East Dallas sports bar High Fives will close in early January 2026 after serving cocktails for more than a decade near a fast-changing Henderson Avenue.
High Fives’ Dallas-based parent company, This and That, is focused on growing the Burger Schmurger restaurant brand in 2026, partner Phil Schanbaum confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.
High Fives is one of three bars or restaurants in the Henderson Avenue area owned by This and That. All three of those establishments have closed or changed in a whirlwind 2025:
Tucked inside a tiny, L-shaped bar is the new Boogies, a dance club. You knew it in the past as The Whippersnapper, now retired.
Robert Underwood IV
Restaurant News
Pizza bar Sfuzzi closed in February 2025 and reopened as Hendy’s in July 2025.Dive bar The Whippersnapper closed in May 2025 and reopened as a dance bar and discotheque, Boogies, in October 2025.High Fives will close in early January 2025. Unlike its two sibling spots nearby, the High Fives team will not open a new concept in its place.
“We had a huge year,” Schanbaum said.
All three addresses have a front row seat to a massive mixed-use development under construction now on Henderson Avenue. The project will include restaurants, retail and office space and will likely change this part of Henderson, near Ross Avenue, for the next generation or more.
Several years ago, the only consistent place to get a Burger Schmurger burger was from High Fives. Since then, owner Dave Culwell partnered with Dallas company This and That to open a standalone Burger Schmurger at another East Dallas address. More Burger Schmurgers are coming soon.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
Schanbaum said it’s a stronger bet to focus on growing the affordable Burger Schmurger brand in North Texas than to keep the aging bar High Fives going.
Burger Schmurger was once a pop-up shop — one that The News said served one of Dallas’ best burgers. A few years ago, High Fives was the only consistent spot customers could find those great burgers.
The company has since opened a standalone Burger Schmurger in East Dallas, on N. Buckner Road.
The company has plans to expand Burger Schmurger to at least two locations in North Texas, Schanbaum said.
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Going forward, Schmurger’s burgers will be sold at High Fives only on days when there’s a Texas Tech football game, Schanbaum said. The next Tech game is Jan. 1, 2026.
The life of High Fives is tied directly to the team. High Fives has been a Texas Tech watch party spot for years. The bar will remain open for as long as Texas Tech has football games. That could be as early as Jan. 1, 2026 or as late as the national championship game later in January.
After High Fives closes, sibling bar Hendy’s — across the street — will host Texas Tech basketball watch parties.
In a statement from Schanbaum and his team, they invite customers back for a few more rounds.
“To all our neighbors, the Red Raider faithful and everyone who has made High Fives their home — we are saying goodbye by raising our hands high for one last High Five,” Schanbaum said.
High Fives is at 1804 McMillan Ave., Dallas. Final hours in December will be: Thursdays and Fridays from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. High Fives will host a Texas Tech watch party at 11 a.m. Jan. 1, 2026. If Texas Tech advances, High Fives will open on Tech football game days until the end of the season.