Dallas’ nearly 90-year-old Lakewood Theater will soon have a Rusty Taco in its lobby.
Executives from the Dallas-born Tex-Mex chain confirmed Rusty Taco will start construction soon, replacing Double Dave’s, the pizza shop that served food inside Lakewood Theater for the past few years. Jazz bar The Balcony Club will remain open and unchanged on Lakewood Theater’s second floor, and eventually, customers can order Rusty Taco from up there.
Denise Fenton, whose husband, Rusty, founded Rusty Taco on Greenville Avenue in 2010, believes her family’s taco shop will be a good fit inside the longtime Lakewood Theater.
Rusty Fenton enjoyed buildings with character, his wife said. The original Rusty Taco on Greenville Avenue near East University Boulevard is a renovated gas station, with patio tables sitting underneath a steel gas pump awning.
Rusty died of kidney cancer in 2013, but the brand named after him continued to grow. “It’s very important to carry on the brand for Rusty,” his wife said.
Rusty Taco now has 24 restaurants in eight states.
The Rusty Taco in Lakewood Theater will have a smaller menu than the original. It will sell the company’s bestselling tacos, like the baja shrimp, Texican and bacon, egg and cheese, confirmed Sherry Elbow, director of marketing.
“Rusty Taco is going to be a great partner for us,” Craig Spivey said. “They’re just a great fit.”
The new Rusty Taco is expected to open at 1825 Abrams Parkway (inside Bowlski’s Lakewood Theater), Dallas. Projected opening is late 2026 or early 2027.