The old Jakes Burgers & Beer spot on Belmont and Henderson avenues.
Long-running burger joint Jakes is coming to Upper Greenville this fall.
Jakes Burgers & Beer first opened in 1985 in the Lake Highlands area at Skillman Street and Abrams Road and is still serving customers there today. The burger chain has grown to include multiple locations, mostly in DFW. Jakes is kind of a spin-off restaurant since its founder Jacob Lee “Jake” Keller Jr. was the nephew of Jack Keller, who started the legendary Keller’s Drive-In on Samuell Boulevard around 1950.
The new Jakes will be located at 4925 Greenville Ave., Suite 150 in what used to be the Brass Tap and Grub Burger Bar on the first floor of the Energy Square building. Jakes previously had locations in Uptown Dallas and on Henderson Avenue, and these spots have been missed by fans, Kendra Shier said. She’s the vice president of operations/operating partner at MAD Concepts Group that owns Jakes, and she has worked with Jakes for eight years.
“For us to get another spot in Dallas, and certainly in what I consider to be just one of the coolest, most historic streets in Dallas, the Greenville area, it’s exciting for us,” Shier said.
These days, the menu at Jakes has variety. Salads (which any of the burgers can be converted into), mac and cheese bowls, more sandwiches and quesadillas are also available, Shier said. There will be 25 beers on tap featuring Texas and local brands.
“Jakes has grown past its burger roots,” she said. “There’s really something for everyone.”
The Upper Greenville location will focus on serving the people in its neck of the neighborhood — ie, those who work in the area stopping by during lunch or happy hour as well as residents.
“We’re not opposed to considering some weekday brunchy breakfast-y options,” Shier said. “Whatever that neighborhood demands, we’re going to be in a great position to kind of respond.”
The new location will also be headquarters for Jakes’ new catering initiative, Shier said. In fact, she said catering is something Jakes has perfected over its 40 years in business.
“We’ve got some really exciting innovations from a catering point that allows us to really bring that Jakes experience into the office or into the home,” she said. “We also have trailers that we can actually pull and cook on-site and do burgers and chicken breasts and even fries and tater tots. We have a fryer on the actual trailer, so to have two or three of those at our disposal for someone who wants to host a party for their office or a party at their home, to be able to have Jakes really back right up into your into your backyard or into the parking lot and provide that experience firsthand is going to be exciting for us.”
The Upper Greenville spot is undergoing renovations to make it more “guest friendly,” Shier said, including implementing a cooling element to the patio to make it usable year-round. A new mural will be added as well.
“The existing bar is just stellar,” she said. “You walk into that building, and it is a massive bar in the round, so guests can sit fully, 360 (degrees) around this beautiful bar and be served there by our great bar teams. And we’re bringing over a heritage staff, a staff that worked with us at Uptown. A lot of the old faces that have been with Jakes for 10 to 15 years will make a reappearance in this location, which is exciting for us as well.”
Shier said the plan is to open the new Jakes spot in September or early October.
