What’s moving into Dougherty’s pharmacy in Dallas’ Preston Hollow: A new restaurant, Bobbie’s
An American restaurant with Mad Men and Jackie O vibes is expected to open in Preston Hollow, in place of the longtime pharmacy Dougherty’s Airway Drug. Bobbie’s Airway Grill is expected to open in early 2023 at Preston Road and Royal Lane in Dallas.
Its CEO and COO describe it as an upscale neighborhood spot. Some of the inspiration for their coming-soon “casual fine dining” restaurant, as CEO Robert Quick calls it, comes from their years working for Hillstone Restaurant Group’s flagship eatery, Houston’s — a brand known for its effortless service and approachable food.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/L2BBQTYP65HGTEH7EZWXTJPVD4.jpg "What’s moving into Dougherty’s pharmacy in Dallas’ Preston Hollow: A new restaurant, Bobbie’s 1")
Bobbie’s Airway Grill will be located at the northwest corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane in Dallas’ Preston Hollow. It sits just east of Tom Thumb and shares a corner with Flower Child, Neuhaus Cafe and Princi Italia.
Quick is also behind another neighborhood spot: il Bracco in Preston Center.
CEO Robert Quick is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California, and he created the recipes for Bobbie’s Airway Grill. The menu will include American staples like Parker House rolls, fried oysters, and proteins cooked over a wood-burning grill.
Bobbie’s Airway Grill is named for Quick’s mom. Her cheesecake will likely make the menu, as will a family recipe for cheese dip that was entered into contests at the State Fair of Texas some 70 years ago.
The restaurant moves in to a historic spot, where Dougherty’s served customers for more than 50 years. As one of the oldest independent pharmacy companies in Texas, Dougherty’s dates back even further, to 1929, when Bill Dougherty first opened in Oak Cliff. Dougherty’s moved to Preston Hollow in 1967 and closed in 2021, when the company moved 2 miles north, to Preston Road and the south side of LBJ Freeway.
“We were very cognizant of the community’s feelings about Dougherty’s leaving,” says COO Matt Gottlieb. “We want to give them a different place to call home.”
The two say they feel drawn to Preston Hollow, where they also live. Quick and Gottlieb are originally from southern California.
They preserved one of the neon “Airway” signs from the pharmacy and plan to use it on their new restaurant patio. The patio will wrap around the east side of the parking lot, giving the restaurant a bigger presence next to Tom Thumb at Preston Royal Village.
The former pharmacy is getting a mid-century modern overhaul by Michael Hsu Architecture, the Austin-based design firm that has done several stunning projects in Dallas, including Loro in East Dallas, Merit Coffee Co. in Deep Ellum, and the now-shuttered restaurants Lada and Gung Ho.
Bobbie’s Airway Grill will be at 5959 Royal Lane, Dallas. It’s expected to open in early 2023.