Chubby's shuts its southwest Dallas diner near Duncanville after 18 years

A longtime diner on the southern edge of Dallas has served its last plate of pancakes. Chubby's, the home-cooking institution known for generous breakfasts and comfort food, has closed its restaurant at 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd., near the interchange of I-20 and Highway 67, after 18 years in business.

The restaurant had been listed for sale since June, and it finally shut its doors on October 31. A spokesperson for the property said the building went on the market because the owner was "ready to retire." A manager at the chain's original location confirmed the Cockrell Hill restaurant had closed.

Fans of the chain can take some comfort in the news: the original Chubby's at 11331 E. Northwest Hwy. is still operating. That location is where the brand took shape after founder John Touris moved to Dallas and opened his first restaurant, Dough Boys, in 1982, a business that eventually evolved into Chubby's when it relocated to Northwest Highway.

Chubby's was founded in 1987 by brothers John and George Touris, Greek immigrants who opened the first location together. According to the company's website, John was 16 when he, his brother and their mother left Greece in 1978 and settled in Buffalo, New York, where he learned the trade from his uncle, a restaurant veteran at Towne Restaurant, a place that helped many Greek immigrants find their footing in the United States.

The Cockrell Hill restaurant had occupied its building since 2008, moving into a space that previously held Owens Family Restaurant and was originally a Bob Evans Restaurant.

Over the years, the brothers expanded to four locations, drawing loyal customers with pancakes, omelets, chicken-fried steak, burgers, sandwiches and salads, along with a handful of Italian and Greek dishes. Branches in Plano and Lancaster closed earlier, and the southwest Dallas restaurant has now followed.

Signature items, often showcased on the chain's Instagram page, include biscuits and gravy, Greek baked chicken with potato wedges, banana pancakes crowned with banana slices and whipped cream, Greek salad, and desserts such as multi-layer cakes and baked pies in flavors like cherry, coconut cream and chocolate meringue.

The closure leaves one less option in a dwindling category of Dallas-area diners. Chubby's has long been prized by regulars alongside spots like Mama's Daughters' Diner, Original Market Diner, Metro Diner and Norma's Cafe, all known for unpretentious, well-prepared food at relatively low prices.