Latest / Be Locally Loved / 019-Why Jack Allen's Kitchen Became a Local Favorite | Jack Gilmore Interview

Transcript

019-Why Jack Allen's Kitchen Became a Local Favorite | Jack Gilmore Interview · Be Locally Loved

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Be Locally Loved, where we spotlight the people, places, and ideas that help communities thrive.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Moving to a new town can feel overwhelming.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: You don't know where to go, you don't know what to do, you don't know who to trust.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's where BeLocal comes in.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like a best friend, BeLocal personally welcomes newcomers and connects them to the best local businesses, restaurants, community events, so they can feel at home faster.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And for local business owners, BeLocal is like a matchmaker, introducing them to new families who are ready to form long-lasting and local relationships.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: To grow your business by reaching newcomers, visit reachnewcomers.com.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Today on Be Locally Loved, we are sitting down with a Central Texas culinary legend whose story is about so much more than food.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Chef Jack Gilmore is the chef and owner behind these beloved local brands, Jack Allen's Kitchen, Salt Traders Coastal Cooking, and Daymaker Half Day Cafe.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Born and raised in the Rio Gran Valley, Jack built his career around bold Texas flavor, Gulf Coast roots, legendary hospitality, and a deep commitment to the farmers, ranchers, and fishermen, employees, guests, and neighbors who make a community feel like home.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Since opening the first Jack Allen's Kitchen in 2009, Jack has grown the concept to six thriving locations, released his fan favorite cookbook, Jack Allen's Kitchen, celebrating the taste of Texas, and was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: He later launched Salt Traders Coastal Cooking as a tribute to his love of seafood, and most recently opened the Daymaker Half Day Cafe, a breakfast and brunch spot built around comfort, community, and heart.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: But what makes Jack's story so powerful is not just what he has built, it's why he built it.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Jack is known for treating people like family when they walk through the doors.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: His restaurants have donated more than a million dollars to causes close to home, supporting local nonprofits, first responders, veterans, active duty military, and organizations like the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation and the Coastal Conservation Association.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And with nearly 600 employees across the restaurant family, Jack has built something bigger than his business.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: He has built a culture of hospitality, generosity, and Texas belonging.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we'll talk about the roots that shaped him, the moments that defined him, what it really means to create a place where people feel welcomed and known, and how restaurants can become a gathering place that helps communities thrive.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Please join me in welcoming Chef Jack Gilmore to Be Locally Loved.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Jack, let's dive into your connection to family and memories and belongings.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: I know for so many people, food is tied to that.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: Was there a moment early in your life when you realized food wasn't just food, but a way to bring people together?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, growing up in South Texas, you know, especially back in the day, you know, food was always part of it, you know, whether and and because of the way I was raised and the way me and my brothers were raised in the community of, you know, our neighborhood is everybody made sure that everybody was taken care of.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: In other words, if there was really good food on the table, then everybody that was around got to sit down and enjoy it.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: And it really got to a point where they would force you to sit down and eat because they wanted to make sure that you were well fed.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_03: And to me, those little quips of I didn't know it was called hospitality back then.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_03: I just thought it was something that you did.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_03: And it was just something natural.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_03: And it was just something that it it it it was what it was.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um and and that's really the way it was back in the in the early days where, you know, there was always a pot of beans on the stove.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_03: There was always a gallon of awa fresca in the refrigerator, or at least on the counter.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: And it was first come, first serve kind of thing.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: And when when you started, you know, growing into your teens and you and you run in different circles and you start buying beer and you start buying cases of soda and stuff like that, and you start sharing, and you start, well, you get the beer, I'll get the barbecue pit, and I'll get the fajitas, and you get the tortillas, just automatically, organically, it all comes together.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_03: And they call that hospitality, or they call that a gesture, or they call it communal, or they call it a community.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_03: I call it, well, that's the way it should be, you know.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: So to to this day, my wife and I have been married for almost 45 years, and and the minute you walk into our house, within a minute or two, you've offered, been offered something to drink.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: I don't care if it's morning or it's a cup of coffee or it's juice or water or get out of the sun kind of thing.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's just something that we did or we do.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um and I think that and you can understand hospitality is where you don't even talk about it.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's just organic.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_03: It just happens.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: And and as opposed to being that wanderer where you're walking into a situation and you don't know where to go, what to do, where to sit, what to eat.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_03: There's not that one person that walks up to you and makes you feel comfortable and says, Hey, I got you.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go do something.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go eat this.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta try T A Maria's incredible flower tortilla kind of thing, you know?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, it's just organic for me.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: It was a and and growing up taught me all that and kind of I just took all that for granted till I moved to Austin.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: And uh Austin back in the day in the late 70s, 79, 78, was almost exactly the same hospitality that I was used to.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_03: And it just became or it's just stayed organic.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_03: I thought that's the way it was.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_03: And then, you know, things change, but you always, without even knowing it, you're being hospitable.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of when it works.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of what we've built our brand over, is just be nice.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_03: Just be nice to people, especially these days.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's certainly what your brand is known for, treating people like family the minute they walk through the doors.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: And now I can see where that's come from for you from your background, just completely organically.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: Now, before and and that's why that's why the server greets you with a with a pimento cheese and homemade crackers.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's kind of like, hey, thanks for coming in.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_03: And we're here's how we're gonna get you started.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_03: Homemade pimento cheese and and crispy fried crackers, man.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: Nothing wrong with that.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing wrong with that.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: That'll bring a table together.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: My husband just went to Salt Traders yesterday for a business meeting and he goes, Do you want me to bring you something home?
