Arlington, TX

After nearly 3 years, the South Arlington Hooters is now able to sell beer and alcohol. They never stopped serving beer, allowing customers to have 2 free beers with their meal, but had been fighting for a license to sell adult beverages for years.

The fight began in 2005 when an ultra conservative community group, calling themselves Partnership for Community Values, was able to convince a judge to suspend the location’s liquor license. They weren’t happy that Hooters had come to their neighborhood and hoped, by having their liquor license revoked, that the Hooters would be forced to close down and move elsewhere.

In response, Hooters began giving away up to 2 beers per guest while majority owner Kelly Hall fought the court battle. Hooters estimates that they gave away over $1.2 million worth of beer during the 30 months without a license. Yesterday, Hooters received a favorable ruling in the State Office of Administrative Hearings. A license issued by the TABC was delivered to the store and they began selling beer around 4:00 pm.

“Clearly this extremist group underestimated the will of Hooters to pursue justice and wage this battle,” said Mike Herrick the Executive Vice President of Texas Wings, the company that owns the 43 Hooters restaurants in Texas. “We felt we had a responsibility to our owners, employees and guests to put up this fight. If we had not stopped these opponents of freedom here there’s no telling where it could have led. Treating lawful and taxpaying employers in this way is not in the best interest of South Arlington or Texas,” continued Herrick.

The South Arlington Hooters is located at I-20 and Green Oaks in the Movie Tavern shopping center.

Now will this help or hurt Hooters? Sure they can sell alcohol, but I know many people who went there purely for the free beer. Weigh in with your thoughts.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Hooters, Liquor License, Beer, Free Beer

Some of Arlington’s finest restaurants will gather together on Tuesday, October 2 from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. for the annual Taste of Arlington celebration. This year marks their silver anniversary.

The event, which brings together nearly 75 restaurants at the Arlington Convention Center, raises money for the Arlington YMCA and Theatre Arlington. In addition to all the great food, organizers have planned a silent auction, a Big Board auction, music, sponsor displays, and a performance by Theatre Arlington’s youth touring group. Auction items include theater and other fine arts tickets, dinners, autographed collectibles, jewelry, art, event tickets, entertainment tickets, autographed books, gift baskets, spa treatments, and overnight stays. (more…)

Popular college hangout and St. Patrick’s Day party purveyor, J. Gilligans, is getting a facelift.

Owner Randy Ford is planning a $50,000 renovation that will update the facade of the bar and grill, best known as the home of the Irish Nacho. The plan also calls for the addition of a covered patio with seating for 60-70 people. He plans to take down the fences surrounding the parking lot and add new landscaping.

Ford was approached by Arlington Downtown Management Corp. about fixing up the place earlier this year as part of an effort to revitalize the downtown area. They hooked him up with an architecture student from UTA to do some of the design work.

With the Cowboys coming to town, the city is trying to renovate the downtown area and attract new businesses. You can read more about planned revitalization projects at www.downtownarlington.org.

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Arlington, Arlington TX, J. Gilligans, St. Patrick’s Day, Randy Ford, Irish Nacho, Arlington Downtown Management Corp., Downtown Arlington

Over 100 of the finest restaurants in the Metroplex are participating in KRLD/1080 AM and Central Market’s Restaurant Week which will be observed through Sunday, August 19.In Arlington, participating restaurants include Cacharel, Piccolo Mondo and Olenjack’s Grille. Cacharel has joined several other North Texas restaurants by extending their Restaurant Week through September 2.

For $35, diners receive a three-course meal; $7 of that price will benefit the North Texas Food Bank or the Lena Pope Home. Reservations are required. Mention “Restaurant Week” when making the reservation.

For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit www.krld.com.

If you’re looking for something different for dinner, try Ton’s Mongolian Grill. It’s all-you-can-eat, very affordable and delicious! 

If you’ve never eaten at a Mongolian grill, here’s how it works. The uncooked meats, veggies, noodles and sauces are laid out buffet-style. You fill a bowl (or 2 or 3) with the ingredients of your choice and take them to the round grill where 3 hardworking gentlemen cook them up to perfection. At the grill you can ask them to add rice, egg, sesame seeds or hot red peppers to your creation. You know exactly what is going into your meal and watch it being prepared. No mystery here! (more…)