DJ Sober, King of Dallas Nightlife, Is Opening a Burger Joint

Better known by the moniker DJ Sober, Dallas creative Will Rhoten has built a career as one of the city's most popular DJs and event producers.

Throughout his career, spinning everywhere from the long-missed Beauty Bar to roller skating parties to pop-up parties with Leon Bridges, and manning the booth at newer clubs such as Double D's, Rhoten has become well-versed in making things happen, a talent he's honed since turning his teenage hobby of spinning records into a profitable business. Now he's taking on the foodie world with the help of Peaberry Coffee owner Elijah Salazar and Rev's Grilled Cheese's Jake Saenz. Together, they're launching Herby's Burgers in the Elmwood spot formerly housing Pizza Frita.

"It kind of happened organically," says Rhoten of his journey from mixmaster to burger buff. "My dad owned his own paint shop as far back as I can remember and worked for himself. After I left working in marketing at Red Bull in 2006, I knew I could never return to the corporate world. I'm not going to stop DJing, but it's always been a dream to open a brick-and-mortar shop, whether it's a cool clothing shop or a burger shop."

He leaned toward the latter thanks to a fortuitous friendship with restaurateur Elijah Salazar, who opened Peaberry Coffee on Kiestwood in 2019. The two had worked together doing pop-ups at Sober's ongoing Paradise Party at Tiny Victories. When Salazar mentioned he was expanding with a burger concept, Rhoten was all in.

"It's almost cultish, his following," Rhoten says of Salazar's coffee. "We started chatting more on the phone, and he was juggling trying to open the second Peaberry [on Edgewood Avenue] and moving forward and was feeling a little frustrated on the burger thing. By the end of the conversation, I had a good feeling about it. Right off the bat, I thought, 'This sounds amazing, and I want to be part of it.' It happened organically — it was serendipity." For Salazar, who had never worked in the food and beverage industry before opening Peaberry, this was a chance to expand his offerings beyond breakfast and lunch. As he was already working with Rev's Grilled Cheese owner Jake Saenz, it made perfect sense to rope the chef into coming up with a classic burger menu.

"Jake has been doing pop-ups at Peaberry for a couple of years," Salazar says. "I tried to convince him to open a shop a few doors down from us, but it didn't work out, so we brought him on to be our chef. The burritos we make are his recipe. His reputation has gotten pretty big within the last two to three years; now we're selling him to a couple of different shops."

Saenz has devised his take on a "Smashburger," the diner classic with a pressed patty, for Herby's. Of course, there will also be a chopped cheese sandwich, hot dogs, fries and tots, with vegan and gluten-free options. The partners are working on getting a beer and wine license to round out the offerings.

"It's going to be pretty streamlined. We're going to do what we do well," says Salazar.

This includes the way Herby's looks and feels. Embracing a vivid yellow, white and black color scheme, the graphics and interior are heavily informed by Rhoten's background as an artist and designer. The name is even inspired by his BFF — a chiweenie dog named (you guessed it) Herby.

"We're in the process of building everything out, but we're definitely drawing from that old burger joint diner feel, but very clean with a modern twist," Rhoten says. "We may implement some other stuff and will definitely have a cool throwback vibe inside to give it that old-school burger feel."

As the partners wrap up finishing touches like sourcing diner booths, they're shooting for a late September opening date with a tented bash out front planned for the grand opening weekend. Herby's Burgers is located 2109 S. Edgefield Ave. in Oak Cliff. One thing you won't see at Herby's is DJ Sober spinning, although he promises you won't miss it a bit.

"Elijah has great taste in music," he says with a laugh. "We're in the process of looking for an old-school CD jukebox and curating a lot of things you don't find in other jukeboxes in town."

More important than the soundtrack is the community vibe they anticipate Herby's will bring to Elmwood. Salazar grew up in the neighborhood and Rhoten lives there, and they hope the spot becomes more than just a restaurant. The partners are making sure it will become a place for all facets of the community to gather together.

"It feels really nice that things are happening, and they're going to benefit the neighborhood," says Rhoten. "I've already had a running group from Oak Cliff who are going to do their runs from there. I'd love to see a cycling group ride up and throw back a burger or a low-rider group come up and park their classic cars up front. Just having regulars where we know their names and orders — even what they're going to pick on the jukebox."

Salazar wants it to be a spot for family traditions.

"There's an elementary school across the street, and I can definitely see parents and kids having a burger after school," he says. "We're working really hard to make it unpretentious and accessible. It's just a neighborhood spot anyone can enjoy."