{"id":457299,"date":"2026-10-05T20:56:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T20:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/457299\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T20:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T20:56:07","slug":"lockwood-distilling-company-builds-community-in-richardson-richardson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/457299\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockwood Distilling Company builds community in Richardson | Richardson"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Evan and Sally Batt opened Lockwood Distilling Company<\/a> in late 2019, they had a plan: start with the Richardson-based restaurant and distillery, create a following, and then as demand rose, potentially expand into beverage production.<\/p>\n

After the pandemic hit a few months after opening, Lockwood had to pivot.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID even today defines who we are,\u201d Evan Batt said. \u201cWe found our footing and found out our voice and who we wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the pandemic, not only did Lockwood incorporate beverage production as a core part of the business, but Batt said the business also established itself as a center for community in Richardson. <\/p>\n

The big picture<\/p>\n

Unlike many other businesses, Batt said Lockwood was able to maintain and add staff during the pandemic as the business pivoted to beverage production. He operated business through the restaurant\u2019s large exterior window, donated hand sanitizer and food and brought live music back to Lockwood before most other venues were able to.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember vividly at the time, I was like, \u2018I just wish we could have business as usual because I\u2019ve never had it,\u2019\u201d Batt said. \u201cEven though we\u2019re years past COVID, there\u2019s still no such thing as business as usual. I didn\u2019t realize at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Batt said Lockwood emerged from the pandemic as a visible \u201cleader in the community,\u201d and as the Richardson flagship reopened its bar and restaurant, the business also began eyeing expansion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kind of consider ourselves a three-headed monster in business,\u201d Batt said.<\/p>\n

Lockwood opened two additional locations in McKinney and Garland\u2014like the Richardson distillery, these include a restaurant, bar and tasting room. Lockwood also opened a location inside Southern Methodist University\u2019s football stadium this fall.<\/p>\n

The distribution business has expanded to four states, Batt said, with three more coming next year. Lockwood also produces alcohol for about 25 different brands, Batt said, all run out of a new 20,000-square-foot facility located in a former roller skating rink.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s special about it?<\/p>\n

Batt said Lockwood\u2019s focus on quality sets it apart, from ingredients to processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ethos is that we want to put the best thing in the bottle we possibly can,\u201d Batt said. \u201cFlavors and trends shift and change, but we\u2019re always trying to improve everywhere, from beverage, food [and] community.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the drink menu, Lockwood offers a variety of cocktails made from the distillery\u2019s spirits, including a Richardson mule, \u201cespresso yourself\u201d martini and the Lockwood 76. Specialties include bourbon cream, Batt said, as well as seasonal spirits like summer\u2019s hibiscus vodka.<\/p>\n

Although the company is expanding, he said Lockwood remains a smaller operation that values quality and improvement over growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re about improvement at all costs,\u201d Batt said. \u201cWe obviously want to grow, but there\u2019s not a target or a line in the sand we need to hit that equals success.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Southern comfort food menu was initially developed by local chef Justin Box, and since then Batt said that he has also attended culinary school to build Lockwood\u2019s food credibility.<\/p>\n

Lockwood\u2019s menu includes a house pastrami, made with brisket that has been brined and smoked in-house, along with marinated chicken tenders, shrimp and grits and smoked pecan pimento cheese.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love it when our food gets accolades or attention,\u201d Batt said. \u201cWe say it\u2019s a sleeper because obviously we\u2019re spirits first, but I think it\u2019s more special when we win awards on food, just because of the dedication we put into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying local<\/p>\n

Batt said his goal from the beginning at Lockwood was to make an impact on the Richardson community. Batt and his wife live in Richardson and their kids attend Richardson ISD schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be local somewhere,\u201d Batt said. \u201cWe\u2019re local here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Batt said Lockwood supports a number of community endeavors, but focuses on supporting causes close to him and his family, including RISD and charities for ALS and Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Lockwood also often hosts events for local organizations, such as school auctions or PTA meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefit of being in the community is that we know how to service the community,\u201d Batt said. \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of just seen who our guest is and leaned into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The distillery\u2019s slogan, \u201cYour mom goes to Lockwood,\u201d started in a playful place, he said, but has come to represent the community he has cultivated, where parent groups meet regularly and families come together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re out wearing that shirt, we\u2019ll run into somebody and nine times out of 10 some kid will point at us and be like, \u2018My mom does go to Lockwood!\u2019\u201d Batt said.<\/p>\n

Batt wants Lockwood to function as a gathering place where people can celebrate anything big or small. One of the best compliments the business has received, he said, was a customer telling Batt\u2019s wife, \u201cWhen I come in here, it just feels like I\u2019m in my own living room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lockwood hosts regular events almost every day, including trivia, bingo and game nights, as well as unique events put on by the in-house events coordinator, like a puzzle competition or chili cook-off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call it our own Lockwood way,\u201d Batt said. \u201cWe want to do what everybody\u2019s not doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/p>\n

Batt said he is continuing to look for new opportunities to grow Lockwood, including exploring a potential airport location, but stressed that his priority remains improving the business that he has.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying not to get too carried away and do too much,\u201d Batt said. \u201cWe want to protect what we have. We want to continue to deliver on the quality and standards we\u2019ve always had, and so growth is a byproduct of what we\u2019ve built.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Evan and Sally Batt opened Lockwood Distilling Company in late 2019, they had a plan: start with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[5565,28698,156554,156553,160,162,161,67,959,156555],"class_list":["post-457299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-community-events","tag-distillery","tag-evan-batt","tag-lockwood-distilling-company","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news","tag-restaurant","tag-richardson","tag-southern-comfort-food"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}