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, Heck yeah.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I had the uh wood-fired salmon.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: I love the uh Dijon barbecue glaze.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: We carried the gesture over.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_03: So he was greeted with smoked salmon dip and homemade potato chips.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_03: That's our simple gesture of hospitality.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you've got the magic formula for sure.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm sure before you started the very first Jack Allen's kitchen back in 2009, there must have been maybe some sleepless nights or some risks that you knew you were facing, but you had a dream.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: So can you take us back to that moment?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like what was your view?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, the dream the dream was uh was was within reach for sure.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, I got lucky.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_03: Throughout my career, I got to work with some really good people, some talented chefs, some talented restaurant owners, some people that trusted us, that trusted me.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_03: And I I got to build restaurants on a grand scale for 20 years for other people.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I understood how it worked.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: I understood the mechanics of it, I understood the business side of it, the location sites and all that stuff.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_03: What was kind of missing, and that was when I was taking food very seriously.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_03: I was trying to be a really good chef, and and and to me, I was trying to step out of the comfort zone and step out of a box.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_03: And it kind of took me to my roots.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: And my roots were running through the fields of tomatoes and jalapenos and cilantro and corn and all that stuff to creating really good food out of those dishes I just ran through.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and and to me, it was always sourcing, you know, it was always understanding where the food came from.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_03: And once you understand that and respect that, then you have a better chance of treating that food better.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of what we approached it with early on when we started Jack Allen's Kitchen.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_03: I said, we've got to be a little bit different.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: We've got to be fresh as best.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: We've got to be less surround ourselves with the best farmers we can locally, and we did, the best distillers that we could locally, and we did, and and and create this wave that was about to come, and that is through partnerships with our vendors that they can trust us that we'll pay our bills.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: We can trust them that they'll grow stuff for us or make things for us, and they'll trust that we'll put it on a plate nicely and serve it and give them respect for it.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_03: But it really was one of those eye-opening things when I worked for a previous company and I was trying to change up what we were doing, and I said, guys, we got to get to farm, we got to get to the farmer farm to table concept.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_03: And the first word out of my bean counter at the time, and I won't tell you who I worked for, but is how much is that gonna cost?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, well, believe it or not, it's probably gonna cost you your business if we don't evolve and stay fresh.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: Because I can buy frozen pre-breaded chicken and pre-breaded catfish and pre-breaded everything all day long, but that's what it's gonna taste like.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_03: So if you start off with a fresh product and you give it a fresh seasoning and you and you treat it right on your skillet or a fryer or broiler, it's you have a better result.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of what we did.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_03: And so I didn't have any any sleepless nights because we had a really good plan.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_03: And and back in the day, 20 years ago, farmers were real proud of what they did.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_03: They just didn't get enough love out there.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_03: There weren't enough people out there buying fresh produce at a farmer's market.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_03: It became very popular about 18, 19 years ago to hit a market every Saturday or every Sunday, buy for the week and and and eat for the week.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_03: And so it was it was just perfect timing for everything.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_03: And then, you know, after a while, they can count on you, you can trust them, and they could trust you.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: It all works out.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_03: Nowadays, farming is really hard.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: There's less farmers, there's less people out there.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_03: So we've kind of opened our circle from just within the local central Texas community to more Texas community, buying as much as we can within Texas, and then have to go outside to buy what we need to buy, like avocados and lemons and limes sometime during the year.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_03: But we always said fresh is best was and and by God, that's what it's gonna be.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_03: Fresh is best.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: I, you know, there's a lot of different choices when you go to a grocery store, but you have your favorite going to buy produce, probably.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of the approach that we do.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see people still going to farmers markets or is that dying out of the room?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, what I see is less farmers there.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_03: It used to be when we first started our restaurant, there was probably 20 different farmers, and there was probably 10 different peach farmers, and there was probably 10 different chili pepper farmers, and it was might have been a generation of farmers, but there was a lot of choices back then.