- What does Dallas-Fort Worth like to eat?
- Real estate deals
As Flix Brewhouse prepares to open its first Tarrant County location at The Shops at Broad in Mansfield, there’s plenty of activity to get ready.
There’s the brewing part of the business, and the brewmasters were hard at work prior to the Sept. 28 opening making their standard four flavors set.
Then there’s the food side of the business. While most of the kitchen equipment was in and going through test runs, the staff were still awaiting a water softener.
In the theaters, the company’s new custom recliner seats and proprietary “Easy Glider 2” sliding table tops were also getting test runs. Along with the sliding table tops, the new, improved Easy Glider 2 includes a small tray on top where customers can place plates and drinks when they are finished. The trays sense when something has been placed there, and servers come and remove the items.
“We’re in the hospitality business,” said Chance Robertson, CEO of Round Rock-based Flix Brewhouse during a pre-opening tour. “We want customers to have a great experience whether it’s the film, the beer, the food, the service and hopefully all of the above.”
As with the Easy Glider 2 sliding table top, automation is key to success, but so is customer interaction.
“We want to interact with the customers, for customers to have a personal experience, but we also have to be efficient. That’s why we have these robots to deliver food,” he said, as a wandering food delivery robot deftly avoided people walking down a hallway.
The Mansfield Flix Brewhouse will employ about 140. It is the chain’s 10th, but it includes some innovations not available in other locations, such as a larger bar area, the aforementioned second-generation sliding table top and the ability of guests to order their meal directly from their phone for delivery to their seat.
The 38,000-square-foot Flix Brewhouse in Mansfield has nine auditoriums equipped with curved screens as well as state-of-the-industry digital audio and video. They also have one screen that is silver — to better screen 3D movies. The location uses technology from Moving Image Technologies of Fountain Valley, California.
“We put a premium on experience,” said Matthew Bullen, head brewer for the Mansfield location.
Part of that experience is the award-winning beers brewed at each location. Their Luna Rosa, 10 Day, Lucha Libre and Nebulus brews won numerous silver and bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival in 2022.
“We take our beer seriously,” said Bullen.
The Mansfield location will also include an expanded bar and a casual area for diners and bar patrons who want to linger.
The bar often has specialty cocktails offerings to go with high-profile films. For “Oppenheimer,” they created a drink based on the traditional Manhattan cocktail (in honor of the Manhattan Project).
“We want our customers to have a bit of fun,” said Bullen.
While there are plenty of movie theaters that serve food, Flix Brewhouse offers a full menu and serves breakfast all day.
“We have big fans of our creme brulee French toast,” said Bullen. “People come here for the beer and the food, not just to see the latest films. It’s kind of unbelievable.”
CEO Robertson said they are looking for other locations in Tarrant County as they expand.
“We’re very particular about where we go,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re in the right place, and we believe Mansfield is a great location for us.”
Flix Brewhouse also has a location in Frisco.
Flix Brewhouse traces its roots to 2011 in Round Rock, when founder Allen Reagan owned a shopping center with an empty grocery store. A movie theater chain was scheduled to take the space, but backed out. Reagan, who had experience in the restaurant and hotel industry, decided to do it himself. He also happened to own brewing equipment that was stashed in an empty location in the shopping center. He combined all those elements to create the first Flix Brewhouse.
We are what we eat
If we are what we eat, the Dallas-Fort Worth area is chili (without beans), brisket tacos, chicken-fried steak, burritos, mocha latte, a bagel and bubble tea. At least that’s what the latest results from the How Texas Orders In report from Favor Delivery, the restaurant delivery service. H-E-B acquired the service with perfect pre-pandemic timing in 2018.
The report details the varied cuisines ordered in different areas of the state. It’s more than just food, too. Favor Delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth area sees more orders for deliveries of cowboy boots and hats than anywhere else in the Lone Star state. Houston’s top non-food item is dog toys, while Austinites are ordering allergy meds and sunscreen.
Favor Delivery also brings drinks and liquor to your doorstep and, in Dallas-Fort Worth, that’s more likely to be a frozen margarita or a bottle of vodka more than other areas of the state. Meanwhile, Austin takes a shine to whiskey, while Houston orders more tequila.
Houston is also the wine capital of the state. Statewide, the top wine delivered is chardonnay, except in College Station, where Aggies apparently prefer Pinot Grigio.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, honey mustard is the top condiment for delivery, behind salsa, queso and guacamole, all three of which were favorites statewide.
Austin-based Favor Delivery used data gathered between August 2022 and August 2023 for the report. While there are regional differences, the data reveals that tacos are the most-favored item statewide, followed by burgers and French fries.
“As Texas’ only Texas-based food delivery app serving over 400 cities, we have an incredible number of insights on how Texas orders in,” said Keith Duncan, Favor Delivery CEO in a news release.
Real Estate Deals
Olympus Property, a Fort Worth-based real estate investment and property management company, has acquired Aiya, a 360-unit garden-style community in Gilbert, Arizona. The Class A, newly developed property has earned recognition by the National Association of Home Builders as the ‘Best in American Living – Top Multifamily Communities’ in 2021.
TX Thrift LLC has leased 27,941 square feet of retail space in Rufe Snow Village, 6246 Rufe Snow Dr., North Richland Hills, from WC South Properties LP. Austen Baldridge and Bob Conwell of NewQuest Properties represented the tenant. Stone Beyer and Taylor Marks of Woodcrest Capital represented the landlord.
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis as bob.francis@fortworthreport.org
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
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