When Seattle native Matt Bell made plans to expand his car-focused restaurant Derby to Dallas, he turned to his high school buddy Nick Badovinus for advice.
It was a good move: Badovinus operates six popular restaurants in town, including New American restaurant Neighborhood Services, Design District steakhouse Town Hearth and Lowest Greenville hangout Desert Racer. Plus, Badovinus loves car culture. Badovinus famously parked several motorcycles and even a full-size Volkswagen Beetle at Desert Racer — a fun part of the restaurant’s funky decor.
So when an out-of-state restaurateur came to Dallas talking cars, it makes sense that Badovinus was at the starting line.
“Cars and motorcycles are emotional,” Badovinus says. “Combining those with food and beverage just makes sense.”
Derby is expected to open in early April on John W. Carpenter Freeway in Dallas. The restaurant will count Badovinus as “a supporter and an early adopter,” in Badovinus’ words.
Here’s how it works: Derby is attached to The Shop, a 55,000-square-foot warehouse that will be a playplace for people who love classic cars, luxury vehicles and motorcycles. At its simplest, The Shop is a showroom and storage facility for gearheads who don’t have space for all their vehicles at their own homes.
But The Shop is also a fix-it place, and car enthusiasts of all kinds can work on their vehicles, pay someone else to do the work, or learn alongside a mechanic.
“Think about a country club for gearheads,” Bell says.
The first floor of Derby, the restaurant, will be open to the public. From there, customers will be able to see the hustle-bustle of crews working on cars — old ones, new ones, high-dollar uniques and low-priced projects.
Members can hang out on the second floor of the restaurant in the private dining area, bar, game room or board room. Members pay $100 to $250 a month to get access to some or all of the amenities, and they’re encouraged to work from The Shop or to host meetings there.
The best views in the cavernous room are from a second-floor lookout spot. As many as 300 cars can fit inside the warehouse when it’s full.
Bell knows there’s a strong group of gearheads in Texas, and celebrities like Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud have helped draw attention to Dallas, specifically.
Badovinus will offer advice for Derby’s menu. The restaurant is expected to sell Seattle’s signature smoked meatloaf and an appetizer called Matt’s Bad Ass Bacon, which comes revved up with maple-cayenne glaze. Badovinus says the menu will add a selection of steaks and fish and “a great burger.” That’ll surely excite Dallas foodies who are still mourning Badovinus’ burger joint Off-Site Kitchen, which closed mid-pandemic.
Derby is not a burger joint, though. And it’s not Off-Site Kitchen.
Bell said in an interview on March 2 that he doesn’t like burger joints: “I think they’re kitschy and not serious about food,” he says.
“This is an upscale restaurant that serves elevated comfort food. ... It’s the stuff your mama would make if she had the time and effort to do it, but with flair and an upscale twist.”
Bell spent a few decades working in the software industry before going all in on The Shop. He currently owns about 10 cars and 10 motorcycles, including a 1968 Charger and a 1973 Porsche 911S, two favorites.
Though he remains a Seattle resident, Bell has five classic cars parked at The Shop in Dallas. Soon, he can start working on them alongside other gearheads in Dallas.
“This [project] is about being in love with cars. And wanting to contribute to it,” Bell says.
Derby restaurant and The Shop are at 9100 John W. Carpenter Freeway in Dallas. Both are expected to open in early April 2021. theshopclubs.com.