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: Their goal was to simply harvest Thursday or Friday and sell it all by Saturday or Sunday.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_03: And we did everything we could to help that out.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: We never haggled with a farmer.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: I've never haggled with a farmer.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_03: If a farmer says I have to get eight dollars for a dozen eggs, then that's eight dollars for a dozen eggs.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's up to me to treat those dozen eggs properly.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: But I can tell you they're gonna be the best eggs you can get.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_03: So why wouldn't you treat it right?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, it became a fad at some point, but we st we stay true to what we do and just searched and seeked out the best farmers we can deal with.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: And it's harder and harder these days.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_03: There are more restaurants doing it, you know, 15 years ago than they are now.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: Actually, there's less people doing it now because the farmers aren't there.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: But, you know, and and I'll give you an example.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: My son Bryce that has three restaurants, Barty Swine, Odd Duck, and Sour Duck, you know, James Beard nominee, you know, Michelin star chef.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: And about five years ago, he all the farmers kind of left him.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there weren't any farmers anymore.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_03: And he was struggling.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_03: So he said, you know what I'm gonna do?
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna start my own farm.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna grow my own stuff.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what he did.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: He took buying fresh produce so serious that he started his own farm to do it.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_03: And he's on a scale to do all three of his restaurants.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_03: And it's hard, but the result is better food on the plate.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of the the root the the challenge for the chef is you know, everybody's got the same same, you know, skillet.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody's got the same whatever.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's what you do with it.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_03: And it's when you do it and why you do it and how you do it.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it sounds like who you do it with.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: 100%.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything that you wish people knew about just how deeply committed you are to supporting the local purveyors?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Well, you know, it's it's fun.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_03: It's fun to see everybody grow, not just in the business sense, but families grow.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's a couple farmers that we deal with, and we're on this we're on the their kids are farming their land now, and we've had a relationship with certain kids since they were picking their first, you know, Brussels sprout out of the ground when they were 10 years old.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: Well, now they're 27 years old and they got a degree out of uh A and they're trying to make farming a little bit more sensible and things like that.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_03: So it's generations of of different things.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we we take pride in taking care of our farmers and every year for a while, until about until COVID happened, we fed the farmers once a year.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_03: We went and gathered all the stuff they had and we made them come in on a Saturday after the farmer's market at three o'clock, and we fed them.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: We fed them everything that we buy from them.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_03: And we, you know, we'll take a lamb and we'll cook it three different ways, or we'll take a chicken, cook it for three or four different ways, and they get to see the result of what they grew.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I miss those days.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: I really do.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, but without those days, I don't think we would be who we are.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think our staff would be who they are because all that stuff really matters.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love you to tell me about uh salt traders, because I was living in Avery Ranch at the time when you opened it, and I remember everybody talking about it.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember walking in the first time, and then my jaw was kind of on the floor because my parents were living in Florida.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I walked in there and I felt like I had been transported to Florida with like authentic food and authentic vibe, and the the food quality was off the charts.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Can you talk talk to me about salt traders?
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, for sure.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: We we wanted you to feel like what you just did, and that was we wanted you to feel like you were in a coastal restaurant, could be anywhere on the coast.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: Fact is, you were on I-35 in Round Round Texas.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I was.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_03: So so the that's the hard part is to try to think you're in the middle of Heartland on the highway, eating the freshest seafood you could possibly get.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what the world has become is you have access to all these fresh ingredients via the oceans the next day.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, how salt traders came about was we were bored.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: We said we, you know, Jack Allen's Kitchen is fun, it's great, and we've got this opportunity across the street at at this location.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: What kind of restaurants should we do?
