In North Dallas, the building that once housed a well-known restaurant that shuttered five years ago has been completely transformed. An upscale private social club has moved in, but it’s currently in a high-stakes fight with the city over whether poker can be offered as an amenity.<\/p>\n
When Isaac Trumbo and his team purchased the property off the Dallas North Tollway, they envisioned transforming the building that once housed the iconic III Forks steakhouse into a gathering place for North Dallas.<\/p>\n
“Something that is a legacy project, for me, for my family,” he said. “I expect my daughter’s first job to be here in the kitchen.”<\/p>\n
$15 million investment and renovation<\/p>\n
That vision came with a steep price tag.<\/p>\n
“We’ve invested $15 million into the acquisition and renovation of this property,” he said. “It was, had become, very rundown in its vacancy, and we’ve restored it to what I hope is its former glory.”<\/p>\n
The Champions Social Club is operating as a private social club with fine dining, but Trumbo says that from the start, the plan was to also provide poker as an amenity.<\/p>\n
“We embarked on this project in good faith, knowing that the city had laid out a plan for how social clubs could provide poker as an amenity for their guests,” he said.<\/p>\n
Permit approved, then revoked<\/p>\n
He said that in 2021, the city denied Champions’ first attempt at a certificate of occupancy. In 2024, Champions submitted a new application.<\/p>\n
Then, in April of this year, they were approved. However, two weeks later, the city revoked the certificate, writing in a letter that it was issued in error and citing illegal gambling activity.<\/p>\n
“During that time, during a successful permitting process, we began to open, hiring people,” Trumbo said. “People quit their jobs; some people moved in from out of state to join us.”<\/p>\n
Security upgrades and legal appeal<\/p>\n
Trumbo said security was also a major investment.<\/p>\n
“$600,000 alone was put into a state-of-the-art security system, along with best-in-class security personnel, including our director of security, who is a former chief deputy U.S. marshal,” he said.<\/p>\n
Now, Champions is taking its appeal to the Board of Adjustment. A hearing is set for next Tuesday. All this comes just days after the Texas Supreme Court shut down Dallas’ costly fight against Texas Card House, a private poker club.<\/p>\n
“We’re just expecting a fair treatment by the city,” Trumbo said.<\/p>\n
He believes that timing will help his case.<\/p>\n
CBS News Texas reached out to the city for comment. A spokesperson said that because of the pending hearing, the city attorney has no comment.<\/p>\n
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