Longtime restaurateur Paul Mangiamele says his plans to revive the iconic Dallas chain Steak & Ale are still alive. Dallas Morning NewsBut as previously reported, his hopes of opening a Steak & Ale in Grande Prairie in 2024 are unlikely to come to fruition.
Mr. Mangiamere, the Dallas-based CEO, has not set a new timeline for when the Grand Prairie restaurant, which is set on five acres along Interstate 30, will open.
“It’s taken longer than anybody could have imagined,” he said, and he hopes to break ground this year. WFAA The postponement was announced in late April 2024.
Mangiamele and his team are currently aiming to open a Steak & Ale in Burnsville, Minnesota in summer 2024, which will mark the first return of the iconic restaurant since it closed in 2008. Mangiamele keeps fans updated on a vibrant Facebook page called “Steak & Ale Comeback,” which has more than 54,000 followers.
Steak and Ale was one of Dallas’ most well-known chain restaurants, as evidenced by the presence of many chains in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including La Madeleine, Chili’s, TGI Fridays, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Maggiano’s Little Italy, On the Border, and Pei Wei.
Steak and Ale opened near Lemon and Oak Lawn streets in 1966 and lasted until the company filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Though Mangiamele had no involvement with Steak and Ale’s 42 years in business, he shares a love of nostalgia: He also revived sister restaurant Bennigan’s, a venerable chain that also went bankrupt in 2008. He and his wife bought Bennigan’s and Steak and Ale in 2015 and have been slowly planning their reopenings under parent company Legendary Restaurant Brands.
“Everyone loves a comeback story,” he said. news Early 2023.
Indeed, 2024 will be a year of rebirth for North Texas restaurants. news We’ve detailed seven noteworthy spots expected to make a spectacular comeback: Steak & Ale was supposed to be number eight on the list, but at the time of writing in late 2023, its future was uncertain.
The revival of Steak & Ale especially resonates with longtime Dallas residents. The restaurant was founded by the late Dallas entrepreneur Norman Brinker, one of the founders of America’s most successful restaurant chains. For decades, the family-friendly steakhouse served salads, prime rib and beer in a Tudor-style restaurant with stained-glass windows. At its peak, it expanded to hundreds of locations.
Mangiamele said Steak & Ale is a pioneer of casual dining in 2023. “It really is the O.G.,” he said.
The opening of the first Steak & Ale location in Minnesota will also test the restaurant outside of its original location with customers who may or may not have a connection to the original location.
Does the delay in Texas mean the expansion to D-FW may not happen?
“Not in my lifetime,” Mangiamere said. “The question is not if, but when.”
