A local restaurant chain known for its drag brunches and French-influenced cuisine closed one of its three locations in Dallas.
BuzzBrews Kitchen permanently shuttered its Lakewood restaurant after several years in the neighborhood. The restaurant announced the closure in a Facebook post on August 31.
“We are sad to announce the closing of the Lakewood location,” reads the post, which did not offer any explanation for the closure.
However, in a separate Facebook post published on August 16, BuzzBrews owner Ernest Belmore suggested the location was about to close. He was quoted as saying:
“Buzzbrews is trying to understand why someone in the neighborhood called the city Code Compliance to have our banners taking [sic] down on the corner of Live Oak and Skillman. Do we need a permit to sell Artesian Ice Cream as well??”
The post continued, “We have stuck it out over the past 4 1/2 years not for profit, but for the community. Life is funny, you don’t miss it until it’s gone. What a wake up call. It’s been a great 8 years serving this community. We thank you.”
The code complaint reportedly involved a banner with BuzzBrews’ name on it that hung on the restaurant’s exterior. Robyn Delozier, director of property management at Crestview Real Estate, LLC, said no one expects the restaurant to reopen in the foreseeable future, according to the Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate.
Crestview Real Estate left a public-facing “Notice of Change of Locks” on one of the restaurant’s windows. A recent Twitter post showcased a photo of the notice. The notice was dated August 30, 2023.
Twitter user Clinton Rarey wrote above the picture, “Go woke go broke.”
The Dallas Express contacted BuzzBrews and Crestview Real Estate for more information on the closure but did not receive a response by press time.
BuzzBrews Lakewood drew quite the stir earlier in the year when the restaurant’s “all-ages” drag shows resulted in a number of protests, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Relatedly, state lawmakers passed SB 12, which fines businesses and event organizers that allow individuals under 18 to attend “sexually oriented performances.” The law went into effect on September 1.
BuzzBrews Lakewood had a drag brunch scheduled for August 26. However, the event had been canceled. Sound equipment was being torn down at show time, and no one except staff appeared to be present, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The drag show scheduled the week before that was also canceled.
BuzzBrews Kitchen’s Deep Ellum and Central restaurants are still open.