After appearing on Food Network’s Food Truck Rally and then the Great Food Truck Race season 8 in 2018, Cedric McCoy and Ryan Thompson have followed through on their dream to open a restaurant.
“My grandmother always dreamed of owning her own restaurant but never got a chance to do so. So, it’s like I am fulfilling her dream,” said McCoy.
Mr. Po’ Boys opened at Fairview Town Center in March 2022 and has been receiving rave reviews from customers for their unique style of po’ boys. Starting with the traditional ingredients and flavors of po’ boy sandwiches, Cedric and Ryan have used their culinary skills to elevate this classic to a whole new level with fresh, locally sourced and many times unexpected ingredients.
“Mr. Po’Boys is basically my original traditional po’ boy idea on steroids,” comments Thompson.
McCoy added, “We wanted to help out the small business owners like ourselves and we also wanted to have a unique feel and flavor to our food. That’s why we make all of our sauces and spices from scratch.”
The duo has collaborated on several different types of cuisine but decided to move forward first with opening a po’ boy restaurant since they had already experienced
success and positive feedback from their time on Food Network.
“It didn’t start off as ‘together’ because Cedric denied my offer [to start a restaurant] a few times. Once he did come on board and had all these fresh out-of-the-box ideas, I knew we had something that people NEEDED to witness,” explains Thompson. “Once we knew we could work well together, and our styles meshed seamlessly we decided to just go with the flow.”
McCoy grew up in the Dallas area as the youngest of three boys in a home where he learned to cook from his mother. It was those lessons that would prepare him for his future of being a chef and eventually opening a restaurant, a dream several of his family members also had. “I guess you can say I’m living my dream for the past, present, and future generations,” said McCoy.
Growing up in Milwaukee and later joining the military, Thompson never had plans to be a chef, but as each of his career choices left him looking for more, he realized being a chef and restaurateur was his calling. “Once I was introduced to the business, I was like this is it right here. Food and sales, I’m good,” Thompson commented.
Mr. Po’Boys is a locally-owned and black-owned business open daily from 11:00am – 10:00pm at 232 Town Place, Fairview, TX 75069 at Fairview Town Center north of Dallas at Interstate 75 and Stacy Road.
