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Mo Major (left), The Statement Group's assistant culinary director, with Gina Luari, CEO of The Place 2 Be and Xavier Santiago, Statement Group's culinary director. 

The Place 2 Be's new Springfield location will open June 1.

The Place 2 Be restaurants are known for their eye-catching, Instagrammable decor.

Frozen sangria pouches at The Place 2 Be in West Hartford

The exterior of The Place 2 Be in West Hartford, with open-air windows and swing chairs facing Raymond Road.

The Place 2 Be, the all-day brunch concept with locations in Hartford County and western Massachusetts, has announced plans for its first restaurant outside of New England. 

The newest outpost will open in Dallas, across from American Airlines Arena, the home of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team. The restaurant is scheduled to debut in 2023,  according to a news release, and will be the largest of the group's locations at nearly 7,000 square feet, with plans for a rooftop patio and bar.

“Dallas represents a big step for us. For the first time ever, we are taking The Place 2 Be outside of New England – the first of more national locations to come,” said Gina Luari, founder and CEO of TP2B and The Statement Group, in a news release.

The "Booty Call" is one of the eye-catching large-format drinks at The Place 2 Be in Hartford and West Hartford, with tequila and blue raspberry.

Luari and the Statement Group operate four The Place 2 Be locations in Hartford, West Hartford and Springfield, Mass., featuring Instagrammable breakfast and lunch options with trendy decor and selfie opportunities: neon light signs, swing chairs, a full-sized bathtub filled with plastic pearls and drinks topped with rubber duckies and cotton candy. Cheeky "go bottomless" taglines join booty-shaped drinking vessels and a bathroom mural of rear ends alongside stripper poles.

The Place 2 Be is also opening in New Haven this fall, taking over the former Box 63 space at 338 Elm St. Luari's group plans three more concepts in Hartford: Raw, a raw bar and seafood restaurant; Cantina, with tacos and other South and Central American dishes, and Charred, a brick-oven pizza bar with craft beer and cocktails. 

Luari has been thinking beyond Connecticut for several years, she told Hearst Connecticut in April. At the time, she said she's had people approach her about The Place 2 Be locations in Boston's Seaport District and Miami, and she had brokers looking for spaces in Dallas and Houston. Nashville is also a market she'd like to explore.

"I want it to be a national brand, and for us to be able to take it there, we have to have the corporate structure for that," she said. 

Leeanne is the food and consumer reporter for Hearst Connecticut, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about CT food and beverage businesses.

She's been working in Connecticut news for more than 15 years, most recently as the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant. A native of Worcester, Mass., she holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University.