Texas is Home to Two of the Last Remaining Bennigan’s in America
The other day, I was just randomly thinking "Whatever happened to Bennigan's? I used to love those Monte Cristos". I still distinctly remember the slogan - "Bennigan's for Food and Fun".
At one time, Bennigan's seemed like they'd be the next big chain restaurant. They were popping up all over the place. I know I used to eat at the one in the Bossier City Mall pretty frequently. Then, one day, they just all seemingly vanished.
In the early 2000s, the original parent company filed for bankruptcy and a large majority of the 150+ locations in the US were shutdown.
However, there are still a few Bennigan's hanging on in the US including two in Texas.
Here's Where Bennigan's Still Exist in Texas
If you're feeling a bit nostalgic or are just craving a Monte Cristo, well you're in luck. As I mentioned, of the 10 remaining US Bennigan's locations, two still exist in Texas.
One is located in Borger, Texas (as a point of reference, the closest big city is Amarillo). The other is located in Monahans, Texas - which is South West of Odessa.
So yeah...not exactly close enough to pop over for a visit, but think about it like this - Bennigan's is like the gold at the end of the I-20 Rainbow. But, you know what, that Monte Cristo is known to make people do crazy things.
What's Next For Bennigan's?
Legendary Restaurant Brands, LLC, headquarter in Dallas, currently owns the brand. And, apparently, they're not going to let it just die. While there may only be 10 US locations, there are quite a few Bennigan's in international locations, with several more scheduled to open in the near future.
On top of their international expansion, it seems like Legendary Restaurants is launching a new, fast food style Bennigan's called Bennigan's on the Fly. There's two of those in Iowa, one in Vegas and several others scheduled to open. So, while not the Irish pub-style chain restaurant you may remember, the brand doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Quite the opposite, actually. Seems like it's re-tooled and coming back to life in a different form.
Whether or not we get a new Bennigan's or Bennigan's on the Fly, who knows. But don't be surprised if you run across one somewhere along the way.