Tex-Mex restaurant Chuy’s will close its longtime Dallas location on McKinney Avenue and Knox Street and move to Greenville Avenue in East Dallas.
The move from one location to the other is expected to take place in April 2025, said Travis Hudson, vice president of operations for Chuy’s. The McKinney Avenue restaurant will continue to sell enchiladas and burritos until then.
Chuy’s will reopen at 1520 Greenville Avenue, the former location of Desert Racer, a restaurant known for its huge patio and spacious parking lot.
“We really want to be open before Cinco de Mayo,” Hudson said, calling the American holiday “like the Super Bowl” for a Tex-Mex restaurant like Chuy’s.
Hudson and his team had been searching for a new location for Chuy’s in the city for over a year after Dallas developer Trammell Crow Co., along with BDT & MSD Partners, signed a long-term lease for several addresses on the southeast corner of Knox Street and McKinney Avenue.
Just a few blocks away, the two, along with their joint venture partners The Retail Connection and Highland Park Village Associates, are in the process of transforming 4 acres of land adjacent to Katy Trail into a 90,000-square-foot multi-use area.
Trammell Crow and BDT & MSD Partners were unable to provide further details on potential development plans at this time.
“We knew they would eventually drift vertically,” Hudson said. “We just didn’t know when.”
Chuy’s on McKinney Avenue in Dallas will close and relocate in April 2025
Chuy’s has been located on this famous Dallas street corner since 1993. Chuy’s opened in Dallas in 1987 and moved to McKinney Avenue less than six years later.
The Dallas restaurant was only the third Chuy’s after the company was founded in Austin in 1982.
The Elvis memorabilia that is now part of the decor in more than 100 Chuy’s restaurants nationwide was a central part of the Dallas restaurant. As history shows, customers at the first Chuy’s locations brought Elvis gifts. Some of those donated decorations honoring the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will be brought to East Dallas, Hudson said; the Elvis “shrine” on McKinney Avenue is a landmark of the brand.
Rather than lamenting the loss of a 30-year-old Dallas restaurant, Hudson said they are excited about starting over in East Dallas.
“It’s been a long process for us to find the right location in Dallas,” he said. “I think the old Desert Racer is the perfect place for us.”
The East Dallas patio will be significantly larger than the few outdoor tables along McKinney Avenue at the current location.
He points out that existing employees will be offered jobs on Greenville Avenue in 2025.
Chuy’s menu remains the same as all other locations, with best sellers including Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom chicken enchiladas and Big As Yo’ Face steak burritos.
Currently, the parent company is focused on opening the 102nd Chuy’s in Hudson Oaks, west of Fort Worth, on August 27, 2024.
Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Yard House, among others, announced plans in July to acquire Chuy’s for $605 million. The deal is expected to close later this year.
Chuy’s will continue to sell Tex-Mex at 4544 McKinney Ave., Dallas, through April 2025. Chuy’s is scheduled to move to 1520 Greenville Ave., Dallas, in April 2025 when the McKinney-and-Knox restaurant closes.
For more food news, visit Sarah Blaskovich on X at @sblaskovich.
