Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Lyons.
Aaron, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Austin and went to the University of Texas for undergrad and then later for an MBA. I’m a lifelong entrepreneur that has always enjoyed creating things and watching them come to life. While in college I started and sold a pretty large landscaping business while also working at a couple of tech startups. I got a job as a consultant for one of the largest consulting firms in the country out of undergrad and spend three years there. I basically lived out of a suitcase and ate out for every single meal during that time. It was my frustration with the lack of reasonable and non-chainy restaurants that got me thinking about opening my own restaurant. I applied for business school with the intention of using that time to study the industry and create the business plan, which is exactly what I did. Upon graduating I started raising capital and looking for locations around Austin. Someone with just a business plan and no restaurant experience isn’t exactly what real estate developers wanted to see in such a competitive market so I struck out time after time trying to find a location. That forced me to look at other markets and I ultimately ended up in Houston. We ended up signing a lease for our first location and opened in early 2014. About a year later we opened our second location in Katy. We’re currently under construction at our third location and about to sign a lease for the fourth.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anything but. Constant rejection by investors and real estate developers made it tough early on. Having no money and a ton of debt coming out of business school added to the stress. My wife was 4 months pregnant when we opened the first restaurant and I wasn’t taking a paycheck. All of that, along with the construction delays and difficulty of finding good staff while running dangerously close to running out of money, certainly added a few gray hairs to my head.
Please tell us about Dish Society.
Dish Society is a farm to table restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, supper, and brunch. We source a majority (75%) of everything on our menu from local farmers and ranchers. Our food can best be described as modern twists on traditional favorites with a southern influence. I think we’re probably best known for our brunch. I am most proud of our company because of our relentless pursuit to partner with local purveyors and our ability to continue to source more and more items locally. I think that, along with our amazing team, is what sets us apart from others in our industry. It’s difficult to put it all together, and I think we do a pretty nice job of it.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Raised more money, hired more people, and started with a simplified menu. We were trying to do too much when we opened and while we pulled it off, it certainly could have been easier.
Contact Info:
- Locations:
Galleria Area/Tanglewood
5740 San Felipe
Houston, TX 77057Katy/Cinco Ranch
23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. D100
Katy, TX 77494 - Website: www.dishsociety.com
- Phone: 832.538.1060
- Email: hello@dishsociety.com
- Instagram: @dishsociety
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DishSociety
- Twitter: @dishsociety
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dish-society-houston
Image Credit:
Dragana Harris and Debora Smail
