Today, we’d like to introduce you to Juan Hernandez.
Hi Juan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Actually, we started on a whim.
Prior to opening the bar in the summer of 2021, I spent the previous nine years working in emergency services, including the City of Austin EMS and the Houston Fire Department. Locally, I worked at stations 27 and 19, just up the road in Denver Harbor and 5th Ward.
My wife, Anatoli (Symeonidis), was a full-time student at UH (go coogs) and operating her family-owned diner restaurant in the midtown/montrose area.
From 2018 to 2020, we found ourselves pretty much helping run the restaurant full-time, on top of
my job in HFD and her schooling.
In March of 2020, during the infamous “COVID lockdowns” we decided to take a break and really focus on what we wanted as a family.
We liked the diner/restaurant life, but we weren’t in love with it. The diner had a small bar and remembered we always enjoyed the conversations and vibes with customers across the bar, it was more personable.
During that same time a lot of bars and restaurants began to close down.
We started to notice a lot of equipment become available. Little by little we began to see how we could use some of those items at the restaurant.
At one point that summer, we had our own storage unit filled with different kinds of equipment/appliances. That’s when we got the idea that maybe we could expand/open another location.
One day in September 2020, we decided to drive around town to check out some possible locations.
That’s when we came across a giant for sale in the parking lot of the then “Texas Bar B Que House”, our predecessor.
We immediately thought “this would be a perfect place for a bar” and without hesitation we contacted the owners.
They were elderly, eager to retire and were more than helpful to help us kick off our new venture. We actually took over the location in October of that year but remained inoperable until June of 2021 completing renovations and getting the ok from the city permit wise. As you can imagine that old building needed a lot of updates.
Our concept obviously revolves heavily around our neighbors, across and down the street, Houston Astros and Houston Dynamo so we decided to maintain that the focus. Luckily for us, 4 months later we found ourselves serving customer in the middle of a WORLD SERIES that year. Although they lost, we got blessed again with another appearance and WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP the following year, 2022.
My wife was also about five weeks postpartum during that game. She said something told her that she had to be there that day the Astros won.
We poured every ounce of energy we had and invested every dollar into our name to get to that point. We sold our home, we sold our vehicle, cashed out our investments, and used my retirement fund…
We have no investors or partners, we had minimal experience operating, we are completely independent. So, for us this has been a fun but scary ride. Thankfully, our ambition and risk has paid off.
We’ve been able to focus on what we set out to obtain, which was more time together and grow our family.
Fast forward, we’ve hosted a ton of different events, from bar holidays like St. Patty’s and Cinco de Mayo to prime time events like PPV UFC and Boxing matches, and what seems like EADO’s specialty. Playoff baseball and soccer.
We’ve built a strong community of new friends/supporters that we’re forever thankful for and honestly That’s what continues to drive us today.
Additionally, in October of 2023, our daughter was born, so investing in the community and continuing to make progress is important to us. With a little luck and lots of hard work, we hope to continue to grow.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road. Physically, that building needed a lot
Of work done to pass inspection, and as we grew, we had to adapt our layout and improve.
Family issues:
Father and grandmother passed away in late 2021
Obstacles:
Managing and growing while simultaneously growing a family
Son born in Sept 2022
Daughter born in Oct 2023
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about the Texas Tailgate Sports Bar Patio?
We’re most known for being a go-to spot for sports events and concerts.
Our curated events, competitive pricing, and the down-to-earth vibe are what keep bringing people back.
We’re not corporate, we’re local, we’re real.
We’re most proud of our team. We have a great staff that people love engaging with.
We’re open for every Astros home game
(We always open 2 hours before any early-day games)
Happy Hour M-F 4-8 pm
No cover PPV
Dog friendly
21+ after 8 pm
Contact Info:
- Website: texastailgatehou.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texastailgatehou?igsh=MW00OGZ6cndib2diNQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texastailgatehou?mibextid=LQQJ4d
