Red Stix Bows Out of Beleaguered Legacy Hall To Open Two Permanent Locations

On the heels of recent high-profile departures from Plano’s Legacy Hall, yet another eatery is dropping from the food hall’s roster.

Red Stix Asian Street Food just announced today it’s bowing out of the project, and founder Uno Immanivong tells Eater she will open not one, but two stand-alone Red Stix locations: in Farmers Branch in December following her debut near SMU in June.

Immanivong repeated what she previously noted on the heels of John Tesar’s heated departure from Legacy Hall, “It’s hard to make money there [at Legacy Hall],” because of higher overhead, which leads to lower profit margins for business owners. “People have a hard time making that work unless they’re some sort of corporate entity and can use their food hall counter as a commissary,” she says. Taking over Red Stix’s spot is Bejing Brothers, a new Chinese food stall that will serve up hand-pulled noodles, Yangzhou fried rice, and its signature dish Peking duck.

Photo Credit: Thanin Viriyaki

Photo Credit: Thanin Viriyaki

Red Stix’s forthcoming SMU-centric location will open in June at 6501 Hillcrest Avenue, facing the law school. The 1,350-square-foot space will seat about 40 diners in a workspace-friendly environment that features a plethora of charging stations and places to hang computer bags and purses. Ink and Oro is in charge of designing its “Instagram-worthy” interiors — “I want people to feel like they’re walking into my home, and they’re comfortable,” Immanivong tells Eater.

The menu will expand with the addition of crispy pork belly fried rice, drunken and dan dan noodles, pho, and crispy pork belly banh mi. Grab-and-go bento boxes will also be available, as well as Immanivong’s sauces to take home like Thai salsa, sweet & sour, and yuzu ponzu. At the new location, Red Stix will also introduce two signature frozen cocktails bearing SMU’s colors of red and blue, one of which will feature lychee with yuzu hibiscus granita on top.

In December, when Red Stix expands to a second location at Farmers Branch’s Mustang Station, it’ll join a lineup of exciting eateries including a new brewpub from the teams behind Luck at Trinity Groves and Cedar Creek Brewery from Seven Points. Red Stix’s Farmers Branch location will seat twice as many people as its SMU outpost between a spacious patio and a slightly larger interior of 1,550 square feet.

Red Stix last day at Legacy Hall is Sunday, March 24, with Bejing Brothers taking over its spot mid-April. Stay tuned for Red Stix official opening date at its new SMU outpost.

• Three New Eateries Head to Legacy Hall Despite Notable Restaurateurs Jumping Ship [EDFW]
• John Tesar’s Knife Burger Departs Legacy Hall [EDFW]
• Chef Uno Immanivong Will Open a Second Outpost of Red Stix Asian Street Food [EDFW]