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_03: And we all were always passionate about fishing in the ocean, and I grew up around there, and and it was just always a passion.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: And we knew how to run a restaurant.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_03: We had no clue how to run a seafood restaurant, but we had some people that we knew that I used to work with.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_03: And I made one phone call to a guy named Tom, Chef Tom Rumble, and we called him up.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_03: I said, Tom, you want to move back to Austin?
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: He said, Yeah.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_03: So is he was here anyway, and it all worked out.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: So the point is, is we wanted to do the best, freshest seafood you can possibly get.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: We also want knew what it cost to get to procure that seafood and what we can charge.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: We want it to be a value proposition, and we were able to do that through our sourcing.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, and the other thing is everybody's got the same oysters, wild golf oysters.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_03: Every restaurant in Austin buys it from three different vendors.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_03: So they're all the same.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_03: It's what you do with that oyster that matters.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: Nowadays, you know, we're known as a seafood restaurant instead of an oyster bar, but to some we're still an oyster bar that happened to be a seafood restaurant.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_03: I thought we would sell more of a steak and seafood restaurant, but we're straight up seafood restaurant, and we're having fun with it.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_03: And and through all the, you know, look, when you shuck 10,000 oysters a week, you shuck a lot of oysters.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_03: And those are the ones that kept me awake at night is who wants to shuck oysters?
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_03: Well, believe it or not, there's some really good oyster shuckers out there, and we've got most of them working for us.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: So it may sound like a lot because it is a lot.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: 10,000 oysters on an average week is not uncommon between a golf oyster nowadays.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: Thankfully, we're farm raising oysters in the state of Texas since about three years ago.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: So it'd be similar to farming oysters on the East Coast where you get an East Coast oyster.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: They're all the same oyster, but they're all grown in different parts of the bay or the water, so they'll taste different.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_03: They're not gonna look that much different.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_03: They might be a little bit bigger or smaller or whatever, but they taste different because of the, you know, salt water changes, salinity changes, tides change, what they eat change.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: So if it's real fun to have a really good farm farmed oyster in Texas to compete with the Paci uh the East Coast oysters.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: So it it's it's kind of an evolving, fun part of the restaurant industry that we're still learning.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_03: But we wanted you to feel exactly what you felt like walking into a parking lot off of I-35 into a what am I getting into mode, and then pulling it off.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: And by the way, that was 10 years ago.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_03: We've been open 10 years now.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's been uh it's been a minute, and I gotta say, it was very unexpected because being in Central Texas, you're used to Tex Mex and all that kind of stuff to sort of have an authentic coastal experience with amazing food in the middle of I-35.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: How'd you choose Round Rock?
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we Jack Allen's Kitchen, that was our second restaurant.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_03: So across the street is where Salt Raider is, and that restaurant space became available.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_03: Plus, Round Rock in Williamson County itself is very pro-business.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: They love it when people succeed and they they they do everything they can to attract, you know, good tenants, and they do it through business, you know, through a lot of the ways they do business.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: Not necessarily just permitting and all that stuff, but it's a fun, growing community that we've been part of for the last 13 years now at Jack Allen's and and just some great people out there.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm happy to have you nearby.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: Can you talk to me about the new concept down at Zilker?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so Zilker, we another opportunity we we have uh Salt Traders down there in Zilker Park area.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_03: Across the street was a place called IHOP that we knew was going to be available, and we wanted to we were interested in doing another concept and what better concept to do other than a breakfast concept.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_03: So we wanted to get real bougie and brunchy and and do something kind of cool in that IHOP spot.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_03: And we did it through food, and we're doing it through the jazz of of what the building looks like, the fun environment.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_03: You know, on the business side, it's kind of crazy to to only be open for breakfast and lunch, and Salt Traders is only open for lunch and dinner, but we are only a daytime concept, which means we don't have to have, you know, a hundred people on staff.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: We just need about 40.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: So on the business side it works and makes sense, and we're having fun with it.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: Same thing.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we didn't know a whole lot about the egg business or the brunch or the breakfast business, other than we were very successful Brunts concept at Jack Allen's and Salt Traders.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_03: So we kind of knew what we were doing, but we hired a really good chef named Forrest Brew, and he's brought the culinary magic to what we do.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: But to this day, at all of our restaurants, all three concepts, we're better known for our great service and hospitality than we are with our food.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I will, as a business owner and as a as a father and a husband and a boss, take that all day long that they love our staff.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: And by the way, Jack, your food's pretty good.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_03: I will take that all day long.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: You have certainly delivered on the vision.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: So six restaurants, 600 employees, did I get that right?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, north of 600, yes, ma'am.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Did you imagine that when you got started?
