Past its prime? Pappas Burger in Fort Worth to close Sunday

The west Fort Worth location of Pappas Burger, an extended experiment from the otherwise thriving Pappas restaurant chain, will close Sunday after nine years, according to an announcement posted Friday online.

Managers were not available for interviews late Friday. An announcement was emailed to customers and posted on the restaurant website: “After many wonderful years, we will be closing our doors.”

The West Freeway restaurant was built in 2000 as a Tony Roma’s Ribs. Pappas Burger opened there in 2007 alongside busy Pappasito’s Cantina and Pappadeaux Seafood restaurants. Those restaurants, also owned by Houston-based Pappas Restaurants, often have crowded parking lots.

The company launched its Pappas Burger concept in 2001, featuring prime chuck and tenderloin burgers ground from the Pappas Bros. Steakhouses, served in a 1950s-diner-meets-sports-grill setting. Two Houston locations remain open, but the company did not expand the concept past Fort Worth.

The Fort Worth restaurant featured beef from the company’s Dallas steakhouse. But the restaurant has fallen from “best burger” rankings in recent years as several premium, chef-driven burger restaurants have opened nearby.

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Past its prime? Pappas Burger in Fort Worth to close Sunday."