How does a comic book-and-toy shop become a restaurant? Fort Worth’s about to find out
Comic book fandom will come to a Fort Worth restaurant at the newly renamed Fanboys Grill.
A local comics and toys retailer for collectors, Fanboys Marketplace, has acquired a wings restaurant in the West 7th district and will rebrand it and expand hours, the company announced.
Fanboys Grill, 2708 W. Seventh St. next door to Velvet Taco, takes over a restaurant that specializes in smoked chicken wings, sliders and a variety of sandwiches.
Fanboys Grill will be the third name for the restaurant. It operated this year as Emmy’s Smokehouse, a change from the original 360 Smoke Shack.
In a statement, Fanboys owner Mike Rogers said the retailer will use the restaurant to promote the stores.
The six regional Fanboys locations are an everyday retail version of a comic book, nostalgia or toy show, featuring celebrity appearances by stars from shows such as “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”
The announcement specifically describes the restaurant takeover as a renaming and says Fanboys will serve the award-winning chicken wings.
Emmy’s closed last month due to co-owner Winston Teague’s cancer diagnosis and also due to West Seventh Street construction, according to a Facebook post.
However, the construction project has been known and in the works for years.
Both 360 Smoke Shack and Emmy’s suffered from a simple identity and marketing problem.
At a time when Fort Worth is crazy for barbecue and wings, the names “smoke shack” and “smokehouse” didn’t clearly claim either. The menu varied from smoked wings to sandwiches and smoked burgers.
Co-owner Andrew Wood replied on Facebook that downplaying Teague’s illness and the construction project is a “low blow.”
Teague added: “We know Fanboys will do an excellent job rebranding and taking over, we’re very excited to see what they have in store!”
The change is the latest in a series for the newly redesigned Seventh Street corridor.
A Buffalo Wild Wings location recently opened in the Left Bank shops, and a Fireside Pies pizzeria is scheduled to return there in early 2023.
Construction is expected soon an an office-retail-restaurant complex at Seventh and Foch streets.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 5:30 AM.
