Shady’s Burgers & Brewhaha started with five neighbors, a backyard fire pit and a few beers.
That was 2012, in the Canyon Creek neighborhood of Richardson. Greg Cooney, Don Bouvier, Anthony Bolner, Dave Swiney and Steve Gumbert were sitting around Bolner’s fire pit talking about what the neighborhood was missing. What they landed on was a place with good burgers, cold beer and a patio where families could hang out on a weeknight. None of them had ever run a restaurant.
The partners raised nearly all the money to open from friends and neighbors in Canyon Creek, and they did it in about a month. To make up for their lack of restaurant experience, they brought in a consultant who knew a thing or two about Dallas burgers: Larry Lavine, the man who founded Chili’s. The five of them held taste tests at each other’s houses until the menu felt right.
The first Shady’s opened on April 1, 2013, at 2701 Custer Parkway in Richardson. A few years later they brought it south to Lake Highlands, at 9661 Audelia Road near Walnut Hill. This week that location is celebrating 10 years.
For an independent restaurant, 10 years is a real milestone, and Shady’s has earned it the old-fashioned way. Lake Highlands families have treated it as their own. The restaurant has spent a decade hosting spirit nights and giving back to local schools and neighborhood groups. Cooney, now managing partner of the restaurant group, has talked about watching kids grow up at those tables and families coming back year after year.
The anniversary week wraps up this weekend, and there’s still time to catch it. Thursday brings $5 margaritas all day. Friday, get a free order of fries with a purchase. On Saturday night, Vic Duncan plays live from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. And on Sunday, wear any Shady’s merch and you’ll get a free order of fried pickles with a purchase. The deals are only at the Lake Highlands location, and the restaurant posts updates on its Facebook page.
As for what to order, start with the burgers. The full menu is online. Shady’s built its name on hand-formed, never-frozen Angus beef. The house signature is a double-smashed burger with grilled onions and American cheese. The Shady’s Original and the Tailgater were the two burgers the restaurant rolled back to 2016 prices to kick off the week, a pretty good hint at what the regulars order. If you want something with more going on, the El Shady stacks white cheddar, chorizo, grilled jalapeños and a fried egg. The Holy Guacamole brings guacamole, Swiss, bacon and garlic aioli. Keep an eye on the rotating burger of the month too.
The fried pickles come with house-made ranch, and they are worth ordering even when they aren’t free.
That backyard idea has grown well past two restaurants. The partners now run High Five Hospitality, a locally owned group that also includes The Fifth Fireside Patio & Bar, Pineda’s Mexican Cuisine and a catering business. Shady’s opened a third location this year at Hidden Cove Marina on Lake Lewisville in Frisco, where you can pull up by car or by boat. A fourth, Shady’s Backyard, is set to open later this year at Hillcrest and Campbell in North Dallas, with more than 6,000 square feet of patio.
Lake Highlands was the first move beyond Canyon Creek, and this weekend is a good excuse to go see what 10 years looks like.
Shady’s Burgers & Brewhaha Lake Highlands is at 9661 Audelia Road in Dallas, 469-726-2920. The Richardson original is at 2701 Custer Parkway, 214-484-2689, and Shady’s Lakeside is at 20400 Hackberry Creek Park Road in Frisco, 972-292-9677. Details for all three are on the locations page.
