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Founder Of Chili's To Open New Restaurant In Grand Prairie

The menu will feature BBQ, pie and Mexican-inspired dishes
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Photo: FoodAndPhoto | Shutterstock

The founder of Chili’s Bar and Grill will open a new concept restaurant in Grand Prairie. The restaurant will feature classic BBQ, Mexican-inspired dishes and homemade pie.  

Larry Lavine opened the first Chili's on Greenville Avenue in Dallas in 1975, and many years later is still putting food on the table. As of 2017, Chili’s Bar and Grill had over 1,600 locations and has continued to grow. Lavine’s new restaurant, Loop 9 BBQ, is reported by Culture Map Dallas to open in Grand Prairie sometime in 2023. The restaurant was first announced with an open date of 2022, but delays have pushed back the opening.  

According to Culture Map Dallas, the restaurant will be one of the first restaurants that will go into EpicCentral, the 172-acre entertainment center off Highway 161. The area is home to business and activity centers such as the Grand Prairie Public Safety Building, Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark, The Summit recreation center for adults ages 50+, The Epic, Playgrand Adventures, five lakes, a grand lawn and a boardwalk.

Menu items will include smoked prime brisket and pastrami, bacon, Texas sausages, house-made side dishes, toppings and dressings will be made in-shop. Other dishes might include burnt-end queso, Mexican corn, borracha beans, fried okra, cornbread and two types of fries. And, if you don’t want to wait to dive into the food, the restaurant is offering catering services.

An in-store pie shop will fill any dessert needs. The pie shop will use recipes by Lavine's wife, Ann, with pies like chocolate cream, coconut cream, key lime and banana cream. 

Loop 9 BBQ said the concept is "paying tribute to the European immigrants that settled in Central Texas, who introduced the process of fire-roasting and smoking premium beef and pork to Texas cowboys." 

To see a sneak peek into what the restaurant will offer or order from the catering menu visit Loop 9