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_03: Nine restaurants.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Nine restaurants.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Did you imagine that when you got started?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Or did it just pull you?
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: It's gone by so fast.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_03: You know, the last 17 years has gone by so fast.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: We wanted, Tom, my partner and I wanted to build a restaurant concept, a restaurant company.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, to tell you the truth, we're still working on uh having fun.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: And we're and that's easy to do around here.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: So you know, it's it's humbling for sure.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we we we think Daymaker has legs.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: We want to go have fun with it in in Cedar Park or different parts of the town.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_03: We have zero desire to get on an airplane to go to work.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we're on I thirty five for just a little bit, but Austin has been so good to us, the surrounding area of Boston.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_03: We just want to be able to get back.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm up in Georgetown and it's easy to get to you, so I thirty five makes.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: So it does.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: Restaurants obviously, our podcast is called Be Locally Loved, and we tell stories of people, places, and ideas that help communities thrive.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why we wanted to have you on the show.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: You have such a community mission to what you do.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: And restaurants are such an important aspect of our communities to help us gather for birthdays and anniversaries and date nights and hard conversations and family dinners and celebrations and all of those things.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you see the restaurant industry helping communities feel more connected?
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: And what do you see on the horizon for the restaurant industry?
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I think I think I think you're right.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_03: I think number one, when you walk into a restaurant, you have a choice.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_03: You didn't have to go into that restaurant.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_03: But since you did, why not be committed to that person that walked into your restaurant?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_03: And through that commitment, you're offering the grip best hospitality you can possibly get.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_03: But it it all turns out where, you know, everybody's to be a community restaurant, you got to quit talking about it.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: It is what it is, in my opinion.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_03: In other words, everybody knows that you, if you're reliable and you say you're going to be open and everybody knows who you are and where you're at, you will be a mating spot for three or four of your friends.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_03: Three or four of your friends are going to get in different cars and for whatever reason meet at one of our restaurants.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_03: I'll take that in a heartbeat.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know what that means?
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_03: That means we have parking.
• 23:24
  unknown: Yeah.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: How many restaurants don't have parking in this town?
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_03: So just having parking alone creates a community, creates a resting spot, or creates a meeting spot, even to drop off a kid or a dog or a meeting spot to drop off a package to a friend of yours.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_03: Those are all communal, part of the community.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_03: That's what we want it to be.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_03: Flip side of that is, you know, every one of our employees work at the restaurant of their choice.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_03: And most of them work there because of the community that they live in.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_03: You know, a lot of our employees have students.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_03: They're their their children are kids that live in that community that go to that school.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_03: So we provide that opportunity for the mom or dad to come work while child is at school.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_03: That's community.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_03: How we take care of little Johnny when he wants a soccer shirt, that's community.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: When we take care of teachers or first responders or fire department or whoever, that's community.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: And we don't talk about that.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: It just it just happens organically, and that's really the way it works.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we have some big projects, so we take care of Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, we do a big fundraiser for them, several fundraisers for Central Texas Food Bank, you know, Candlelight Ranch.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_03: All those things, if we want to be part of the community, we have to do it.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_03: And that's the easy part.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_03: I don't even want to wor use the word have to do it.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's just part of our DNA.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's part of what we do.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_03: We hire that way, we train that way, and we expect that way.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_03: And that's really the way people really want to.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_03: And and and you talk about a pride factor from a from somebody that works at a Jack Allen's Kitchener works for us.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: There's a huge amount of pride factor there because of of that.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we fed 2,700 school teachers two days ago a free meal, getting them ready for school.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's community.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_03: And by the way, our servers were waiting in some cases on their kids' teachers that day.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_03: That's community.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_03: That's communal.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of what we're all about.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: But we do it all organically because it's the right thing to do.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: And that's easy to teach.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_03: That's easy to teach.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: I was just gonna ask you, like, do you do you talk about the culture of your brand with your employees, or do they just pick it up because it's so organic?
