A family-owned restaurant and bar in East Dallas is sadly closing: BarNone, a fun sports bar in the White Rock Center, 718 N. Buckner Blvd., #100, in Lake Highlands that opened in 2020, will close on August 13 after nearly four years.
Married couple Todd Dickerson and Jennifer Rohde Dickerson said in a statement they never fully recovered from the pandemic and business had slowed in recent months.
However, they were keen to organize a farewell event before the closure.
BarNone was a true neighborhood hangout that served East Dallas: Lakewood, Forest Hills, Hollywood Heights, Casa Linda, Eastwood and Old Lake Highlands, with signature drinks, beer, wine and sports on TV.
The couple opened in December 2020 and had a wealth of experience to draw on, including Todd’s 30+ years in the food and beverage industry, 20 years as managing partner of Angry Dog, and Jennifer’s industry knowledge through her family’s business, Bud’s Salads.
BarNone featured all-American fare, including a house-ground burger, Clams Casino, chicken wings, Todd’s Sunday Gravy, and Manhattan Clam Chowder. (Their patty melts are said to be especially amazing.) They frequently innovated, rotating between new dishes and original specials, such as their half-price grilled cheese sandwich offer every Thursday.
The Patty Melts from BarNone are said to be particularly delicious.BarNo
Their accolades included a 2021 nomination in CultureMap’s annual Tastemaker Awards for Best Neighborhood Bar.
Unfortunately, timing was not on their side as they made the decision to open just before the pandemic.
“Six years ago, we started working on BarNone as a labor of passion,” Dickerson said in a statement. “We’ve lived in East Dallas most of our lives and wanted to bring our style of food and drink to the ED neighborhoods. When planning BarNone, we thought of everything: the food, the drinks, the atmosphere, the music, the service we wanted to offer… everything except a global pandemic. The pandemic hit and we opened in the middle of it.”
“We have fought the good fight and persevered for nearly four years. But on Tuesday, August 13, we will be closing BarNone,” they said.
The couple thanked their customers and regulars, saying it was an honor to serve them. They gave special thanks to the staff: “We want to thank our loyal employees, both the service staff and the kitchen staff. Of all the aspects that made BarNone so great, the employees were the most special part of the equation.”
Their desire to host a final farewell party is, among other things, to showcase the skills of their employees.
“We want to offer potential future employers the opportunity to meet our amazing staff,” the couple said. “If you’re looking for a job in hospitality, do yourself a favor and stop by BarNone to meet our amazing staff. We’re most sorry to let them down. Each of our staff members is amazing at their jobs.”
For the rest of us, there are cheap drinks and a sad farewell.
“Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end,” they said. “For us, it’s Tuesday night at 11:55 p.m. Please come by Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday to say goodbye to BarNone, our staff, our food and our drinks. We will be offering very deep discounts on all alcoholic drinks. The closer it gets to midnight on Tuesday, the cheaper we will be, so please come by, even if you just want to say goodbye.”
