Hub Streat

Plano’s First Culinary Entertainment Center

It’s almost summer in Texas. You know what that means. It’s patio weather, y’all! Plano has a new place to grab a bite, have a drink and socialize with friends. James West and his mentor/business partner Dan Scoggins (who founded a little restaurant chain you may have heard of called T.G.I. Friday’s) have chosen downtown Plano to debut their new venture, Hub Streat (a combination of street and eat). It’s much more than just a restaurant and patio – so much more that they worked with the marketing geniuses at Plinth Agency to coin the term “culinary entertainment center.”

But what exactly does that mean? James comes from a family who worked on a farm, and he believes the best food is made from ingredients that are farm-to-table fresh. He’s consulted in the restaurant industry for many years and has learned a few things about what customers want. Add in his love of food trucks, and a unique idea was born. Why not serve folks food made with quality ingredients on a rotating menu; add in food trucks and musical entertainment; offer plenty of outdoor seating; feature a full bar and while at it, make the place dog friendly? No such place existed in Plano, until now.

James and Dan spent quite a bit of time traveling, scouting ideas and menus. They saw everything from hot dog carts in New York to people selling food out of a rickshaw. The inspiration to use food trucks as part of the rotating menu was a novel idea, and the rest of the concept just fell into place.

Hub Streat just recently opened this past weekend. The larger of two permanent buildings onsite will house four full-service dining concepts: Joe Spud’s, Pizza Girl on Wheels, Salt and Season Rotisserie and Atlas Tacos. The team will roll out one concept at a time. This larger building also features a second-floor live entertainment stage easily seen from most spots in the entire joint. Located alongside the smaller permanent building (which houses its own bar, gaming area and balcony view), a food truck lane will host a changing rotation of three trucks.

The plan is to bring in musical entertainment as well as comedy acts, ventriloquist shows, jazzy Sunday brunches and kid-appropriate programming. Children, accompanied by parents, are welcome until the sun goes down. Leashed dogs are always welcome. There are plans for Maddy and her pal, Hubcap, the official mascots of Hub Streat, to have their own blog/website and line of canine treats.

James and Dan chose Plano as their location because they felt the Downtown Plano Arts District best fit their core values. The arts will play an ongoing role at Hub Streat. This is evidenced by a plan to have interior murals painted by local artists and art events scheduled for the coming year. Prior to opening, Hub Streat got involved in the neighborhood by sponsoring the live music stage at the recent Plano Artfest.

Hub Streat may be the perfect adult playground, but the team also has a more noble goal – saving the honeybee – hence the bee in their logo artwork. According to James, honeybees help create more than 85% of the world’s food and clothing, and the population is declining all over the planet. No bees, no food. Hub Streat will help save the honeybee through educating its guests, serving food and drinks that include honey products, associating with local beekeepers and engaging local artists and entertainers.

With Dan mentoring him over the years, James admits he is ready to pay it forward. He’s working to start a program for young entrepreneurs to enter the food truck business. Working with Cameron Davies from Cruising Kitchens, a food truck manufacturer, he wants to offer the opportunity to mentor others as he was mentored.

Now go, enjoy. Those patio shenanigans aren’t going to happen on their own.

Hub Streat’s current hours are 4 p.m. – midnight Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. – 2 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. – midnight Sunday. Hub Streat is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Please check their website for the most updated hours.