Rodeo Dallas is opening a new location amid its ongoing closure in Deep Ellum. Here’s what you need to know.
In Dallas’s Deep Ellum neighborhood, trouble reached a high over the summer. Violent altercations and shootings were on the rise, and while numerous businesses operate in the area, one in particular had been deemed more concerning than others. Rodeo Dallas was a bustling, popular bar that made upwards of $600,000 in alcohol sales each month during the summer. All of that came to a halt on August 8, though, when a temporary restraining order was filed against Rodeo Dallas by Asana Partners, a real estate investment firm. The bar has been closed ever since and will likely remain so until 2026.
Asana claimed that Rodeo was guilty of “well-publicized dangerous and unlawful conduct,” and largely built its argument around the numerous shootings (some of which resulted in deaths) that happened in close proximity to the bar. Jonathan Santos, a 21-year-old, was shot and killed outside of Rodeo Dallas after he tried to break up a fight that had originally started inside the Deep Ellum bar. Once Asana filed its official complaint, it became clear that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Dallas law enforcement officials went on to say that Rodeo was known for being “lax” about its door policies, and that fighting and underage drinking ran rampant because of that.
On the other side of the argument are the owners of Rodeo Dallas and their neighbors, who have said that an increase in violence isn’t tied to one specific location in the historic entertainment district and is instead a problem that the neighborhood faces as a whole. Below, we’ll get into both sides of the argument and what it means for Rodeo Dallas, Deep Ellum, and beyond, but a recent development in the saga may prove to either eliminate or intensify the issue, depending on how it unfolds.
Rodeo Dallas announced that it will be opening a new location at 2922 N. Hall St this weekend, and it held interviews this week to fill open positions.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What happened in August?
After Asana Partners filed its complaint against Rodeo Dallas, an evidentiary hearing—which allows for both parties to present documents, witness testimony, and other evidence in support of their side of the argument—was held on August 14. During the six-hour hearing, evidence was presented in relation to a stabbing and two shootings that began inside Rodeo Dallas. The escalated violence itself took place outside the establishment. However, Asana’s lawyers argued that this pattern of dangerous behavior stemmed from the fact that the bar overserved customers, which led to more frequent confrontations.
A two-week extension was given to the original restraining order, which forced the establishment to remain closed. The Director of Asset Management at Asana Partners, Chris Dalton, said at the time, “We believe this step is a win for safety in Deep Ellum and we remain committed to the neighborhood and those who live, work, or visit there.” The owner and operator of Rodeo, Joseph “JD” Ybanez, agreed that crime was on the rise in the neighborhood but believed that his establishment shouldn’t bear the full responsibility of that increase.
Ybanez said, “They’ve [Asana Partners] told so many lies about my business and myself that it’s kind of time that I tell the truth about them. They’ve created this narrative that we are the cause of the crime when the streets are the issue. Everything that they cite happens outside our building. It happens on the sidewalk and happens in the streets. It happens in the parking lots.” One of Rodeo’s lawyers, Dave Wishnew, echoed Ybanez’s statement, adding that the club wasn’t responsible for preventing neighborhood violence. Wishnew stated that Ybanez and his employees had been working to increase security and safety both inside the bar and directly outside of it, and that they were committed to further improvements.
Following the extension, a judge in Dallas County decided to close the bar until a full hearing could be scheduled, which likely won’t take place until sometime during the spring in 2026.
What’s next for Rodeo Dallas?
While Rodeo Dallas’s Deep Ellum location remains shuttered for the foreseeable future, a new location will be opening this weekend at 2922 N. Hall Street. The new establishment, Rodeo Uptown, will occupy the space previously held by Palms Bar. As of writing, it’s unclear as to whether this bar is meant to replace Rodeo Dallas completely or if it’ll simply be an expansion of JD Ybanez’s business.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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