Type Restaurant Website Black-eyed Pea Motto Tastes Great to Me | Industry Food Founded 1975 | |
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Products American Food & Spirits Headquarters Denver, Colorado, United States | ||
Black-eyed Pea is a United States restaurant chain, with outlets primarily in Texas and Colorado.
Contents
Two corporate entities operate the restaurants. The lone Texas restaurant is operated by Restaurants Acquisition I, L.L.C., whose company is based in Upper Kirby, Houston.
The Colorado restaurants are operated by RMR Colorado, LLC, headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado in Greater Denver.
History
Black-eyed Pea was founded in 1975 by Dallas restaurateur Gene Street and Phil Cobb. The first location opened on Cedar Springs Road in Oak Lawn and closed January 2, 2016, after 40 years of operation. The chain eventually expanded across the American South. Prufrock expanded the chain to 130 locations and sold to Unigate PLC for approx 65 million.
In early 1997, DenAmerica purchased the Black-eyed Pea restaurant chain from Unigate plc, a British food manufacturer and distributor.
On November 12, 2001, DenAmerica, now operating as Phoenix Restaurant Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This resulted in the closing of 48 Black-eyed Pea locations, reducing the chain to 44 locations (not including the Colorado locations, whose owners were in better financial shape). In 2002, under new management, Black-eyed Pea was reformatted as a "country casual" chain by adding more appetizers and seafood offerings, along with more grilled items as well as an increased emphasis on its bar.
Phoenix Restaurant Group Inc. was headquartered in Madison, Tennessee.
As of September 2016, Black-eyed Pea has a total of 7 locations, including just 1 each in Tennessee & Texas and 5 in Colorado. The only Texas location is located in Arlington, while the vast majority of the Colorado restaurants are situated in the Denver area. Many of the Texas locations had shut down by that time. No word on when they would resume.
In December 2008, former corporate employees Stephen Shaw and Alan Laughlin along with Steve's brother Jim Shaw purchased all the rights to the Colorado locations of Black-eyed Pea. The three have begun changing menu items and pushing more advertising.
As of September 28, 2016, 12 of the 13 Black-eyed Pea restaurants in Texas shuttered their doors with little notice after filing bankruptcy in 2015.
Menu
Black-eyed Pea's menu features home-style Southern U.S. cuisine such as fried catfish, chicken fried steak (including a "Texas Sized" version that takes up an entire plate), pot roast, mashed potatoes, fried okra, broccoli and rice casserole, corn bread, and rolls. Main entrees are usually ordered with a choice of two vegetables. The signature dish is the namesake of the chain, "black-eyed peas."
The restaurants also have full liquor service.
Dixie House
The Dixie House (now closed) is located in the Lakewood area of east Dallas, Texas (USA). It served a variety of Southern, home-cooked style foods, such as a signature chicken-fried steak. The Dixie House was acquired by Black-Eye and the two restaurants shared many menu items. It retained a distinct, neighborhood-restaurant style. It received a mention in the 2008 Best Neighborhood Restaurant notices of D Magazine.