For almost a decade, Grapevine barbecue fans have been waiting on a Hill Country classic that never showed. Salt Lick BBQ’s long‑promised Grapevine outpost, first announced in 2017, was supposed to bring big pits and bigger crowds to a wooded 10‑acre parcel at 850 Kubota Drive. Instead, the land is still bare, the restaurant was never built, and the property is back on the market. The lingering question around town: what exactly went wrong?
How the plan began
Back in May 2017, Salt Lick went public with plans to plant a full‑service restaurant in Grapevine on a site near Grapevine Mills. The company described a roughly 10,000‑square‑foot indoor‑and‑outdoor setup with a beer‑and‑wine bar and targeted a late‑2018 debut, according to The Dallas Morning News. For locals, it sounded like Driftwood without the drive.
Why construction stalled
Those plans never made it out of the ground. As reported by the Dallas Observer, Grapevine officials say the city sold the roughly 12.46‑acre property to Salt Lick, but the project turned out to be “too ambitious financially.” Construction was put on indefinite hold. After a long stretch of inactivity, Salt Lick chose to put the land back on the market instead of moving forward with the restaurant.
The land is back on the market
Commercial real‑estate listings now show 850 Kubota Drive marketed as roughly 12.5 acres of vacant land, with broker Chris Leighton of Vision Commercial RE DFW handling inquiries, per PropertyShark. The listing pitches potential hotel, retail, or restaurant uses and touts proximity to DFW Airport and the proposed Stand Rock resort and water park. Updated in early 2026, it makes clear the property is still undeveloped and actively being shopped to developers and investors.
What it means for Salt Lick and Grapevine
The pause and attempted resale are a reminder that turning a destination barbecue spot into a suburban showpiece is expensive, complex, and not always a sure thing. Salt Lick continues to operate its flagship in Driftwood and other locations and promotes its menus and catering online, according to the company’s site. For now, the Grapevine lot is just an empty promise: a visible example of how even a marquee name can run into real‑estate and financing limits when it tries to grow.
For anyone tracking what happens next with the property, the most up‑to‑date details are on commercial listings and broker pages. There has been no public word from Salt Lick about reviving the Grapevine project, and we will keep an eye on listings and public filings for any change in the site’s future.
