Restaurant fronted by KISS band members to open in Dallas suburb 

Gene Simmons, left, and Paul Stanley expect to be at the grand opening of the new Rock and Brews opening in The Colony in 2016.

Restaurant fronted by KISS band members to open in Dallas suburb

Wouldn\'t you know, Paul Stanley of the band KISS is a foodie. 

In between concerts featuring face paint and fire, Stanley and his bandmate Gene Simmons are co-founders of a restaurant chain called Rock and Brews. The 3-year-old company plans to open its first Rock and Brews in Texas in January 2016.

Gene Simmons, left, and Paul Stanley, of KISS, are co-founders in a restaurant coming to The Colony. "I\'ve always had the philosophy, eat at your favorite restaurant but don\'t become a partner," Stanley says. "But Rock and Brews is just something that is undeniable and that I had to be a part of."

The nearly 9,000 square foot restaurant will rock out in The Colony, near the huge, new Nebraska Furniture Mart. And yes, maybe The Colony isn\'t the most rockin\', rollin\' area in Dallas-Fort Worth, but that\'s changing. Rock and Brews is a family place anyhow, Stanley says. The patio is even pet friendly.

"I found as I started having children that you compromise what you eat if you want to go out -- and take your kids with you -- during the day," says the KISS singer. "You\'ll wind up eating cardboard mac and cheese served by somebody dressed up as a big rat."

Rock and Brews is a restaurant that "celebrates the music we all love without using it as an excuse to serve crappy food," Stanley says.

Plano resident Brett Anz picked the location in The Colony with Perry Mann; the two are principal partners and will operate Texas\' first Rock and Brews. When faced with where to plug in this rock and roll beer garden, Anz and Mann decided the area near Nebraska Furniture Mart (called Grandscape) and the coming Toyota headquarters had the greatest potential.

Crews began moving dirt for the new restaurant in The Colony on Monday. Once it\'s open next year, diners can expect a similar menu to the restaurant\'s existing 11 locations. Stanley likes the pretzel dipped in beer cheese as an appetizer and calls the burger with bacon and blue cheese "absolutely off the hook." 

The menu is mostly wings, burgers and pizzas, all served in an atmosphere of classic rock art and throwback music videos.

Just don\'t call it a KISS restaurant. Rock and Brews celebrates classic rock as a genre -- and that means Pink Floyd, Rush and Bruce Springsteen, to name only a few -- in addition to the music Stanley and Simmons made so famous.

When the restaurant hosts its grand opening in 2016, Stanley plans to be at The Colony restaurant to chat with diners and take photos. The event will be a fundraiser for wounded veterans and active military members, which has become a tradition at each Rock and Brews kickoff. 

The new Dallas restaurant will employ about 200 people. It will have a 2,800 square foot patio with heaters and misters and a play area for kids.

\'Dallas has been on our list for a long time,\' says Paul Stanley of KISS. \'It\'s great to finally see your turn come up.\'

Expected to open in early 2016 at 5351 Nebraska Furniture Mart Drive in The Colony.

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