A casual-dining icon from the past is cooking up an epic comeback and return to North Dallas.
Steak and Ale owner Paul Mangiamele has carefully worked to ensure the triumphant return of his iconic brand, which promises to combine value and service into what he calls a “legendary dining experience,” The Dallas Express reports.
After Steak and Ale’s 2008 bankruptcy, the restaurant’s assets and intellectual property were acquired by Legendary Restaurant Brands (LRB), the parent company of Dallas-based restaurant chain Bennigan’s.
At the start of 2023, LRB announced that it had signed an “Area Development Agreement with Endeavor Properties” that would bring 15 new Steak and Ale locations to several markets throughout the Midwest.
“The revival of Steak and Ale has truly been a labor of love for our team,” said Mangiamele, LRB chairman and CEO, in the news statement. “While we were eager to reintroduce the brand, we understood the importance of finding the ideal partner first.”
LRB is also in the works to build its first Steak and Ale location in Texas, which Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen recently confirmed would be opening in his city sometime in 2024.
The Dallas Express spoke with Mangiamele about the brand’s planned revival and the reasoning behind Grand Prairie being chosen as the restaurant’s first Texas-based location.
“There is overwhelming support for our mission to bring Steak and Ale back to the DFW area, and we’ve been met with nothing but excitement and nostalgia for the brand’s return,” Mangiamele told The Dallas Express.
Steak and Ale’s 6,000-square-foot restaurant in Grand Prairie already has an operator and a franchise partner, according to Mangiamele. However, the restaurant is being built from the ground up, which is why LRB projects a completion window of 2024.
Mangiamele says he is also “looking forward to developing in the Southwest, but particularly in the Texas market.”
“Texas is business-friendly, has good leadership, still has something called tip credit, and it has no state income tax, which has great appeal,” he told The Dallas Express. “Texas has been a bull’s eye on the target, and we have many people in Houston, El Paso, Longview, and Tyler expressing interest in a Steak and Ale location for their neighborhood.”
Steak and Ale’s much-anticipated revival can be attributed to the swell of support and nostalgia that has grown over the years, driven by enthusiastic former customers that reminisce online about the brand’s iconic salad bar and prime rib carving station, according to Mangiamele.
Despite Steak and Ale’s more than decade-long absence, the brand has attracted more than 50,000 Facebook followers with more than 2,500 online reviews. With so much pent-up demand for the brand, Mangiamele believes the stage is set for Steak and Ale’s grand return,
The iconic brand’s first location is projected to debut this summer or fall in Burnsville, Minnesota, according to the January news release.
