Wright Dunbar’s only restaurant to close

The Wright Dunbar Business District’s only restaurant plans to close its doors later this month after five years in business.

The Texas Beef & Cattle Co. at 1101 W. Third St. announced it will end its retail, dine-in and carryout operation on June 27.

The restaurant survived the closure of the Third Street Bridge in January of 2020 and the hardship of the coronavirus pandemic.

But James Nunez, pitmaster and owner of the business, said he decided to cease operations while dealing with a labor shortage and rising meat prices.

“This is a very difficult decision and one we have not taken lightly. This has always been a labor of love,” he said. “We have poured ourselves into bringing real south Texas barbecue to the region. Our goal was to create a little piece of Texas right here in Dayton, Ohio.”

Nunez said he has decided to take a step back, regroup, recharge and reimagine what the 2.0 version of Texas Beef & Cattle Co. could be.

Texas Beef & Cattle Co. will be open over the next two weekends, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday June 19-20 and June 26-27. Catering will be available through the end of July.

The closure is a loss for the Wright Dunbar Business District, which has welcomed a variety of new businesses in recent years and where developers have plans for some vacant storefronts and buildings.

Earlier this month, the city received requests for commercial building permits for adaptive reuse and mixed-use projects at 1153 and 1171 W. Third St.

Dillin Corp., its affiliates and partners have proposed investing millions of dollars into properties on the 1100 block of West Third Street.

One project is a new food hall at 1100 W. Third St. that could be home to multiple businesses, including De’Lish and ILLYS Fire Pizza.