Black Bear Diner, the one-of-a-kind, bear-themed dining concept offering a family-friendly atmosphere and classic, home-style comfort food, today opened the doors to its 144th diner, located in Brownsville, Texas.
The new location is the first from the family dining concept that features a modified kitchen and front-of-the-house design elements dedicated to pickup and delivery services. These enhancements are intended to streamline operational efficiencies and open additional space for team members and guests in the main dining area. The Brownsville restaurant is also one of several that Black Bear Diner is building or updating to include an outdoor patio dining area.
“We’re thrilled to open our doors to the community of Brownsville today, and we look forward to introducing new guests to our delicious, home-style meals with our signature hospitality,” said Anita Adams, CEO of Black Bear Diner. “With this new format debuting in Brownsville, areas of service are optimized, creating the best possible experience for our dining room guests, our patio guests and our guests enjoying Black Bear Diner in their own homes.”
The restaurant will operate 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and is located at 3867 N Expressway 77/83.
As the first location to incorporate new features that cater specifically to off-premise sales, Black Bear Diner Brownsville features a separate cooking line, along with a separate pickup window for third-party orders. Off-premise dining has played an increasingly important role for the diner concept since early 2020, as indoor dining rooms were subject to occupancy restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic and guests turned to pickup and delivery options for meals. The modified layout in Brownsville is intended to accommodate these additional orders while protecting the guest experience that Black Bear Diner is known for delivering.
“Our number one priority is delivering on guest experience within our four walls, however, the strong off-premise business that we’ve built over this past year presents a great opportunity to drive our AUVs above 2019 levels. Guests clearly value the convenience of picking up a meal from Black Bear Diner or having it delivered,” continued Adams. “We believe off-premise demand is here to stay. With this new diner layout, we hope to maximize in-house efficiencies that make order fulfillment easier for our teams and enable a positive experience for all of our guests, regardless of where they choose to dine.”
Patio seating will be another unique design element at the Brownsville restaurant. The area will include shade covers for comfortable outdoor dining and will seat an additional 32 guests – the main dining room will seat 160. Since April 2021, Black Bear Diner has opened patios at diners in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas.
The Brownsville location is the first of several that Black Bear Diner plans to open in cities across Texas over the next several months, including Pasadena – in the greater Houston area, McAllen – along the southern border, and Dallas, as the diner concept looks to expand its presence in the state.
About Black Bear Diner
Black Bear Diner is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country. Founded in 1995 by Bruce Dean and Bob Manley in Mt. Shasta, California, Black Bear Diner brings home-style comfort food classics and personal service to the dining experience. The quickly growing family dining concept, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offers a vast, enticing menu anchored in hearty portions and excellent value, with service rooted in genuine hospitality.
The franchise now operates 144 locations in 14 states and growing. Black Bear Diner has been consistently recognized for its significant growth and outstanding performance – Winner of Top Disruptor from Nation’s Restaurant News. The company is a disruptor in the family-dining segment for its growth and performance and will continue to focus on serving home-style comfort food classics and bringing personal service back to the dining industry as the brand continues to execute its expansion plan.
