Editor's note: This story has been updated with news of opening dates for Original ChopShop in Plano in September 2018 and in University Park in November 2018.
Don't get hung up on the name of Original ChopShop. It's not a steak house or a biker bar: It's a protein bowl and salad chain that's opening in North Texas in 2018.
The first Texas location opened in April in Las Colinas. The white shiplap walls, chalk boards and colorful displays of fruits and vegetables offer a Fixer Upper vibe to a restaurant its CEO says serves "better for you" food.
It's healthy ... ish, but CEO Jason Morgan alludes to the fact that ChopShop isn't obsessive about calorie counting. The menu shows a selection of protein bowls served with brown rice, sweet potato hash, forbidden rice or quinoa. The "chops" -- there's that word again -- are salads, dressed with arugula or beets or cucumber or avocado.
ChopShop also sells superfruit bowls, a company favorite being the Acai Bowl made with apple juice, berries and bananas and topped with granola, fruit, shredded coconut and agave. Other menu items include protein shakes (with the option of almond milk, soy milk or coconut water) and juices made at the restaurant with ingredients like watermelon, kale, kiwi or spinach.
The average plate costs about $10 and the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And in between, too, especially for meal-replacement drinks.
Morgan, who is the former CFO of Zoe's Kitchen, bought ChopShop with a plan to expand it to four locations in D-FW in 2018. After Las Colinas, ChopShop No. 2 opened in Plano's Shops at Legacy in September 2018. Next comes one in at 6401 Hillcrest Ave. in University Park on Nov. 16; then Plano again, at Park & Preston, in early 2019.
Notably, the University Park address near Southern Methodist University will be on the site where Goff's Hamburgers used to be, before it burned in a fire. The building has been re-constructed and looks dramatically different.
In Morgan's seven years at Zoe's, the company grew from 20 stores to 150. He was there when the company went public in 2014 and was valued at $276 million. Morgan says he's "taking a lot of that learning" as they expand ChopShop from six existing Arizona-based stores to North Texas and beyond.
Next up: ChopShops may pop up in Charlotte, Atlanta and Houston, Morgan says.
Some ChopShops might become neighbors to another growing restaurant called Bellagreen. That's no coincidence, as Morgan is also its CEO.
A self-proclaimed picky eater, Morgan says he likes "just about everything on the menu." But if you go, he recommends the chicken teriyaki bowl with brown rice, veggies and avocado.
Texas' first Original ChopShop is located at 7300 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, and opened April 10. The restaurant in Plano at 5717 Legacy Drive, Suite 180, opened in September 2018. University Park and a second Plano restaurant are expected to open soon.
For more food news in Dallas, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.
Original story written April 6, 2018 and updated May 22, 2018, Aug. 14, 2018, Sept. 23, 2018 and Nov. 7, 2018.
