Inflation Has Come For Dallas Brunches, and Diners Are the Big Winners

Eater

a day ago

Brunch has long been one of the most popular meals in Dallas, on par with steak and barbecue culture in terms of importance, albeit among somewhat different groups of people. But something is happening in the world of brunch lately: The return of the all-you-can-eat brunch.
It began with Crown Block, which launched a Sunday brunch buffet in true Vegas style back in September 2023. The idea didn't immediately catch on, but this was the first fine dining spot in town to try making an all-you-can-eat brunch happen. It is still available for $80 a person. At the time, it was the only fine dining buffet option in town. The Michelin-recognized restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower offered stations for beef carving, an array of fresh sushi offerings, a cereal bar, tasty pastries, bagels with all of the fixings including lox, a juice bar, and the ability to order a main entree from a set menu that is prepared and delivered to your table.
With still-rising inflation draining consumers' and business owners' budgets since 2020, and food costs up by nearly 24 percent according to the USDA, it's no surprise that other restaurants have joined the buffet brunch trend in 2025. Dallas restaurants are approaching it from many different angles.
This spring, a couple of notable fine dining restaurants followed suit, launching fancy all-you-can-eat brunches of their own. In March, Catch rolled out its Sunday Brunch Experience, complete with seafood towers, carving stations, pastries, a sushi bar with curated options, caviar service, a robota grill with items like steak and salmon, and a selection of what it calls 'brunch classics' which includes chicken and waffles, chilaquiles, and a Greek yogurt parfait. When April rolled around, Nobu followed suit with a Sunday brunch menu of chefs' favorites chosen by the staff. It includes live stations for sushi, salads, pastries, and desserts, featuring a ribeye carving station, a whole Scottish salmon carving station, and a matcha mochi waffles station. It upped the fancy brunch ante with a DJ. Both spots offer all-you-can-eat for $75 per person, with cocktails available at an additional charge.
This micro-trend could be written off as out-of-town restaurateurs bringing their flashy buffets for a brunch service that's easy on the staff. However, on the first day of June, DFW-born Culpepper Cattle Co. rolled out a weekend brunch buffet at its locations in Deep Ellum and Rockwall, with Tex-Mex and comfort food favorites like made-to-order omelets, prime sirloin, chicken-fried steak, white cheddar grits, monkey bread, and more. The cost is wallet-pleasing at $28 for adults and $10 for kids, with kids under five eating free. The build-your-own Bloody Mary bar is an additional $8; alternatively, opt for DIY mimosas for $5 extra.
Restaurants are betting on the buffet brunch to save money on worker hours, because the format doesn't require table service, while hopefully attracting more deal-seeking customers to its dining room.
The newly opened Flamant in Plano offers a brunch that lands between these options, with an all-you-can-eat option on weekends for $40 per person and $20 for kids under 13. This one, however, is not a buffet. Co-owner Tanner Agar tells Eater Dallas that the team opted for table service to replicate a European midday meal, featuring small plates such as fried spinach and artichoke toast, fritattas, skillet pancakes with smoked honey butter, and cannoli French toast made with smoked sourdough. Flamant is much smaller than any of the other restaurants doing buffet brunch, so the bet here hinges on diner volume, and seeing who'll get more value from the $40 cost. See More: