Grab some quesadillas from Dillas at one of three locations:
2008 Midway Rd, Plano
3930 Preston Rd, #140, Frisco
3510 W. University Dr. #200, McKinney
Have you ever visited a restaurant whose menu was about 15 pages long and offered every type of cuisine under the sun? I can’t decide if that’s awesome, or overwhelming. There’s something for everyone, a plate for every picky palate. How can one kitchen be good at so many things? (Spoiler: they’re probably not.)
On the opposite end of the menu spectrum, some restaurants are uber-focused on one thing. For years it’s been working for wings, tacos, hot dogs, and the most obvious, pizza. It’s called a “focused menu” and has proven to be a successful strategy for the primo quesadilla makers at Dillas.
I bet you read that as “dee-uhz” because you learned a little bit of spanish in high school. No, the owners of Dillas affectionately call these ooey-gooey tortilla delights “dill-uhz.” No disrespect meant to the quesadilla’s Mexican heritage; it’s just one of the ways they’ve added a a conversational “good times” vibe to their concept.
The other way? By changing the way you think about the quesadilla. Cooked to order and made from scratch, these flavorful dillas (don’t forget, it’s “dill-uhz”) go beyond your basic cheese and refried beans. The “Black and Blue” features steak, blue cheese, fresh red onion, and a cheesy creamy churri. The “Buffalo Bacon” features fresh red onion, bacon, blue cheese, and a cheesy buttermilk ranch.
If you want a little of this, a little of that, and none of something else, you can “Build A Dilla” and design your own mouthwatering masterpiece. If you’re extra hungry, you can go “Gorilla” and they’ll double stack your dilla. Go vegetarian, go cheeseless, or turn it into a salad.
It’s not a gimmick, by the way. No, Dillas is the result of years of preparation and perseverance by founder Kyle Gordon.
It started with frugal grocery budget and an affinity for quesadillas while he was in college. He began to dream of his opening own quesadilla place one day. While sitting in class, he’d play around with layouts, logos, and recipes, and he took a stab at drafting a business plan. His friends caught the quesadilla bug as well and would brainstorm business names with him.
At one point they had about 60 ideas on the table, but in the end, it was one random viewing of the movie Napoleon Dynamite that offered the eureka moment they needed. In one scene, Napoleon is hungry and asks his grandma, “what’s there to eat?” She responds, “Knock it off Napoleon, make yourself a dang quesa-DILLA!” And voila...Dillas was born.
Well, not right away. This is the part of Kyle’s entrepreneurial journey that required preparation and perseverance. He wanted to open his restaurant right after college, but was advised to work in the restaurant industry for awhile to be sure he was on the right path. A mentor helped him land a job at a fast-growing concept where he found fast success. After 4 months he was a General Manager and after 5 years he was a Managing Partner.
Finally, it was time to pursue Dillas. He raised the capital needed, and set forth executing the plans he’d been dreaming about since college. The first Dillas opened in Plano in 2013, with Frisco following in 2017. There are a total 7 locations between North Texas and Louisiana.
Dillas is focused on offering the complete package in terms of customer service and quality food. The fast-casual restaurant uses only fresh (never frozen) meats, produce is sliced and diced in-house, and tortillas are brought in daily. Customers might be drawn to his primo quesadilla concept out of curiosity, but it’s the good stuff on the griddle that keeps them coming back.
“Good times is our fun mantra,” they proclaim on their website. “Life is too short to not enjoy every breath of it. We smile every day, sing, dance, joke, and fly around enjoying our time at work. Good times at Dillas isn’t something you just see, you’ll feel it. It could be a great greeting or smile when you walk in the door or the energy you get from our team communicating and hustling to make your Primo Quesadilla. Our goal is to make everyone’s day better and we hope that you’ll see how we make this happen every time you drop by.”
