Dallas, Dallas, Dallas…
The good ‘ol days of grabbing dinner out on a lazy night are dying. Why? We’re all being priced out: both restaurants and diners. While some restaurants are building out million-dollar dining rooms, others are struggling week to week. For customers in the middle, things get tricky.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Roni Proter, creator of the video recipe site Dinner Reinvented, went to social media to vent about the rising costs of dining out in Dallas. Her post quickly gained attention.
“Am I the only one that is having sticker shock every time I eat out, especially at these nice restaurants,” Proter asked on an Instagram post.
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Proter, a television reporter turned chef, went on to detail a recent night out at an unnamed restaurant that came highly recommended.
“We sat down at the bar, we order a cocktail. I got a Paloma in hand, delicious by the way, and I’m looking over the menu, and then I look at the prices,” Proter said.
The prices in question: two scallops for $30 and 8 ounces of redfish for $72, which Proter said were individual portions, according to her server.
“Let me back up. This restaurant is in a run-down strip mall next door to a Domino’s Pizza in Old East Dallas,” she said. “We’re not talking about Highland Park Village where the rent is exorbitant and the build-out is really expensive.”
Then, the restaurant outed itself.
In a now-deleted comment, Olōyō said, “Thanks for joining us and happy you enjoyed. We understand price sensitivity concerns.”
The restaurant went on to detail its producers and sourcing practices.
“As a chef-driven restaurant that utilizes local producers where we put our producers first, we’re telling the story of where food comes from,” the post continued. “We hate that local producers are now a premium, but unfortunately that’s today’s economy.”
Olōyō opened May 26, 2026, in the former Cry Wolf space at 4422 Gaston Ave. The 23-seat restaurant is the first brick-and-mortar from James Beard Award semifinalist chef Olivia Lopez and Jonathan Percival, who built their following through their Molino Olōyō pop-ups. The restaurant centers its menu on heirloom corn, seasonal Mexican cooking and local producers.
Like many Dallasites, the Observer has stood in long lines on the sidewalk of Wayward Coffee for Molino Olōyō’s tacos, a soulful combination of hand-pressed, heirloom corn tortillas filled with savory Rosewood Ranch Wagyu suadero, Oaxaca cheese, onion, lime and finished with salt from Colima, Mexico. Two tacos sold for $9.
When it came time for their first brick-and-mortar, the couple opted for fine dining.
According to Olōyō’s response, the restaurant does not use Sysco, national distributors or Tyson. Chicken is pasture-raised in Texas, heirloom corn comes from Mexican farmers using regenerative practices and the salt is sourced from a more than 100-year-old co-op.
“Olōyō represents triumphs, tribulations, and our act of service; from our family farmers in Mexico revitalizing our native grain, to our local producers here in Texas,” the restaurant states on its menu. “It’s the story of where our food comes from, seasonality, terroir, and of honoring those who bring this life to us.”
The restaurant ended its comment to Proter with “Congrats on your :02 seconds of virality …”
But Proter’s description of the menu does not exactly align with the menu reviewed by the Observer: it’s apparent there have been price changes.
The restaurant’s Tostada de Callo, the only scallop dish on the menu, was listed at $39 on a recent menu, down from $46, according to a June 26 menu sent to the Observer. The price for a fish dish, for example, has changed too, starting at $90 and dropping to $67.
There is also a $140 carne asada made with Rosewood Ranch Wagyu ribeye, served with mongo beans, nopalitos salad and charred spring onions. For comparison, Michelin recommended Carlos Elegante has a carne asada with chayote salade and mocajete-style salsa for $64. Don Artemio in Fort Worth, another high-end Mexican restaurant, offers a 16-ounce Ribeye for $90.
Proter posted two follow-up videos. In one, she said commenters shared her frustration with the rising costs and that some people are choosing to stay in and cook at home. The other addressed Olōyō’s response.
“If this restaurant would have read all the comments before they responded, I think that they would have seen this: There is no worse feeling than the feeling of being taken advantage of, and that is how I felt and that is how a lot of people feel,” she said.
The debate quickly moved beyond dinner, dividing diners.
“Why don’t people peep the menu prior to a reservation? It’s that simple,” said Instagram user thebarefootbohemian in a comment. “I admire what Olōyō is doing. It is cool to see a non cookie cutter restaurant preserving cultural techniques and methods. Giving a damn about ingredients.”
Others disagreed.
“The tortilla has a better resume than most of us. But after all of that storytelling, the original point remains untouched: Something can be locally sourced, lovingly prepared, historically significant, spiritually fulfilled, and still be overpriced,” said Instagram user Paulioanpitic in a comment.
Dallas’ culinary scene now walks a tightrope between affordability and providing an experience, raising the question: What justifies the price?
For Olōyō’, the answer is rooted in ingredients and the people behind the plate. For diners like Proter, the question is whether that story translates to value.
“If my message was not clear enough the first time, let me be very direct: Listen to your customer, we want to support you, we want to cheer you on, we just don’t want to feel ripped off,” Proter said.
We reached out to Olōyō, and while they declined to comment on this situation, they offered this statement on their restaurant:
“Olõyo is a fine-dining Mexican restaurant that honors the individual producers and artisans who nurture our land: farmers in Mexico revitalizing heirloom corn, salineros hand-harvesting Pacific sea salt in Cuyutlán, Colima, along with farmers and ranchers across Texas. Every menu tells the story of where food comes from and presents Mexican gastronomy in a different light. Our respect for these sources shapes everything we do in the kitchen, where we prepare their work with skill, care, and creativity. Mexican cuisine is one of the world’s great culinary traditions, and we are proud to present it on the same stage as any other.
Look out for our sister concept, a neighborhood restaurant opening in 2027.”
