Campisi’s, the decades-old family Italian staple in Dallas, is not waiting around while its Lovers Lane restaurant recovers from a late-2025 fire. The company has inked a short-term lease for a pickup-and-delivery kitchen at Preston-Royal, a streamlined setup focused on online orders and curbside-style handoffs instead of full-service dining. The goal is simple: keep Campisi’s in the rotation for North Dallas regulars during a hectic construction stretch and stay flexible while the neighborhood’s future is hashed out.
Preston-Royal opening, lease and timeline
According to The Dallas Morning News, Campisi’s has taken a short-term lease at 5944 Royal Lane and is aiming for an Aug. 1 opening for the Preston-Royal pickup kitchen. The lease is intentionally temporary while the company keeps an eye on a sizable mixed-use project proposed nearby that could ultimately reshape how the intersection is laid out.
Lovers Lane location still closed after fire
The Lovers Lane Campisi’s and several neighboring spots are still shut down after an attic fire in late December 2025, with repairs ongoing, Dallas Fire-Rescue said. NBC DFW reported that firefighters were called to the shopping center shortly before 6 a.m., and the blaze damaged the roof and attic areas at multiple storefronts, though there were no reported injuries.
What the Preston-Royal kitchen will offer
The Preston-Royal operation is being set up for speed. It will feature a small market area stocked with take-and-bake pizzas and half lasagnas that customers can grab without ordering ahead, and the kitchen is being outfitted to push orders out quickly. David Campisi told The Dallas Morning News, “We put a lot of resources in our kitchen so our pick up times are quicker,” and the chain notes that ordering directly can cost less than going through third-party delivery apps.
Campisi’s local roots and footprint
The Campisi family opened their first restaurant, known as The Egyptian, on Mockingbird Lane in 1950, then gradually added multiple North Texas locations over the years, according to the company website. The Preston-Royal pickup kitchen is being framed as one more way to keep serving the neighborhood while the full-service Lovers Lane restaurant remains out of commission.
Why this move matters
For Campisi’s, the Preston-Royal lease is a tactical bridge rather than a forever home. It lets the team keep feeding the area while city planners and developers argue over a large nearby project that could change the retail lineup at the intersection. In the meantime, the pickup kitchen is a practical patch; it restores some lost capacity, helps keep staff working, and gives Dallas diners another close-by option to get Campisi’s while the Lovers Lane rebuild continues.
