Shlachter, Perotin, Fuquay: Plano is our own get-rich-quick town

How easy is it to build wealth in Tarrant County?

Easier than in Manhattan, but not as easy as in Plano.

That’s the conclusion of Salary.com, which created a salary value index ranking 69 U.S. cities with at least 250,000 residents.

The index measured local salaries, the cost of living and unemployment rates to come up with the communities with the most favorable combinations.

The result: Plano is the best place in the country to build wealth.

New York is worst, along with other cities where the cost of living is steep — such as San Francisco and Honolulu.

Other Texas cities on the list: Austin, No. 13; San Antonio, No. 24; Houston, No. 28; Arlington, No. 34; Corpus Christi, No. 36; Fort Worth, No. 38; Dallas, No. 45; and El Paso, No. 54.

Restaurant closures

Bennigan’s closed its North Richland Hills location near Northeast Mall last week, but spokeswoman Leah Templeton said she did not know why the company-owned restaurant was closed or how many workers it employed.

Templeton said Thursday that management was working to place workers at other stores but that she had no information on whether a severance package would be given to those terminated.

The chain is operated by Dallas-based Metromedia Restaurant Group, whose other concepts include Steak & Ale, Bonanza Steakhouse, Ponderosa Steakhouse, 29 Degree Tavern, Southlake Tavern and Plano Tavern.

Also on Thursday, Golden Corral Corp. confirmed that Guillermo Perales, a major North Texas franchise holder, closed two of his 48 buffet restaurants last month in Arlington and Dallas. The Arlington location was at 3512 S. Cooper St.

Spokesman Bob McDevitt said Perales had allowed 15-year leases on both restaurants to lapse but intends to build new ones in the same general areas after finding suitable property.

Perales’ Irving-based Sun Holdings is the nation’s biggest Golden Corral operator and also owns 73 Popeye’s restaurants, five Denny’s restaurants, 13 Burger Kings and one Bennigan’s franchise at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

Big getting bigger

Big Lots, the nation’s largest closeout retailer, has opened a store in Weatherford and will soon open a store in Mansfield.

The retailer held a grand opening in College Park Center, 108 College Park Drive. The store is 21,300 square feet and offers seasonal, one-time bargains and a wide selection of brand-name merchandise. Items typically sell for 20 to 40 percent less than at discount stores and up to 70 percent below traditional retailers’ prices.

Big Lots said it is on track to open a store in late September at 989 N. Walnut Creek Drive in Mansfield.

Including the Weatherford store, Big Lots now has 40 Dallas-Fort Worth stores and more than 1,300 stores nationwide. As part of its Weatherford opening, Big Lots donated $2,500 to the Weatherford school district.