Another Sign of Grayson County’s Rapid Growth

If you’ve been waiting for more places to eat, grab a drink, and spend an evening with friends without driving south toward Prosper, Celina, or Frisco, there’s some exciting news coming out of Gunter.

Preston Trail Farms appears to be expanding its food and beverage offerings with a new concept: Preston Trail Bar & Steakhouse.

The longtime Gunter destination is currently looking for a Front of House Manager/Bartender to help open and lead the new restaurant, giving us one of the clearest indications yet of what is coming to the farm.

For a community that continues to grow at a remarkable pace, this is exactly the kind of local development many residents have been hoping to see.

More Than a New Restaurant

The hiring announcement describes Preston Trail Bar & Steakhouse as a new restaurant located at Preston Trail Farms, with the manager responsible for helping build the operation from the ground up.

The position will oversee the dining room and bar, recruit and train employees, manage daily service, and make sure guests are taken care of.

It is also described as a true working-manager role.

During slower periods, the manager may step behind the bar. When the restaurant gets busy, that person will move onto the floor to lead the team and keep service running smoothly.

That gives us a pretty good idea of the concept Preston Trail Farms is building: a full-service restaurant and bar rather than simply another extension of its existing cafe.

And for Gunter and southern Grayson County, that matters.

Preston Trail Farms Has Already Become a Gunter Institution

Preston Trail Farms sits along State Highway 289 — better known locally as Preston Road — at 15102 TX-289 in Gunter. The business describes itself as being just north of the DFW Metroplex and currently operates its general store, hardware and feed operation, petting farm, seasonal Big Orange Pumpkin Farm, gift shop, and The Trails Cafe. (Preston Trail Farms)

The farm has been part of Gunter for more than a decade.

When Preston Trail Farms celebrated its Gunter grand opening in 2015, local coverage already described Highway 289 as transitioning from a road people simply traveled through into a corridor attracting businesses, residents, and visitors. (Gunter Texas)

That observation feels even more relevant today.

Preston Trail Farms itself has previously highlighted owner Rick Kimbrell’s move north from Celina and the idea that Gunter was becoming a destination rather than simply a stop between North Texas communities. (Preston Trail Farms)

A steakhouse and bar feels like another major step in that evolution.

Gunter Is Starting to Need More Places to Gather

Growth brings houses.

Then it brings schools, businesses, services, restaurants and eventually the places that help turn a rapidly growing town into a community.

That last piece is important.

Restaurants aren’t simply places to eat. In smaller communities, they often become informal gathering places — where families meet after baseball games, couples have date nights, neighbors run into each other, and friends grab a drink without making a 30- or 40-minute round trip.

That’s particularly meaningful along the growing Highway 289 corridor.

For years, residents in communities such as Gunter have routinely driven south toward Celina, Prosper and Frisco for broader dining and entertainment options.

As Grayson County grows, some of that gravity is beginning to shift north.

Preston Trail Bar & Steakhouse is another indication that businesses increasingly believe the customer base is already here.

From Pumpkin Patch to Year-Round Destination

What makes this development particularly interesting is how well it fits the evolution of Preston Trail Farms itself.

Many North Texans initially know the property because of the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm, which brings families to Gunter every fall for pumpkins, animals, hayrides and other activities.

But Preston Trail Farms has steadily developed into much more than a seasonal attraction.

Today the property includes a year-round feed and hardware store, petting farm, gift shop and cafe in addition to the pumpkin farm. The company also emphasizes its identity as a family-owned Texas agriculture business. (Preston Trail Farms)

Adding a steakhouse and bar pushes the property further toward becoming a genuine North Texas destination.

You could visit the farm with the kids during the day.

Stop by the store.

Attend an event.

And eventually finish the evening with a steak and a drink.

That’s a considerably different experience from the pumpkin patch many longtime residents remember.

Another Small Sign of a Much Bigger Change

One restaurant opening isn’t going to transform Grayson County by itself.

But these are exactly the developments worth paying attention to.

Growth rarely happens all at once.

It happens one subdivision, restaurant, business, road project and storefront at a time.

Ten years ago, the idea that Gunter would become part of the northward expansion of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex still felt theoretical.

Today you can see it happening along Preston Road.

Preston Trail Farms is particularly symbolic because the business was talking about this transformation nearly a decade ago. In 2015, local coverage celebrated the farm’s arrival as something that could help put Gunter on the map and attract people who might otherwise never visit the town. (Gunter Texas)

Now the same property is preparing to open a steakhouse and bar.

That’s quite a progression.

And We’re Here for It

There’s a natural tension that comes with growth.

People want to preserve what makes Grayson County special while also wanting better restaurants, shops, services and things to do closer to home.

Those two ideas don’t necessarily have to compete.

Locally owned businesses expanding alongside the community may be one of the best versions of growth we can get.

Preston Trail Farms already feels distinctly Gunter: agriculture, families, Texas culture and community all wrapped together.

A locally rooted steakhouse fits that identity considerably better than another interchangeable chain restaurant.

We don’t have an announced opening date yet, but the fact that Preston Trail Farms is hiring leadership specifically to help open the restaurant suggests preparations are moving forward.

We’ll be keeping an eye on Preston Trail Bar & Steakhouse as additional details emerge.

And yes — Grayson County Line will happily volunteer to investigate the steaks when the doors open.

TL;DR

Preston Trail Farms in Gunter is preparing to open Preston Trail Bar & Steakhouse and is hiring a Front of House Manager/Bartender to help launch the restaurant. The development adds another food-and-beverage option along the rapidly growing Highway 289 corridor and represents the continued evolution of Preston Trail Farms from a pumpkin-farm destination into a broader year-round gathering place. For Gunter and southern Grayson County, it’s another small but meaningful sign of how quickly the area is changing.