The new Korean barbecue restaurant on Loop 323 is in the old Chili's. The Japanese kitchen that got its start in a gas station on Fleishel Avenue has posted hours at the old Red Lobster, which was El Chino for less than a year before that.
That's the main thing happening on Tyler's busiest commercial roads this fall. Most of the new food and shopping coming to Loop 323 and South Broadway this year is moving into buildings people already know by their old names. And those buildings are turning over faster than you might guess.
A Key to the Old Names
Here's where things stand going into the first week of November 2026, based on reporting from the Tyler Morning Telegraph's Business Beat column and other local outlets.
| You may still call it | New or coming tenant | Address | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The old Chili's | 88 Korean BBQ & Sushi | 531 W. Southwest Loop 323 | Open since Sept. 4 |
| The old Red Lobster | Joamia's Kitchen, second location | 1500 W. Southwest Loop 323 | Listed with hours, closed Tuesdays |
| The old Painted Tree | The Collective Boutiques | 8970 S. Broadway Ave., Suite 144 | Open daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| The old Grandy's | Denny's, second Tyler location | 1226 S. Beckham Ave. | Listed by Denny's, no opening day posted |
| The old Whataburger on South Broadway | Dave's Hot Chicken | 6849 S. Broadway Ave. | Construction scheduled to start Nov. 30 |
| Tyler's first Whataburger, 1953 | Stanley's Famous Smash Bar | 519 S. Beckham Ave. | Registered with the state, 2027 completion estimate |
| True Vine on the Square | Pops Pizza Parlor | 110 N. College Ave. | Targeting January 2027 |
Almost every big arrival this fall, and almost every one on the calendar for 2027, went into a building somebody else had already built for food or retail.
The Old Chili's Took Three Years. The Old Red Lobster Turned Over in Under One.
Some reuse moves slowly. KNUE reported that plans for 88 Korean BBQ & Sushi at the former Chili's first came up back in 2023. The restaurant finally opened Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, at 3 p.m. It's an all-you-can-eat, fixed-price format with tableside Korean grills and a sushi bar. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
A mile or so of Loop away, the former Red Lobster at 1500 W. Southwest Loop 323 moved much faster. El Chino, a Mexican-Asian fusion buffet, opened there in November 2025 and had closed by late August 2026. The next tenant is a Tyler original. Joamia's Kitchen built its following out of a gas station at 720 S. Fleishel Ave. in midtown. In a Facebook post quoted by the Tyler Morning Telegraph, the restaurant promised "a fresh vibe and a completely different menu — not only Tokyo Street, but in the cozy style of Japan's Family Restaurants." The Loop address now carries posted hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Tuesdays.
So a building that once held one national seafood chain went to a buffet and then to a local Japanese kitchen's second location in about a year. That's typical of how the Loop is changing right now. Most of the growth is buildings changing hands.
Painted Tree Closed, and Its Vendors Came Back to the Same Space
The vendor market at The Village at Cumberland Park shows how fast a familiar space can come back to life. Painted Tree Boutiques opened its Tyler store in December 2024. Then in April 2026, the company abruptly closed more than 60 stores nationwide during Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.
By August, The Collective Boutiques had soft-opened in the same space at 8970 S. Broadway Ave., Suite 144. A group of former Painted Tree leaders and vendors started it, and Tyler's former Painted Tree vendors got first chance to reclaim their spaces. The store has 308 vendor spaces selling apparel, home décor, specialty foods and handmade goods, and it's open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
So if you shopped Painted Tree's booths before April, many of the same sellers may be back in the same building under a new name. Vendor applications were still open as of the August report, so the booth list may keep changing heading into the holiday shopping season.
Whataburger, Twice
Tyler has two old Whataburger buildings in this cycle, at opposite ends of town and of the city's restaurant history.
On South Broadway, Dave's Hot Chicken plans a $500,000 renovation of the former Whataburger at 6849 S. Broadway Ave. The chain serves Nashville-style hot chicken tenders and sliders in seven spice levels. KLTV reported that construction is scheduled to start Nov. 30 and finish April 16, 2027.
