The bar and restaurant was not generating enough sales to stay open, said co-owner and chef Madison King. The current economy, she said, feels nearly impossible to weather as a small, independent restaurant trying to get its start.<\/p>\n
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Be Home Soon owners Russ Kirk, Madison King and Joey Fink opened the East Dallas neighborhood restaurant in November 2024.<\/p>\n
Shafkat Anowar \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Eat Drink D-FW<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n King, who has worked in the Dallas hospitality industry for years, said she\u2019s had many conversations with local restaurant and bar owners in recent months who said they, too, are struggling. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery single person doing what we do has said this is the worst year they\u2019ve ever had,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople can\u2019t afford to go out to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n They also aren\u2019t buying alcohol anymore, King said. <\/p>\n \u201cA big thing that I did not foresee is that people don\u2019t drink anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cEven people who do drink don\u2019t order more than two drinks, and that\u2019s what I\u2019ve heard from [bar and restaurant owners] across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n When they were negotiating their lease in Casa Linda Plaza, King said it initially limited their liquor sales to 30%, which they wouldn\u2019t have been able to survive on as liquor sales are a main driver of profitability for restaurants. They were able to secure a 50% liquor sales agreement, but it didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never even broke 30%,\u201d King said. \u201cThat was one thing I never even imagined would be a problem. I thought we would be fighting to keep it under 50%.\u201d<\/p>\n Be Home Soon’s menu was designed to feel like you were having dinner at a friend’s house, owner Madison King said. It was always changing, and always homey. <\/p>\n Shafkat Anowar \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n Since she first opened the restaurant in November 2024 with co-owners Russ Kirk and Joey Fink, it\u2019s been a struggle, King said. It became especially more so during the summer months. Summer is predictably a slow time for bars and restaurants, so many of them rely on sales from the cooler months to float them through the hot ones. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were waiting for the summer to end and it didn\u2019t,\u201d she said. \u201cDallas slows down now from May to October, and I don\u2019t know how people are supposed to survive that.\u201d<\/p>\n On top of low alcohol sales and slow summer months, King said her business was also up against the high cost of goods. <\/p>\n Food costs for restaurants around the country have increased 35% in the last five years, according to the National Restaurant Association<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you have to look at four different vendors before you buy fryer oil, that\u2019s not a fun job,\u201d King said. \u201cIt sucks. You\u2019re spending half your time just trying to pinch pennies. I just know how broke everyone is and how expensive everything is for operators. If your groceries are expensive, so are ours.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite constantly racing against the bank account, opening and running Be Home Soon was a dream fulfilled. <\/p>\n \u201cThis was a dream realized and I really mean that,\u201d she said, choking back tears. \u201cNow I know how much it costs, and how hard it is to achieve a dream. I did it, though, and I\u2019m very, very proud of that. It\u2019s not going to stop me or slow me down.\u201d<\/p>\n She won\u2019t leave the hospitality industry, King said. With a break and some hindsight, she\u2019ll find a way to keep doing what she loves. <\/p>\n![\"Be](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/UBOBVOLI5RGFJOEKY3I4WWQ7B4.jpg\")
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