HURST (1080 KRLD) - Thanks to COVID-19, high school seniors everywhere had to miss out on a lot of the end-of-high-school celebrations, including prom.
But one local restaurant owner is coming to the to the rescue.
Jason Benouared, who owns La Bistro Italian Grill on Grapevine Hwy., says an idea came to him after reading a couple posts on social media.
Benouared tells KRLD, "A couple of parents had posted in there, 'My kids want to go out to eat and they want to have a prom dinner. Would any restaurant be willing to host them?' I said, 'I can do you guys one better -- instead of just giving them a table letting them come dressed up, how about I just give you guys a prom?'"
So that's exactly what Benouared will be doing Friday and Saturday nights -- he's closing his restaurant on what are traditionally the two busiest nights of the week and is hosting prom for those who couldn't have theirs this year due to the pandemic.
And Benouared is working to give the kids the full prom treatment, featuring a three-course buffet dinner with chicken and pasta dishes, as well as vegetarian options.
"We're going to turn about a quarter of (the restaurant) into dance floor and buffet and let the food service happen," says Benouared; "and then once the food service happens, they'll move everything to the back and then turn it into a dance floor. I've got an outdoor patio setup, I've got a DJ, I've got a photographer ... we're having balloons brought in (and) decorations brought in."
In order to accommodate as many kids as possible, there will actually be four proms -- 5:00-7:30 and 8:00-11:30 both nights.
The event is open to all schools and all ages.
Tickets are $44.95 each for the 5:00 event and $49.95 each for the 8:00 event (since the latter event lasts one additional hour).
As of Friday morning, there are still several tickets available for all four events; click here to purchase tickets.
Benouared says he's more than happy to close his restaurant on the two busiest nights of the week to give the kids something memorable.
"These kids, I mean, they didn't get (their prom)," Benouared says, "and this is an opportunity for them to have a little bit of normalcy after all this."