From Gus's to Crystal's

When I walked into my restaurant this morning (7:30) Rachael was here sweeping and cleaning. I went behind the bar to make a really strong cafe latte and told her "Hey, now would be a great time to water the plants. It's early and you can mist the leaves. They'll love it."

Just then a wave of nostalgia passed over me and I began spewing about my first job in the restaurant business. Rachael, God bless her, tried to look and act interested. She knows from where her checks come. Smart, too, that girl!

Anyhoo I began telling her about Gus' Bar-B-Que in Texas City, Texas. Who knows if I have all the details correct cuz you know I'm older and more tired these days. Where I used to have a coca cola in the morning I now have three cups of very stout coffee!

In the beginning, to the best of my recollection, Mike worked for Gus. Gus started his business in the 60's and his son Neil did most of the cooking. Now, Gus probably started out doing everything, like I did, but when Neil got old enough...well, there's just nothing like child labor when they're your own! Isn’t that why we have children in the first place? Be honest…

One day along came Mike; young, strong, stubborn, independent, hard-working kid. Maybe his first job was bus boy. That's what the voices are telling me. Gus must have really loved Mike a lot or else he was really tired of the restaurant business. Neil loved to cook but had little, if any interest in running the "Family" business. Therefore, it wasn't long before Mike took over. He bought the business from Gus, got a liquor license and kicked the menu up a notch or two. One day Gus's went from a really great Bar-BQ joint to serving Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Piccata, steaks and liquor!

And they came from all over!

And they tipped well too! Later when I had a "Real Job" in marketing at Baker Hughes in Houston I went to some management seminar. The speaker said he made more money per hour waiting tables than almost any other job. If so then why did my parents keep telling me to go get a "Real Job"? And I hear it all the time today in my business, too. I just LOL. My employees have cash on demand! They LOVE it and I loved it! I just never saved it!

It's been years since I've been back to Gus's but I reckon it's still the same; low hung ceilings, dark, busy, loud and an air of.... When you walk in through the industrial glass front door you are immediately greeted by a hostess. Her name used to be Crystal Laramore. There's a pay phone on the wall in case you need to call your wife and tell her your meeting is running late. (No cell phones back then).

If you're a non-smoker and want some privacy you'll be sitting in the front, right quadrant of the building. No telling how many no-tell dates dined in the front room. And, no telling how many business deals have been made in the back room.

If you're looking for a little more excitement and want to see who's dining with whom then you'll follow the hostess pass the "line" to the back room. Now this is where the action is! And the boss. You can always find Mike sitting on a barstool at the left end of the bar (if you're facing it) with a nice light setting his face aglow. His lovely wife, Melissa, is usually by his side. Although when I was there it was Eva...

The wait staff and bus boys have to pass Mike every time they put the dishes in the dish room. Mike sees it all. Mike could write a book. But good restaurant owners never do. It's an unwritten rule to not write. And everyone seems to know it. Just look around any great restaurant and you'll know that the patrons know "What happens at ___________, stays at __________". As it should be.

Between the hours of 4 and 6 (or something like that) Mike would always lock the doors and get ready for the evening. I'm not sure what HE did during those hours but I adopted that trade. However, two hours just didn't seem like enough time to get anything accomplished. And if you're going to do something at all you should do it well. For years we were closed from 2-6pm. My staff and most of my customers knew 2-6pm was nap time and don't even think about...But, we are on a courthouse square and we turned away a lot of business during those hours so we had to adjust.

I've said all that to say this: Gus's must have planted a seed in me that took more than water to grow. Even though I was at Gus's some 20+ years ago I can still recall with great detail and clarity many events. Like when one lady had her 40th Birthday party. 40! Wow! That is soooooo old! How is she still walking upright??? OMG! (Of course OMG wasn't a coined phrase back then.) And there were other moments that we can't write about. Because now I'm a restaurant owner and I'm in on the gig.

Let me tell you the gig is fun, exciting, challenging, raw, fresh, frantic, satisfying, heartbreaking, sliding through home base kind of blood pumping thrilling! There is never a dull moment. It's not for the faint of heart. Several people have told me over the years that it takes a special person to own a restaurant. I say nothing a good Cabernet can't fix! It's edgy and exciting and I'm grateful I'm blessed enough to have worked at Gus's and had a seed planted.

But I recently discovered that the first seed was planted years earlier. Before I knew what even a pay phone was! Several years ago someone in my family said "Hmph. You're just like your Granny Jack. You own a restaurant on a courthouse square." I searched my feeble mind and I could not remember it. (I can barely remember to take my thyroid meds.) Then my sister and I got to chatting and it all came back to me, fuzzy but there. Isn't that something? My grandmother managed a restaurant on the courthouse square in Hills boro!

Thanks Granny Jack and thanks Mike.

Crystal’s Patio & Grille
Courthouse Square
Coldspring, TX
936.653.8282
crystalspatioandgrille.com


P.S. If all this chatter about Bar-B-Que has left your mouth waterin and your stomach hungry for some, check out

Ring of Fire BBQ
Hwy 150
Across from Frank’s Liquor in front of the Cowboy Church. They cooked all the BBQ for the Coldspring VFD Fundraiser and it was...

Yummmmmmmmmmm