Upscale Dallas social club clashes with city in high-stakes poker fight
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 has been in a high-stakes fight with the city over whether poker can be offered as an amenity.
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.
"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."
$15 million investment and renovation
That vision came with a steep price tag.
"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."
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.
"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.
Permit approved, then revoked
He said that in 2021, the city denied Champions' first attempt at a certificate of occupancy. In 2024, Champions submitted a new application.
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.
"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."
Security upgrades and legal appeal
Trumbo said security was also a major investment.
"$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. "We're just expecting a fair treatment by the city."
Champions took its appeal to the Board of Adjustment. He believes that timing will help his case.
The Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 on Tuesday to overturn the city's revocation of the certificate of occupancy for Champions Social Club.
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.