Ellen’s at Casa Linda. Photo by Renee Umsted.
Ellen’s, a local chain offering all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Casa Linda Plaza, has adjusted its dining hours from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to better align with its business operations. Despite neighborhood rumors, Ellen’s isn’t closing down, co-founder Joe Groves confirmed with the Advocate.
According to previous Advocate reporting, Ellen’s moved to the corner of Buckner and Garland in July 2023. It was originally open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. However, the business recently modified its closing time to 3 p.m.
“The answer is very simple, our normal hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, that’s what the Ellen’s store hours are, in Casa Linda we said, ‘lets open till nine every night, it’s a residential neighborhood,’” Groves said. “And the fact is people don’t come after three, some people do but it’s not profitable after three.”
Approximately a week ago, Dallas resident Michelle Williams went to visit the restaurant only to find a note on the door apologizing for closing at 3 p.m., six hours earlier than usual. On Tuesday, March 5, she said the restaurant was still closed “totally dark inside, and the same note is still on the door.”
When Williams posted the information on the NextDoor app, neighbors in the comments speculated the limited hours could be related to staffing. And despite the restaurant taking two years to open, neighbors began to assume the restaurant had ceased operation before hitting its one-year mark.
Neither of these allegations are true. And as Groves says, business is doing just fine.
According to Google, the restaurant said to be closed from Monday through Wednesday. When the Advocate called the restaurant to confirm store hours, an automated message said Ellen’s was closed and would reopen Thursday at 7 a.m.
However, Groves clarified that staff had not made these adjustment to Google. He says he was surprised by the revised hours that were made yesterday.
“It’s bizarre, just bizarre,” Groves said.
Groves says despite all the rumors, business is doing just fine and will remain open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Store hours are now Sunday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Google has not updated these hours.
