only menu item on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com. The quesadillas have Monterey Jack cheese, protein of choice, and veggies, and will be available starting March 2.

El Pollo Loco has added a new option to its Double Tostada Salad lineup: Double Shredded Beef Tostada Salad, featuring a crisp tostada shell filled with a double portion of shredded beef, Hass avocado, shredded lettuce, pinto beans, Mexican rice, sour cream, Monterey Jack, and pico de gallo, with creamy cilantro dressing. It joins its sibling the Chicken Double Tostada Salad and is available until April 19.

Carrabba's Italian Grill has a new dishes for spring: Linguine Primavera with asparagus, peas, roasted tomatoes, & artichoke hearts tossed in basil pesto cream sauce; Tuscan-Grilled Lamb T-Bones with bourbon mint demi-glace; Tomato Caprese with burrata, tomatoes, basil, red onion, & balsamic glaze; Citrus Olive Oil Cake with lemon curd, whipped cream, & blackberries; and Passion Pear Spritz cocktail with New Amsterdam Passionfruit vodka, desert pair, pineapple juice, & Riondo Prosecco. They begin on March 7.

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has a new Margarita Shrimp Taco, with flavors inspired by the taco brand’s signature FuzzyRita.The Margarita Shrimp Taco is prepared with fried or grilled shrimp, Tajin garlic sauce, cabbage, lime crema, and a margarita-tomatillo pico made with lime juice and agave on a flour tortilla, topped with feta & cilantro, available through April 9.

Salata, the salad chain, has three new pickled topping options: Pickles, Pickled Okra, and Spicy Giardiniera, which you can put on any salad or order one of these three new salads: Dill Pickle Salad, Jalapeno Okra Salad, Spicy and Sweet Salad.

Dunkin’ has new spring menu items including Caramel Chocolate Cold Brew, with caramel and milk chocolate, topped with Chocolate Cold Foam and Cocoa Caramel Sprinkles; Carrot Cake Muffins, featuring shredded carrots, raisins, crystalized ginger pieces, and cream cheese icing; Chocolate Croissants; and Irish Crème Flavor coffee.

American Airlines Center has introduced new vegan menu items at its in-house eateries. Modelo Gold Lion Bar & Grill is serving a vegan burger and a vegan brat with spicy mustard. El Taco Tex has vegan nachos and vegan tacos. Market 2 Go has a power bowl with spinach, quinoa, garbanzo beans, tomato, and cucumber.

scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net

These Texas restaurants and hotels made prestigious Forbes Travel Guide

Awards News

The 2023 rendition of the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide is out, and 26 properties in Texas have made the list.

This is the 65th annual Forbes Travel Guide, which a release describes as the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas, worldwide. Bow down to Forbes Travel Guide, bow down.

Ratings are broken into three categories: Five-Star, Four-Star, and Recommended, Five-Star being best. The list, which comprises 1,956 properties around the world, runs heavy on hotels (1378) and spas (314), with only 259 restaurants. And for the first year, the list also includes ocean cruises.

In Texas, the list included five restaurants, 12 hotels, and seven spas, although come on who cares about spas, it's the restaurants and hotels that are most intriguing, am I right.

Sadly, no Fort Worth properties made the list.

In a reprise of 2022, only three places in Texas earned five stars: Carte Blanche restaurant in Dallas, Post Oak Hotel in Houston (and its spa), and the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas hotel.

These are the properties in Texas that made the 2023 list, by category:

Restaurants:

Carte Blanche / Dallas: 5-star
Fearing's / Dallas: 4-star
Garrison / Austin: 4-star
The Mansion / Dallas: 4-star
French Room / Dallas: Recommended

Hotels:

Adolphus / Dallas: Recommended
Archer Hotel Austin: 4-star
Austin Proper Hotel / Austin: 4-star
Commodore Perry Estate Auberge Resorts Collection / Austin: 4-star
Fairmont Austin: 4-star
Four Seasons Hotel Austin: 4-star
Four Seasons Hotel Houston: 4-star
The Houstonian Hotel Club & Spa: 4-star
The Joule / Dallas: 4-star
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek / Dallas: 4-star
The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston: 5-star
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas: 5-star
Mokara Hotel & Spa/ San Antonio: 4-star
The St. Regis Houston: 4-star

Spas:

Fairmont Spa Austin: 4 star
Mokara Spa / San Antonio: 4-star
The Ritz-Carlton Spa Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at Four Seasons Austin: 4-star
The Spa at the Joule / Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at the Post Oak Hotel Houston: 5-star
Trellis Spa Houston: 4-star

The Forbes Travel guide started in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, a guidebook for US motorists. They created the original Five-Star rating system for hospitality in the US.

To determine the ratings, Forbes Travel Guide's inspectors visit every hotel, restaurant, spa, and cruise ship in person, visiting anonymously as a typical guest. Participants pay a fee to be considered, but no one can buy a rating.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Texas' beloved H-E-B reclaims top spot in annual survey of best U.S. grocers

H-E-B Forever

Shawn Mendes and Camillo Cabello called it quits. The word “cheugy” became a thing. Addison Rae got a Netflix deal. Lots of bummer things happened in 2021. But for Texans, no greater indignity was suffered than H-E-Bfalling behind Amazon on dunnhumby’s Top U.S. Grocery Retailers list.

Thank goodness that’s all behind us. The consumer research firm recently released its 2022 Retailer Preference Index report, a survey of over 30,000 consumers. Once again, H-E-B took the throne, besting more than 60 grocers ranging from giants like Walmart to beloved regional chains like Wegmens.