On Beckham Avenue, the older building has more history. Nick Pencis, owner and operator of Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, plans Stanley's Famous Smash Bar at 519 S. Beckham Ave., where Reeves Street, Beckham Avenue and Oakland Avenue meet. Pencis told the Tyler Morning Telegraph that the building was Tyler's first Whataburger in 1953, then Texas Size Hamburgers, and later Beckham Boot and Shoe Repair, also known as The Boot Shop.
"The Smash Bar will honor those roots while also allowing us to flex our creative spirit."
Pencis said that in the same Tyler Morning Telegraph report. It's the one case on this list where the old building won't stay standing. The state filing calls for demolishing the existing structure and building a new 1,000-square-foot restaurant with a 500-square-foot covered patio, a $650,000 project. The plan is 16 seats inside plus patio seating, with smash burgers, tater tots, all-beef hot dogs, beer and cocktails.
As of this week, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists the project as registered, with completion estimated for Feb. 28, 2027. Until then, Smash Bar pop-ups keep running at Stanley's, and the schedule is posted on Instagram at @smashbar519. If you're headed to Stanley's in the meantime, Pencis has already warned that construction will squeeze parking and affect through-traffic on Oakland Avenue between Reeves and Houston.
The Same Pattern Downtown, on Beckham, and in Troup
The reuse pattern isn't limited to the Loop.
- Downtown: Pops Pizza Parlor is planned for the former True Vine on the Square space at 110 N. College Ave., on the ground floor of Plaza Tower. It's a $138,000 renovation with completion targeted for January 2027.
- Beckham Avenue: Denny's is converting the former Grandy's at 1226 S. Beckham Ave. into its second Tyler location after an approximately $800,000 renovation, according to state records cited by the Tyler Morning Telegraph. Denny's store locator now lists the Beckham address, but the listing doesn't show an opening day or hours. The original Tyler Denny's is still at 3244 W. Gentry Parkway.
- Troup: The Wuthering Raven Bookstore & Café has expanded into the former Iron & Ember Coffee Co. space, adding specialty coffee drinks and pastries to the bookstore.
A few first-time arrivals are moving into suites in established shopping centers instead of standalone buildings. Pizza Ranch picked Tyler for its first Texas restaurant, at 4526 S. Broadway Ave., Suite 110, in the French Quarter Shopping Center. The buffet runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with lunch at $14.99, dinner at $15.99, and a weigh-and-pay option at 59 cents an ounce. Nick the Greek opened its first East Texas location at 1575 S. SW Loop 323, Suite 500.
One Building Is About to Go Empty
Turnover also means some familiar places are leaving. La Madeleine in Towne Oaks Plaza on Loop 323 will close Dec. 12 after the bakery and café decided not to renew its lease. Until then it's on reduced hours, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. No replacement for the space has been named.
If this year is any guide, that space probably won't stay a dark storefront for long. The old Chili's took a few years to refill. The old Red Lobster went through two tenants in about a year. The Painted Tree space came back four months after a bankruptcy shut it down.
Dates to Keep on the Calendar
- Now through Dec. 12: La Madeleine's last weeks in Towne Oaks Plaza, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
- Nov. 30: Construction is scheduled to begin on Dave's Hot Chicken at 6849 S. Broadway Ave.
- January 2027: Pops Pizza Parlor's target completion at 110 N. College Ave.
- Feb. 28, 2027: The state's estimated completion date for Stanley's Famous Smash Bar at 519 S. Beckham Ave.
- April 16, 2027: Scheduled completion for Dave's Hot Chicken.
- Spring 2027: Hangers of Hope plans its fourth Tyler-area thrift store at 1242 S. Southwest Loop 323, next to the new Bethesda clinic.
Construction dates and target openings tend to slip, so check a business's own page before you plan a night around it.
If you're curious what all this change on the Loop and Broadway means for the streets nearby, The Alexa Boedeker Team is glad to talk it through with you, no pressure.