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I really believe that if you talk about that culture word, it's then you have a problem.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's just organic.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's if and it pr it starts at the top.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_03: It starts with our management team that they were all grown up in this industry.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: Tom and I are that way.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_03: Nick, Chris, our whole management team are that way.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: And we hire that way.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_03: We ask people we hire people on their personality and their gestures, their hospitality gestures.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_03: If we feel like we can do that, then we could teach them how to be a great server.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_03: I can't teach a great server personality or hospitality.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: It just doesn't happen.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_03: So if you flip it and hire personality and teach them, you're in a betch much better spot.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: How do you spot that?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like in an interview, how would you spot someone's interesting thing?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, how you spot that is a lot of different ways.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: And it's it's hard sometimes.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_03: You know, sometimes it's it's not natural.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's, you know, I don't interview anymore, but I remember people would get nervous.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_03: I if I had to interview, I'd probably be nervous meeting somebody for the first time.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_03: So it won't come out the first five seconds, ten seconds.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_03: But by the time we're training, after a couple days, it'll come out.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: And some people some people are either turned on by it because they're like, finally, somebody that I can be proud to work for is here.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: Or, you know, I'm just here to make money.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: That shows out real quick.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: There's nothing wrong with that, but I want both.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: You can't fake personality, you can't fake hospitality.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: It's organic.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: That I think is the word that I'm taking away from our conversation today.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: So much what of what you've built has been organic.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I know since 2009, you and your restaurants have donated over a million dollars to several causes very close to home for you.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: Where did that commitment to giving back come from and why is it just such an important part of your business DNA?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we, you know, it's always been let's take care of our staff first.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_03: And if our staff is fine, then we're able to give back to the community.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of what we've done.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_03: What I mean, take care of our staff.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_03: I mean you give them the hours they want, they need, uh, take care of, you know, everything's gonna be fine.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_03: But, you know, there's there's so much need out there, and there always has been.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you can't be everything to everybody, so we have to make some strong choices on who we commit to.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_03: But once we're all in, once we say yes to somebody, we're all in.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_03: My attitude is if you're gonna do it, go big or don't do it, be all in.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's a lot of, I don't want to say handouts or anything like that, that people always want something, but people always want something.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_03: And there's a lot of ways to take care of people.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: We do it through food and through a lot of different ways of doing that is you either offer them a space with food or you take food to them or whatever, but it seems to work out.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_03: But we don't talk about it anymore.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_03: It just happens.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_03: But it feels really good when you're able to give back dollar in dollars.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_03: And and through that, you know, we might have a chef auction where they auction me off or auction somebody or team off, and and somebody buys it and it sells for$15,000, and we may throw Corey Morrow in the mix and get$20,000 for a charity.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_03: And our commitment is to go feed 15, 20 people a nice meal and let them listen to Corey.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: And and there's a lot of ways to do it.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_03: I encourage restaurateurs, business people to do as much as they can.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: Don't give till it hurts, but do what's right.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_03: And and I sleep better doing that.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: And it, you know, I think there's a few more butts in our seats because we do that.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: And again, nothing is forced.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: It's pretty organic, and it's just the way it is.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_03: And and it's kind of the cool factor of what we do.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's it's really cool to know that you impacted 2,700 teachers two days ago.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_03: And God bless them, they they're they're about to start school in two weeks.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to believe, yes.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_03: And the least we can do is take care of them for one meal.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: How do you choose the charities you support?
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm sure you get knocked on by everybody.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we do.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: And and you know, I don't have a dog in most of these fights.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_03: In other words, you know, Lone Star Paralysis Foundation is a great one, but it's not like, you know, when I say I don't have a dog in the fight, I mean I mean it could have been anybody, but Lone Star Paralysis Foundation is somebody I've been dealing with for the last 22, 24 years, just on, you know, just because I think it was a charity that needed some help 22, 23, whatever it was years ago.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of why we did it.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_03: Same with Candlelight Ranch.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's a lot of different things that we can do that or not talk about, and some things that we have done that don't talk about.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_03: So it's I don't even know what it is, but it's definitely north of a million dollars.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_03: But it's a it's it's a it's it's not even really an investment.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's what you should be doing.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: I would love for you to talk about for other young entrepreneurs out there in the restaurant industry or not.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do you build a brand that people love?
