La Neta Is the Latest Restaurant at The Epic To Get a Revamp

(Update May 28: An earlier version of this article stated that La Neta fired its entire staff. A representative for La Neta contacted the Observer to clarify that some staff were retrained.)

La Neta Cocina y Lounge (2525 Elm St., No. 175), a Las Vegas-based Mexican clubstaurant at The Epic in Deep Ellum, is getting a makeover.

“We’ve learned a lot over the past year, listening to the feedback from our guests, and knew we needed to change some things,” said Ryan Labbe, founder and CEO of 81/82 Group, in a statement to the press. “We’ve taken a hard look at every aspect of our operation, from the team to the service and our culinary offerings, and initiated corrective action to rectify any shortcomings or missteps.”

“Over the past year” is a bit of an exaggeration. It took about 11 months for 81/82 Group to decide that some tweaking needed to be done at La Neta. This tweaking includes new management, a new staff, a new menu and more “approachable pricing.”

What happened? What went so wrong that not even a co-sign from Mark Wahlberg could fix it?

For one thing, we’re all mad about the Wahlburgers in Frisco closing, so the sight of Marky Mark doesn’t exactly provoke feelings of goodwill.

Aside from that, La Neta guests appear to have been, at best, underwhelmed by the supposedly upscale experience. Yelp ratings average three out of five stars. Studies show that 33% of customers refuse to eat somewhere with less than four stars.

Reviews seem to agree that while the interior was beautiful, the food was mediocre and the service was bad. Between dozens of reviews that say exactly this and the fact that staff has been canned and others retrained, we’re morbidly curious as to how bad this service was.

The 81/82 Group seems to have also read these reviews.

“Dallas represents a vibrant market, and our goal was always to establish a reputable venue with excellent food,” Labbe said. “We’re confident that these changes we’ve made do just that and we eagerly invite everyone back in, and promise to exceed their expectations.”

New menu items will include lobster tostada, the Neta sizzling fajitas and the Big Baja Taco, made with lobster and shrimp. Sunday Brunch and Taco Tuesdays will be regular events moving forward.

If you zoom out, however, this rebrand appears to be part of a trend. Maybe an uphill battle was in store for La Neta no matter what. Harper’s, another restaurant in The Epic, is currently undergoing a metamorphosis of its own. It shuttered in March and will return in June as Paparazzi Chophouse, an Old Hollywood-inspired clubstaurant. Paparazzi Chophouse and the new-and-improved La Neta will next-door neighbors at The Epic.

Another bougie Vegas transplant, The Saint, just two blocks over from La Neta, reintroduced itself according to Dallas Eater, earlier this year.

Dallas has become a magnet for high-end, out-of-town concepts, so much so that The New York Times felt compelled to weigh in. The article references Dallas’ reputation as the home of oil tycoons and trust-fund kids living over-the-top lifestyles. (To be exact, 92,300 of them.)

But here’s the thing: Dallas bougie might not be the same as Vegas bougie. We are, after all, completely different people who live in a completely different city. Maybe that’s what these clubstaurants at The Epic are learning the hard way.

La Neta will debut these changes at its anniversary celebration on June 6. Reservations can be made on the website.