Stop the moving van! Old-time Arlington diner stays open after Fort Worth deal nixed
Skillet N Grill’s sale to Dixie House Cafe is canceled and the owners will keep the 30-year Arlington breakfast and lunch favorite for now, they announced Tuesday on Facebook.
Kevin El-Etoum had announced the sale in August on Facebook, writing that founder Shebli El-Etoum, 65, “puts in 100 hours every week.”
Now, according to the restaurant’s latest Facebook post, Shebli El-Etoum “no longer wants to sell the business” and will keep it going for the “near future.”
Theresa Simon, founder of the 40-year-old Dixie House Cafes. confirmed the deal was called off, saying the cancellation was due in part to an extended illness in the family.
Dixie House had been scheduled to take over the sprawling restaurant and garden patio, 1801 W. Division St., on Oct. 1 and reopen by mid-month.
On the Skillet N Grill Facebook page, the El-Etoums wrote that they had no part in the cancellation and “we had no idea it could even fall through at this point or we would never have announced it like we did.”
Skillet N Grill opened in 1997 in a smaller former chain diner at 2424 W. Division St.
It became known for inexpensive prices and big breakfasts and was a favorite of Arlington city workers.
In 2018, the cafe moved six blocks east to a hacienda-style former Tex-Mex restaurant built in 1977.
Skillet N Grill is open daily for breakfast and lunch; 817-795-8682.
The Dixie House Cafes began on the Jacksboro Highway in Fort Worth. In 1996, they adopted the name Theresa’s Dixie House Cafe.
They became known for serving home cooking day and night, and for offering a choice of 10 to 12 cream and fruit pies daily, along with a choice of about five cakes and three or four cobblers.
Current Dixie House Cafes are at 5401 S. Hulen St. and 6200 E. Lancaster Ave. in Fort Worth.
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
