At just one day old, new Deep Ellum bar-restaurant Thunderbird Station is already full of “remember when?” moments.
Remember Push Ups? Bar owner Kim Finch is talking about the orange-flavored push-up popsicles of our youth, the ones mom would buy in the summertime. Finch’s signature cocktail tastes like a dreamsicle and feels right at home in the former filling station that dates back to 1922. But it’s 2020, so the drink, called the The Peel Out, is spiked with vodka and made dairy-free with almond milk.
Finch has succeeded in making this new bar feel lived in. It’s Finch’s specialty. She’s the owner of one of Dallas' best-known dive bars, Double Wide, a place with wood-paneled walls, drab curtains and toilets for bar seats.
Double Wide is just across the street from Thunderbird Station, close enough for bargoers to walk over.
“Ever since I’ve been at Double Wide, I’ve been drooling over it,” Finch says of the property, which operated as Maynard Riegel’s service station from 1954 to 2002. The building got a major facelift this year, though it still looks like a gas station, with stacks of tires sprouting greenery.
One of the selling points of the diamond-shaped property is the patio out front — which was bound to be popular among Dallasites but became essential after the coronavirus hit. Patios can operate at 100% capacity, according to Gov. Greg Abbott, though bars remain closed. Abbott’s executive order means that Finch’s two other businesses, the nearby Double Wide and the smaller Single Wide bar on Greenville Avenue, are still shuttered. Thunderbird Station can open, however, because it’s classified as a restaurant.
Finch hopes she can pre-package food from Thunderbird Station and sell it at her two other bars, possibly opening a path to get back in business, with the blessing of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC).
Finch was one of the many bar owners who was shocked when bars shut down on June 26. “It’s just unbelievable,” Finch said at that time.
She also said back in late June, “Every day, we make a plan. And every day, it changes” — a sentiment that remains true as she opens Thunderbird Station in the middle of a pandemic.
Unlike her bars, Thunderbird has a full kitchen. The menu has more of those “remember when?” moments, like the bologna sandwich served two ways, cold or hot. The sloppy Joe sandwich can be ordered as a sloppy Jolene — a veggie version.
A trio of dips offer “churched-up versions” of snacks from Finch’s Oklahoma upbringing: bean dip with Fritos, green onion dip with Ruffles and pickle dip with Lay’s. Finch calls the nostalgic menu “stuff that makes you happy.”
One of her favorite dishes is a Frito pie served with a spork.
“I’ve always wanted to find a great Frito pie in town,” she says.
Those who made Rice Krispies treats with their parents might appreciate the restaurant’s honkin' slice of dessert, cut way bigger than Mom would ever allow.
Chef Jeana Johnson (of the former Good 2 Go Taco) is temporarily in the kitchen during Thunderbird Station’s kickoff.
We called Thunderbird Station one of the “most exciting restaurants and bars opening in Dallas in 2020,” back before the pandemic ruined many restaurateurs' plans. Finch wanted to open her throwback filling-station restaurant in February, but it finally opened more than six months later, on Sept. 17.
The extra time allowed her to fuss over the menu and expand her collection of flea-market finds, like the mismatched swivel chairs at the bar inside.
Despite some coats of blue and yellow paint, Finch hopes her work honors Riegel’s longtime business. There’s added kitsch, like the rear of a retro Thunderbird car hung above the bar. Most of the interior brick walls are original, as is the “icebox style” white exterior that’s been there since the ’50s.
Finch wanted to add an extra touch to remember the former owner. Look to the door handle on the way out of the bar and a small sticker says, “Later, Maynard!”
Thunderbird Station is at 3400 Commerce St., Dallas. It opened Sept. 17, 2020.
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