When Johnny Carros walked into the former filling station at 216 W. Virginia St. in downtown McKinney, he said chills ran down his spine. He had been searching for the perfect spot for his restaurant, and said he knew he had found it.
“I was just about to sign a lease on a property along US 75, and I called my [business] partner and said, ‘I cannot be next to a chain restaurant,’” Carros said. “I knew we needed something more unique, and when I walked in to the place on the square, I knew this was the space.”
Within months, Carros had transformed the former gas station into Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen, where new American cuisine aims to pay homage to its Americana surroundings.
“We wanted to be different,” Carros said. “I think we stand alone in what we offer to our customers, and it seems like we serve the market well.”
The city of McKinney recently submitted the site as a nominee for the “Best Renovation Award” to the Texas Downtown Association. Carros said designers worked to maintain the look of the building.
“All the brick was restored on interior walls; concrete floors, exposed ceilings and steel beams were maintained,” he said. “And all of the details were thoughtfully designed to enhance the historical references of the building.”
Carros, who is the director of operations, works alongside Corporate Chef Jason Ferraro, Executive Chef Brian Bills and General Manager Amanda Busenbark.
Although Carros said the highly trained chefs bring a level of sophistication to the menu, Sugarbacon is designed to appeal to the masses.
“We wanted people to be able to come in and sit at the bar and eat a burger dressed in comfortable shorts, but also be sophisticated enough that we would be the choice to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, graduations,” Carros said. “The menu and wine list is designed to appeal to a lot of different people. We have our young clientele, but we also have an older crowd. I’d say we reach all.”
Sugarbacon is not just the restaurant’s name—it is also its namesake menu item and top-selling appetizer.
“Sugarbacon is house-smoked Berkshire pork belly, tossed with ancho barbecue sauce, served on a toasted crostini with pickles,” Carros said.
And although Sugarbacon draws diners in for its unique appetizer concoction, Carros said he prides himself in sweeter offerings.
The Butterscotch Banana Pudding, for example, is a combination of butterscotch pudding, bananas foster and whipped mascarpone cheese topped with crumbled sugar cookie.
Carros said Sugarbacon also aims to please with its drink menu.
“We work in sync as a creative team to come up with the menu,” Carros said, adding that it changes twice a year. “We are serious about the level of customer service we provide and quality of food and beverage. We provide a very fresh garden-to-glass cocktail program that is second to none.”
Doing business downtown is something Carros enjoys, he said, adding that he and his partners recently opened a second restaurant, Butcher Board, next door.
216 W Virginia St., Ste. 101, McKinney 469-952-5150 www.sugarbacon.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
