Beloved Southern Dining Destination Ellen’s Plots a Major DFW Expansion

Welcome to AM Intel in the time of coronavirus, a round-up of the city’s newest bits of restaurant-related intel. Follow Eater on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date details on how COVID-19 is impacting the city’s dining scene.

All-day breakfast destination Ellen’s is in expansion mode

Fresh off the news that popular Downtown cafe Ellen’s, known for serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day long, would be opening a location in East Dallas’ Casa Linda neighborhood, comes word of another Ellen’s location in the works.

Ellen’s will also be taking over the space that was formerly Crossroads Diner, at 17194 Preston Road. Renovations at the diner are already underway, and the new location is expected to open this summer. Crossroads Diner closed in November 2020, just days shy of its ten-year anniversary.

Ellen’s, which was founded in 2012, has been in expansion mode recently. A second location opened in Allen in 2020, and two more spots are in also the works — one in Frisco at Stonebriar Commons Shopping Center, one in Fort Worth’s south side.

Southern food purveyor Biscuit Bar will soon open in Coppell

Biscuit Bar, the restaurant that serves up sweet and savory biscuit sandwiches filled with everything from Philly cheesesteaks to Nashville-style hot chicken, will soon open its Coppell outpost.

The restaurant, at 104 S. Denton Tap Road, is set to open for breakfast on Monday, April 26. The restaurant joins locations in Plano, Deep Ellum, Arlington, and the Stockyards. A location in Abilene is expected to open later this summer, and an Addison outpost is scheduled to open by the end of the year.

Biscuit Bar is also hopping on the ghost kitchen train, joining Trinity Groves’ CloudKitchen. Working from a virtual kitchen will allow the restaurant to test new menu items as well as collect customer data on delivery demand.

Oatly’s plant-based soft serve will soon be available at Rangers games

Oatly, the wildly popular oat milk brand, is launching its first-ever plant-based soft serve at three major league baseball stadiums, including Globe Life Field. The oat-based ice cream, which is available now at all Rangers home games, comes in chocolate and vanilla flavors. Oatly already makes frozen plant-based ice cream, which is available in stores, but the soft serve is new. Oatly’s sales of its original oat milk have spiked during the pandemic, and the brand is preparing to take its ownership public.