As part of Drink Up Week, several readers (including Katie E., Dan P., Aaron L. and Debbie W.) reached out and wanted to know the top revenue-generating bars in Cowtown. So, we went and did some digging. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) regulates the alcohol industry in Texas, but revenue reports on bars + restaurants come from the Texas Comptroller’s office.
The top 10
The revenue numbers are usually 2-3 months behind, so the most recent we have is April 2024. These figures are based on monthly receipts for all of April:
- Billy Bob’s Texas ($1,034,706)
- Joe T. Garcia’s ($804,540)
- Hotel Drover ($763,943)
- Omni Fort Worth Hotel ($630,647)
- Dickies Arena ($557,785)
- Riscky’s BBQ downtown ($430,638)
- El Chingon ($419,103)
- Bowie House ($410,143)
- Koe Wetzel’s Riot Room ($404,025)
- Ojos Locos Sports Cantina ($350,148)
For locations like Hotel Drover + Omni Hotel that have multiple bars inside, the figure is all sales added together.
Notably, the top three revenue-generating locations are all in the Stockyards — although downtown and the West 7th St. district both have two on the list as well. The $1 billion Stockyards expansion should bring even more attention to these venues.
Other insights
- The single-best month for a venue in 2024 was Dickies Arena in January, which registered $2,602,902 in receipts. That was the month of the rodeo.
- Billy Bob’s Texas has had two months of over $1 million in receipts (March and April).
- Globe Life Field had the highest-performing month in Tarrant County this year, grossing $3,860,745 in receipts in April.
- Texas Live!, the entertainment district for the stadiums in Arlington, grossed $1,956,961 in April and $1,763,221 in March. It narrowly missed three $1 million months, grossing $981,896 in January.
Raise a glass this week
Check out the interactive map of participating Drink Up businesses.
Map made with Proxi
Whether you head out this week to an established revenue-generating locale or one of the deals on the Drink Up list, go raise a glass with some friends.