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: Well, number one, you don't think you know it all.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta look, listen, smell, taste, touch, everything you can.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: Love.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's what you've done.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: You've built several brands that people love.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_03: Through real through reliability, you know, there when you come up with when you come up with a let's let's make it real simple.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_03: When you come up with a let's say a margarita, if your goal is to put out the best margarita, then start off with the best ingredients.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_03: And if your goal is to put an ounce and a half of tequila in it, then it's got to be an ounce and a half of tequila.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_03: So you have to be really strict in a really good way and set your standards up straight up.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_03: And there are no negotiables after that.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_03: So once you all agree that that's the recipe of a margarita, and that's a glass that's gonna go in, that's the amount of ice that's gonna go in, this particular salt is what you're gonna be using.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: That's non-negotiable.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_03: Now, if you want to change it, let's change it.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_03: But if we change it, we have to change it.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_03: We have to talk to 19 different bartenders, you gotta talk to 88 different servers, six different managers, so on and so forth.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_03: So before you even put it on the menu, make it bulletproof in a good way.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_03: Say this is it, it won't change, but it might change because people didn't like it.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're not listening to that guest that you put all that effort into that margarita, then you're missing rule number one, and that is listen to your customer.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't say that they were right, but listen to your customer.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_03: Now, if another customer says the exact same words, you got a problem.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_03: Address it there.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_03: Don't go in there with an ego thinking that you know it all.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_03: Listen and then react to it.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_03: And then be flexible because, you know, there's there are a lot of reasons why you should listen to people.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_03: One is all you know as a manager is your four walls.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: You don't even know it, you may not even know it's raining outside.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_03: You may not even know it's dark outside.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: You may not even know that your front door is locked because you haven't checked it yet.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_03: So listen to your customers.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_03: I really believe in to build a concept, you have to listen to people around you.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_03: And you have to be willing to change and be humble and don't have an ego in the way because it never works out.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to me about marketing and advertising and branding, like that.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: When when some when an entrepreneur opens a business, they're going to be approached by lots of people for opportunities to get their name out there.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how did you choose what you leaned into?
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just what was your marketing plan for the business?
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, uh early on we didn't have a plan, although we had a location and we knew how to run a restaurant.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_03: But through marketing, it's it's it's an identity crisis.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: When you let's say salters, let's take Saltraders for example.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_03: Salties was kind of easy to do because our brand was Jack Allen's kitchen.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_03: So people trusted us already.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_03: People expectations grew because they thought we were gonna do, you know, very well.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_03: And that their expectations were high and and there were intrigue set up.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_03: But we took marketing really seriously, and it starts with the name.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, there's a hundred names that came up and salt traders stuck.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_03: The word cultures didn't work, so we had to add a tag to it, and that's coastal cooking.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_03: So it's kind of a kind of a, you know, once you're comfortable with that name, then it's then it's easy going from there.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_03: These days, everybody is a restaurant critic.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_03: If they have a phone, they're a restaurant critic.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_03: If they have a phone somewhere along the line, if they're looking for seafood, psalteries will show up if they punch the right numbers.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_03: Marketing these days are are it it's it's it's all social media.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: In the old days, when I say old days, when we first opened up, it was word of mouth.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_03: It was Austin American Statesman.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: It was if you can get on TV on a Saturday morning and push push something that you're cooking, that was great.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yelp didn't even start.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: You know, yeah, you had Facebook or whatever it's called back in the day.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: But nowadays, every if you look at every guest, they're a food critic.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: And food critics can kill you or or or build you.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_03: I don't run our business that way.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_03: We run it to get awareness out to our the population around us.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_03: I would suggest anybody wants to open up a business in Austin, and if you're from out of town, is get to know us, get to understand us, get get to know what the flow is like, get to know the difference between South Austin and North Austin and East Austin and West Austin, and understand that go work for somebody else for a little while.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_03: Understand the dynamics of it.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's it's it's very well Austin, the city of Austin is very welcoming to outsiders, but they only give you but one chance.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_03: And if you come in with an ego, you're gonna go out with an ego.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_03: And that's just that's just the way it is.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_03: So I would recommend somebody come in humbly, work for somebody else.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_03: Marketing in general is is hard to do if you're a new brand.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: Really hard to do.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_03: Nobody understands a name.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_03: Nobody understands the flavors, right?
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_03: Nobody understands what it is.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they'll give you a shot.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they'll be happy or they won't.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_03: But it starts with a name.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: What is on the horizon for you?
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we're we're happy to say that we're gonna be opening a restaurant, two restaurants.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna take over in in Cedar Park, we're gonna open up a salt trader's and a daymaker at the mid to end of 27.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: Tell me, can you say where?
