no more blizzards

Dairy Queen closes 25 Texas locations, including 5 in greater Houston

If you've ever wanted to own Dairy Queen furniture, now's your chance.

localauctions.com

More than two dozen Dairy Queen restaurants across Texas are closing, including five in the greater Houston area, and the stores' furnishings are on the auction block.

Online auction website LocalAuctions.com is currently selling the "complete contents" of 24 of the closing Dairy Queen locations to the highest bidder with the auctions ending on Thursday, February 20.

"Multiple Dairy Queen locations are closing their doors and must liquidate the assets," the website says. "Bid on a large variety of restaurant assets and related items that need to be removed from the location."

Here are the locations of the five stores closest to Houston that have closed and are up for auction:

602 Interstate 45 South, Huntsville
14421 FM 2920 Road, Tomball
515 S. Washington Avenue, Cleveland
24022 E. Lake Houston Parkway, Huffman
104 Highway 90 East, Dayton

All five locations are labeled as "permanently closed" on Google.

Two other stores in Southeast Texas were also listed: the Dairy Queen at 345 Highway 105 West in Sour Lake (20 miles west of Beaumont) and at 34250 US Highway 96 South in Buna (36 miles northeast of Beaumont). The remaining 17 stores are spread throughout the state, with the majority located in small towns in East Texas and the Panhandle.

A company spokesperson told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that 25 restaurants across the Texas Panhandle, North Texas, and West Texas/South Plains region have closed.

After the auction closes on February 20, items must be removed by end of the day on Sunday, February 23. Any item not removed from the shuttered restaurant will be considered forfeited, and refunds won't be granted, the website says. Equipment such as soda machines, CO2 tanks, tea brewers, and IT equipment are excluded from the auction.

The locations of the of 21 other Texas Dairy Queens closing are:

301 N. 2nd Street, Canadian
609 W. Broadway Street, Fritch
1850 County Road 11, Panhandle
801 E. Park Avenue, Hereford
1612 Highway 70, Olton
108 Chesnut Street, Idalou
5441 Rufe Snow Drive, North Richland Hills
1509 Corsicana Highway, Hillsboro
200 Legacy Drive, Hewitt
1701 W. Pecan Street, Pflugerville
304 Highway 79 East, Franklin
4101 Gilmer, Longview
580 N. Interstate 20 E., Waskom
847 E. Sabine Street, Carthage
175 N. Dickinson Drive, Rusk
3121 N. Street, Nacodoches
202 N. Temple Drive, Diboll
345 Highway 105 West, Sour Lake
34250 US Highway 96 South, Buna

dairy queen closures auction texas restaurants fast food closings

when I dip, you dip

Heights restaurant's new lunch service will only offer 1 sandwich

Courtesy of La Lucha

La Lucha will begin serving French dips on Friday, June 12.

If a sandwich hall of fame existed, one of its plaques would surely be devoted to the French dip. Its combination of thinly-sliced beef, tangy horseradish sauce, and a savory au jus is a winning formula.

Beginning Friday, June 12, Heights restaurant La Lucha will be showcasing two takes on the venerable sandwich when it starts serving them for its new Friday-only lunch service, which will be held from 11 am-2 pm. To be clear, the two sandwiches (plus fries) will be the only menu items available at lunch — apologies to anyone hoping to ease into the weekend with La Lucha staples like fried chicken or the pharmacy burger.

The two sandwich choices are: a West Coast style French dip that’s just shaved meat and au jus or an East Coast style that adds provolone and caramelized onions. Both are served with horseradish aioli on bread from Houston’s Royal Bakery that “gets crispy and delicious,” according to executive chef Bobby Matos.

The meat is the same prime rib that newly opened steak joint Star Rover, La Lucha’s sister restaurant, serves as part of its viral, “I ate the 76’er” eating challenge. Priced at $26, the sandwich offers a healthy seven ounces of thinly-sliced beef.

“They’ve done this at Little Sparrow in Atlanta but for late night. It’s been a huge success and people are digging it,” Matos explains about the motivation to introduce the offering.

Limiting the menu to two variations of the same sandwich, fries, and beverages — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — allows La Lucha to offer its Friday lunch service more easily than if Matos had to staff the kitchen to parepare its full menu.

“It’s just bringing more people to the Heights and giving them a chance to get to know our restaurants,” Matos adds. “There are still people who don’t know about La Lucha, and it’s been eight years.”

Although Matos moved to Texas from California, he says he prefers the East Coast French dip. “I want cheese and onions on mine. I like cheese on French dips,” he says.

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