PRIME TIME
Photos by Kathy Tran.
Regulars of Becks Prime know the secret. There’s a place in Preston Hollow that serves a steak worthy of fine china in a drive-thru.
Becks Prime was never meant to be just another fast food joint. The owners wanted to create a place where you could get quality food to-go. It may not be McDonald’s prices but picking up a house ground, mesquite grilled burger without leaving your car is worth a few extra dollars.
“We sell a ton of steaks through the drive-thru,” general manager Paul Brittain says when asked if people really order steak to-go. “We sell a ton of tunas and salads too.”
So how do they make it work? It’s hard to imagine a made-to-order meal coming through the drive-thru without causing a line.
“A lot of people said it couldn’t be done but we figured it out,” Brittain says. “We just do everything in small batches every day.”
Becks isn’t native to Dallas. It’s a transplant business from Houston. When owners first came up north, they had three locations, but the Forest Lane restaurant is the only one left. Brittain credits the success to their regulars. The restaurant has so many passionate followers that the staff knows the customers by name. Orders are ready when clients get to the counter.
“We have people that’ll eat here every day,” Brittain says. “We have a gentleman that comes and gets a strip dinner at least six times a week. When you find something you like, I guess you stick to it.”
The support of regular customers isn’t the only thing that separates the Forest location from other Becks locations in Houston or Austin. Dallas diners take advantage of Becks’ varied menu. In Houston, the restaurant is known for burgers. In Dallas, the business is known for steaks, fajitas, craft beer, salad, ahi tuna and other delicacies.
“We wanted to make sure that we were able to capture everyone in the family, everyone’s diet profile,” Brittain says.
It may be unorthodox to order made-to-order food to-go, but Becks menu is specially curated to be served in the drive-thru. If it doesn’t travel well, owners won’t serve it. Except for French fries, Brittain says.
“Fries don’t travel well, but you can’t have burgers without fries.”
DID YOU KNOW? Becks catering brings a traveling grill so chefs can cater freshly grilled food made to order.
Becks Prime
5931 Forest Lane
Hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily
becksprime.com
