Saddles Bar and Grill to come to downtown

The Waxahachie City Council approved a specific use permit for tavern use for Saddles Bar and Grill, to be located at 200 N. College St., during its Monday, April 17, meeting.

The approval comes after the project had received approval for the SUP from the Waxahachie Planning and Zoning Commission during its April 11 meeting.

Saddles Bar and Grill plans to offer appetizers, entrees, desserts and kid-friendly foods along with a full-service bar.

“We’re seeking to open a country bar and grill in downtown Waxahachie,” Casie Williams, co-owner, said. “We’re wanting to open more doors for our community to go and relax and have a good time.”

Williams explained to the commission how opening her own bar and restaurant has been “a dream of (hers) for a long time.” Williams has worked in the restaurant industry for about 17 years as both a bartender and manager. Her co-owner, Abby Vestal, will oversee the logistics and financial side of the business.

The 3,500-square foot building has three floors including a basement. The basement will house pool tables, restrooms, a bar and the restaurant’s kitchen. The first floor will house the main bar, high top dining tables, booths, a dance floor and a performance stage for live entertainment. The second floor, or loft, will be used as storage only.

Saddles Bar and Grill is anticipated to have about 18 employees and to operate Tuesdays 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays 11 a.m.-12 a.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

The business will operate both as a restaurant and a bar.

“The bar and grill will offer a family friendly atmosphere for the majority of the hours in which they are open,” Eleana Tuley, senior planner, said. “However, at 8 p.m., they will limit admission to the restaurant to 21 and up because that is the time when they’ll have the live music, and they’ll operate more like a bar.”

Since the building was constructed in 1910, city staff noted the owners are required to make “a lot of building improvements.”

Among the improvements include repairing the wooden beam and pier in the foundation, upgrading the plumbing and electrical systems, adding a kitchen and grease trap, and renovating the interior of the building.

“We want to keep all of the building as historic as it can,” Williams said. “On the inside, there have been some walls put up, so we’re going to take those down. The brick walls are still there from the historic, so we’re going to maybe get somebody to fix the brick and try to keep it as historic as we can.”

Because the building previously housed offices and then sat vacant for many years, Williams said they will have to buy all the equipment needed for the business.

“It’s been vacant for a minute,” Williams said. “There’s nothing in there that we’re going to be able to use.”

The goal is to open Saddles Bar and Grill in January 2024, but the date could change depending on construction, Williams said.

(Editor's note: The article was updated to reflect the city council's approval).

Originally published April 14, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/updated-saddles-bar-and-grill-to-come-to-downtown/article_ad7eb422-db05-11ed-8623-67ae51395eb1.html