SAVORITE

Serving Up Soul story & photo Steven Hunt

HBO’s visit to this Plano restaurant jump-started business

David Thomas thought he was being pranked.

The owner of Savorite Southern Cuisine had just received a phone call from HBO’s annual NFL reality se ries Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Dallas Cowboys saying the show’s team wanted to visit Thomas’ restau rant to film a segment with Cowboys running back JaQuan Harvey and linebacker Anthony Hines.

When the episode finally aired Aug. 31, Thomas wasn’t even the first in his family to see it. That honor fell to Thomas’ mom, who called from Ohio the night the showed aired to offer her critique.

“She was able to see it before me. She pretty much ruined the episode,” Thomas says. “She was so excited. The coolest moment of it all is my two boys, who are 6 and 9. They watch a lot of YouTube. I was able to pull up the video on YouTube, and they were like: That’s my daddy’s job, that’s his restaurant.’ That brought it full cir cle.”

Being on Hard Knocks boosted the restaurant’s delivery and takeout business, which was helped since the dining room was closed. And a new favorite order emerged: Harvey’s or der of fried chicken with two sides.

“It’s just surreal. I watched Hard Knocks prior to that, so I had to pinch myself. People still come in and say: I want what he had.”

This is Thomas’ third restaurant, but it’s his first in Texas. Previously, he ran a soul food restaurant and a sports bar in his native Cleveland.

After that closed, Thomas says de cided to go to culinary school to add to his skill set.

“Prior to that, I was always more front of the house, but I wanted to be well-rounded. In having these conver sations with chefs and food purvey ors, I wanted to be confident in what I was saying,” Thomas says. “I had always shied away from the kitchen. I could cook but not to the capacity I can now.”

After moving to Texas with his wife and two sons, Thomas opened Sa vorite at 2400 Avenue K in 2018, and business grew consistently, even be fore Hard Knocks aired.

Thomas kept the restaurant open, pivoting to carry-out and delivery as dining rooms across the city were closed per City of Plano ordinance in March 2020.

About the only thing that has changed in four years is Savorite’s most popular dishes.

“Sunday is our busiest day. We do different daily specials,” Thomas says. “On Sundays, we do baked chick en and dressing. That’s easily our best-selling special.

“There’s been a spike in the wings ever since the episode. I used to be able to say number one without a doubt was catfish. Ever since that episode aired, everybody’s been wanting wings. We just couldn’t keep enough in-house. Our fried and/ or smothered pork chops are also a big seller. As for the sides, mac and cheese, the greens, and yams are the top-three sellers.”

At least for now, Thomas is keeping the dining room closed because of staffing issues. But he envisions a day when he looks out into the restaurant and sees a bustling scene again.

“I want the experience to be mem orable. When the dining room was open, I loved looking out and seeing people dancing in their seats, eating and enjoying my food,” Thomas says. “You can’t put a price tag on that. I miss that.”

Savorite is located at 2400 Avenue K. Check

it out at savoritesoutherncuisine.com.P