High-rated Southside restaurant in Fort Worth closes amid social media dramatics

The Beast & Company closed

Hey, Bud! What was all that on Facebook about The Beast?

— Reader at facebook.com/diningguy

The Beast & Company is closed, founder Dustin Lee wrote Monday in a long and emotional farewell on Facebook.

The upscale, global-influenced restaurant at 1010 W. Magnolia Ave. opened a year ago. It had good ratings on social media.

But in February, Lee wrote a Facebook plea saying business was slow and asking for more local support. From that point, he wrote in his farewell, sales were down “over 80%.”

Hopscotch open on Sundance Plaza

Hey, Bud! What was that new place opening in Sundance Square?

— Reader who hasn’t gone downtown in a while

Hopscotch, a bar and snack counter with frozen and mixed cocktails, is scheduled to open this weekend at 400 Main St. on busy Sundance Square Plaza.

Original Mexican, Ranchman’s both open

Hey, Bud! Did I miss something? The Original looks like it’s still open.

— Several readers

Hey, Bud! Did I miss something? Ranchman’s Ponder Steakhouse wasn’t open the other night.

— Roanoke reader

The Original Mexican Eats Cafe is now scheduled to remain at 4713 Camp Bowie Blvd. until a June 30 move to combine with its second location, 1400 N. Main St.

Ranchman’s, 110 W. Bailey St. in the Denton County town of Ponder, is open at 11 a.m. for lunch only, weekdays and Saturdays. It’s closed Sunday. Crowds showed up when it reopened, but not enough staff to open at night.

This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 5:30 AM.

Bud Kennedy’s Eats Beat

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat. Support my work with a digital subscription