To arrive at the rankings, dunnhumby zeroed in on five sectors of customer preference: price, promotions and rewards, quality, speed and convenience, digital, and operations. H-E-B scored near the top of three drivers — price, quality, and digital.

H-E-B slipped to the second spot in 2021 due to that all-too-familiar bogeyman — the Covid-19 pandemic. Quarantines and other outside pressures made timesaving and a seamless eCommerce experience more critical to the average shopper.

With pandemic concerns receding, H-E-B’s overall quality and leadership in price, promotions, and rewards have moved to the top of customers’ minds. Meanwhile, the hometown hero has managed to close the digital gap.

Dunnhumby recognized the shift by naming H-E-B in its inaugural survey of the best online grocery retailers in the U.S. in July 2022. In that study, the San Antonio-based chain received high scores for ease in ordering and payments, on-time deliveries, and accuracy in charges, among other metrics.

However, the reason locals keep giving H-E-B its flowers may be more intangible. The retailer has made a name for itself by supporting small Texas companies and supporting community causes, particularly education. And, of course, its fleets are among the first to act during statewide emergencies.

As dunnhumby’s online study stated in 2022, “It is worth highlighting the regional grocer has the best emotional connection … out of all of the retailers in this study.”

In Dallas-Fort Worth, this certainly explains the enthusiastic reaction to the long-awaited opening of new and coming-soon stores in Frisco, Plano, Mansfield, and Fort Worth-Alliance.

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Coffee chain 7 Brew to open new drive-thru in north Fort Worth

Coffee News

A drive-thru coffee chain is opening a shop in Fort Worth: 7 Brew, a chain founded in Arkansas in 2016, is opening its first location in Fort Worth at 5001 N. Tarrant Pkwy., where it will serve coffee and espresso drinks, teas, infused energy drinks, sodas, and smoothies.

This will be the chain’s third location in Dallas-Fort Worth, following their 2022 debut in Grand Prairie and second outlet in Mansfield.

This location is from husband-and-wife Jonathan and Hannah Schalk, who moved from Arkansas in order to expand the brand in Fort Worth.

"Northwest Arkansas is knit together and comprised of very small communities, and the same thing happens in Fort Worth," Jonathan says.

They're targeting early April for their opening date.

7 Brew is one of a host of chains that have sprung up in recent years focused on drive-thru: Scooter's, Bad Ass Coffee, PJ's, Dutch Bros., Black Rock, Black Rifle, not to mention non-coffee beverage chains like Swig. They all share one thing in common: Their business model relies on the use of disposable plastic containers.

7 Brew sets itself apart by emphasizing how friendly it is, thanks to its modular, prefabricated buildings that come with multiple drive-thru lanes protected by canopies. This allows employees to dash out and deliver the orders to customers in their cars.

Most locations have two drive-thru lanes, but this location will have three, plus one walk-up window for the rare customer not inside a vehicle.

They do standard coffee drinks but are better known for ultra-sweet dessert-inspired beverages such as the Blondie with caramel and vanilla, and a drink called the Cinnamon Roll with white chocolate and brown sugar cinnamon.

Outside of coffee, they also do an in-house energy drink in varied flavors and flavored sparkling water.

The company was acquired in 2021 by Drink House Holdings, a company created by Jamie Coulter, founder of Lone Star Steak House and a Pizza Hut franchisee; and sandwich chain founder Jimmy John Liautaud.

Texas' first professional cricket team unveils new name and team roster

Cricket News

The first professional cricket team in Texas now has a team name and a talented roster of players.

This is the state's first professional cricket team in Major League Cricket (MLC), which is the first professional cricket league in the U.S. So many firsts.

Get ready to cheer for: Texas Super Kings. That's the name. Go Kings go!

They also hired a coach and nine players, following the first MLC draft which took place on Sunday, March 19 in Houston at the Space Center and telecast live across the globe.

At this event, six MLC teams — representing Texas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C. — selected nine domestic cricketers.

Texas' team will be led by coach Stephen Fleming, a former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team and head coach of Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. He played in the historic first Twenty20 International of the world as captain of the New Zealand team in 2005.

The Texas Super Kings also announced their partnership with Chennai Super Kings, an Indian Premier League franchise cricket team based in Chennai, India who will bring operational expertise and help lead the Texas team to championships.

The Texas Super Kings' roster features these top domestic cricketers:

Round 1: Rusty Theron
Round 2: Calvin Savage
Round 3: Lahiru Milantha
Round 4: Milind Kumar
Round 5: Sami Aslam
Round 6: Cameron Stevenson
Round 7: Cody Chetty
Round 8: Zia Shahzad
Round 9: Saiteja Mukkamalla

Super Kings' co-owner Anurag Jain notes in a statement that cricket is popular around the globe, and now it's time to make it popular in the U.S.

“Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world with a global fan base of around 2.5 billion followers, but there has not been an opportunity for the sport to grow in the U.S.,” Jain says. “We look forward to having a professional team in Texas for the passionate local cricket community to root for and to introduce the sport to new fans across the country.”

Jain, a partner with Perot Jain and chairman of Access Healthcare; and Ross Perot Jr., chairman of the Perot Group, were among the cricket enthusiasts and investors in a $44 million funding round that will help MLC build facilities across the country.

The MLC inaugural season begins July 13, 2023 at the first professional cricket stadium in the U.S., Grand Prairie Stadium, in Grand Prairie.

The 2023 season will feature 19 matches to be played over 18 days, building up to the first MLC championship final to take place on July 30. The stadium will have a permanent capacity of 7,200 and will feature 1,000 club and premium seats, with the ability to expand to a capacity of over 15,000 for major events, including matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, to be co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies.

View All Listings