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_03: Well, yeah, I could say it's off of Scottsdale and New Hope area.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, yep, that's very close to me.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_03: And and it's kind of one of those uh, you know, I used to drive through Cedar Park every day twice, one to go home and one to go back.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_03: And this is like 25 years ago.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_03: And Cedar Park, I saw Cedar Park grow.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_03: I've seen it grow.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_03: I said, one day we're gonna do a restaurant there.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_03: Well, about six years ago we did a Jack Allen's kitchen there.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: And and we've been having fun ever since.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we got in there toward the end of, you know, toward kind of toward the end of a the new area of Cedar Park that's growing off of 183 North, you know, like where Chewy's is and all that stuff.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, yep, yeah, right.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_03: So that's kind of the new to I consider that the newer part.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: And then we're going across the street from there.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_03: And we we feel like salt traders will do well, even though we're in Williamson County with our other salt traders.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's about nine miles away, but we'll do well.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_03: And Daymaker will be our second one, and we figure that people are ready for a nice brunch concept.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_03: But I'll tell people all all the time that the reason we're looking at doing two new restaurants is because we have some incredible people that work for us that are ready to take their own restaurants on.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_03: And that's kind of the big, you know, the big deal on this is it's if I have people behind us ready to go, it's an easy sell for me.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I you could there's locations all over the place, but if you don't have people, you're it, I don't care what marketing does or or any dream that you might have had, if you don't have the people, you're in trouble.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_03: So the reason why we're doing it is because we have the people right now and they've been trained, they're ready to go, and we're ready to go, and we're looking really, really forward to it.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_03: So sometime in about uh late August to early fall next year.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, we will keep our eye on that.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very excited.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: I know right where you're talking about.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience before we wrap?
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, to this day, we're I, you know, we have fun running our restaurants, and it's it's humbling to be part of the culinary community in the city because I really feel like Austin is probably in the top ten culinary destinations in the country.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_03: We have some incredible talent, really good energy, good vibe, good feel, good, honest people.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_03: And we're just proud to be part of it.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: And though people may think we blaze the trail, I don't look at it that way.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_03: I just like doing what we do, and if people pick up on it, great.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_03: I to this day continue to learn from people in our community, from restaurateurs and everybody alike.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_03: And for me to say that and and to think that way, it's kind of cool.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's everybody's got a better way of doing something.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_03: And if you're willing to listen and willing to learn and willing to change, it only gets better.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_03: So we're just a little bit of a piece of the history of the culinary scene in in Austin and we're having fun with it.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you're quite a legend.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean, for those of us that don't know you, I'll say you are quite a legend.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very grateful for what you've created in the Austin community.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: I've lived here for about 25 years, and we benefit from what you do to attract people to live here.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because when people live here, they work here.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_00: And when they work here, they put their kids in school.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, it just helps the community thrive.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_00: So everything that you have done has helped ours communities thrive, the Central Texas thrive.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_03: Are you going to stay in Central Texas or do you have visions of Dallas, Houston, some of the other No, I think, you know, Tom, my partner and I talked about this a lot, and our our goal is to keep doing what we're doing here in in the local central Texas.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_03: Nowadays, you know, Georgetown, 10 years ago, I would have said we are in Georgetown.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's about 10 miles north of uh Roundhock.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_03: Just come on down.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_03: But everything's changing, you know.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_03: I don't see any difference between us and San Antonio, except for 60 miles of grueling traffic.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: But uh we're gonna stay in central Texas.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_03: We're we're not we're we're following where our staff is.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's that's the other thing is build build restaurants where the staff lives.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, do you have anybody in Georgetown?
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_03: We're we're actually looking in Georgetown.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's where I live.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_03: I don't have anything to say other than that.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_03: But Georgetown is an incredible town.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_00: It is an incredible town.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: I will say that too.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and uh, you mentioned earlier it's nine miles from Cedar Park to your restaurant in Round Rock.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: Nine miles is a lot with our population.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like it can take you 45 minutes to go nine miles.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and the good thing is if you live right in the middle, you have two choices.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: Go east or west.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_03: And you'll and you'll base it off of traffic, I promise.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, yes, absolutely.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it's been delightful to have you on the show, but we're gonna thank you for being with us today, Jack.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you've blessed many people by sharing your story.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being here.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's been an honor to it's been an honor to share the afternoon with you, Laura, and anything we could do to help, you know, push our community of culinarians, let me know.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: Bye, everybody.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_03: God bless you.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_03: Take care.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us for Be Locally Loved.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who cares about building thriving communities as much as we do.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, love where you live.