Brian Strange is president of Don Strange of Texas, the iconic catering company that has been in his family for decades. He said that while the restaurant and catering industries look similar, they are completely different ventures.When Brian Strange took over his family’s business, the Don Strange of Texas catering company, after his father died in 2009, he became the third generation to lead it.
Another venture, the Lazo with Don Strange restaurant at the Estancia del Norte hotel near the airport, didn’t work out. Strange had licensed the business’ name for the restaurant, and he helped set it up and train the staff. But it closed in September, even after earning enthusiastic reviews. “I learned pretty quickly that I did not want to be a rock and roll promoter. But I learned a whole bunch,” he said. “I was able to bring the knowledge of how do you produce some entertainment and an event. We were primarily, at the time, just doing food, drinks, that kind of stuff.”
Q: Are the Grill Pardner and your other ventures efforts to create revenue streams to cushion the downturns?I don’t know if I’d go exactly in that direction. When my dad died in ’09, the global vision was, “Everybody needs a little Don Strange in their life. And if you have a little bit of Don Strange going, your day’s just going to be a little bit better.” Is that through an event? Is that through our food? Is that through the Grill Pardner? There’s no rules.