WTF is going on with the old Barbec’s space?

Recently, as part of the Observer’s new column, the Weekly WTF, a reader asked what’s going on at the old Barbec’s restaurant space.

For a little background, Barbec’s was a longtime family restaurant serving classic comfort food in northeast Dallas. The restaurant was originally built in the ’60s as a Howard Johnson’s. In 1978, Barry and Becky Brown opened their co-joined eponymous restaurant, Barbec’s.

The Browns sold the restaurant in 1999, but it continued as a neighborhood diner popular for its beer biscuits until 2020, when a fire destroyed most of the interior. The space has been vacant since.

The only sign of life was some paperwork filed to build a Popeye’s a few years ago. Luckily, that didn’t pan out because, honestly, the restaurant has timeless mid-century modern elements. Asymmetrical roof lines with overhangs don’t go with fast-food fried chicken.

Currently, the space is for lease. An Instagram post gives a tour of the remodeled space. The fire damage to the interior has been repaired, and, per Peggyfindit, a new roof and HVAC system have been installed.

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