Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Russell.
Melissa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Since the day we met in 2007, my husband Steve & I shared a love of music. We hosted house concerts in our home for 6 years and dreamed of having a venue someday. In 2014, we bought a weekend home on Round Top, Texas and eventually met some wonderful people out here and ventured to nearby quaint little towns.
Our friends Jeff & Tiffany Eckhardt of Flown the Coop in Burton introduced us to their town in 2016. We fell in love with it! We began to look around and found the most amazing historic buildings, purchased 3 (the inside is opened into 1) in April 2016. We started remodeling in June of 2016. On June 30th, we found out my husband had cancer. You can imagine our devastation. We paused to reflect on going forward with the business. We decided to continue, Steve wanted to see the realization of our place come to life.
We opened in September 2016 with the help of the wonderful community and our amazing friends. Sadly, Steve passed away on January 3, 2017. But, not before he had a chance to open Burton Roadhouse. Since then, I have run the business and provided some wonderful entertainment to our community. We feature a full bar and restaurant making homemade pizza’s, panini sandwiches, soups, & salads. With plans to extend our menu.
We host wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, birthday, holiday, retirement parties as well as class & family reunions. Burton Roadhouse is truly “in the middle of it all” sitting directly between Houston & Austin and San Antonio & Dallas.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not a smooth road. My husband passed away shortly after we opened. Running a business alone while grieving is no easy task. Running a business in a small town has challenges, even a high school football game affects our crowd. Financially, it’s a struggle. We are always brainstorming on how to improve our business & make it stronger. It’s a most unique building & town and we truly believe one day it’ll be a destination place.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Burton Roadhouse – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We’re a music venue that has a bar & restaurant. We specialize in bringing acts from all over the country (we even had one from Ireland) as well as talented local musicians. We’re most proud of our friendly comfortable come as you are the environment. We feel by the time you leave, you’re a friend… maybe even family. We make our pizza from scratch, the dough, and sauce. We’re the only full liquor bar in our town. We have the most amazing & friendly staff!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We are not in Houston. But, I still love Houston! My late husband & I called it “our city”. Love the unique places that Houston has to offer. Love the diversity, arts, restaurants, venues, music, & feel of it all. Hate the traffic!
Contact Info:
- Address: 518 N. Railroad St. Burton, TX 77835
- Website: www.burtonroadhouse.com
- Phone: 979-289-0013
- Email: burtonroadhouse@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burtonroadhouse/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Dixie Hamilton Photo, Kerri Clark Design
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
