Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan and Jennifer Meaux.
Dan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was attending college at USL in Lafayette when I started working as a server in a Hilton Hotels restaurant. I fell in love with the restaurant business and switched my major to restaurant management. The program at UL, formally USL, was somewhat weak and I had heard that UH had one of the top programs in the country for restaurant management. I transferred to UH in 1991. I worked for Pappas Seafood all through college learning great management skills. I then went on to Boston Market where I was general manager of three different restaurants. My goal was to own my own restaurant.
In 2004, I opened a very small Drive Thru Only crawfish restaurant. It was extremely slow the first couple years but through hard work and perseverance, it took off and I soon outgrew that location. I purchased the property of my current location and built a restaurant with an occupancy of 75 people. We added on every year and now seat about 350 people. My wife, Jennifer, was able to quit her job of 15 years and come to work with me full time. Our three kids and son in law also work with us. We employ about 85 people each season. We are extremely blessed with our success and can proudly say we boil more crawfish than any other location in the country. On an extremely busy day, we boil and serve 6000 lbs of crawfish for our dine in and togo customers. We never dreamed we could get to this level and we thank God for His abundant favor on us and our business.
Has it been a smooth road?
We were the first “Togo Only” crawfish restaurant in Harris County. That’s what the Health Inspector told me when he gave me my permit. People weren’t trusting us in the beginning and hesitant to give us a try. During the second season, we added a few tables and our business started to take off. Our third season really took off. Now, our biggest struggle is parking. We have purchased two other adjoining properties for more parking but it’s still not enough.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Crawfish Shack story. Tell us more about the business.
Crawfish Shack is a Cajun seafood restaurant. We specialize in authentic Louisiana boiled crawfish, We also serve boiled shrimp and snow crabs, and gumbo, red beans and rice with sausage and crawfish etouffee. We also serve kids meals. A big part of our business is our fun atmosphere. It’s all patio dining, with good music playing and were also BYOB, We’re most proud of our success and the volume of crawfish we serve. We’ve been #1 in Texas for nine years and now we even serve more crawfish than any place in Louisiana, and that’s where all the crawfish come from. I think what sets us apart is our premium low salt seasoning. It has 18 ingredients and I’ve changed the recipe about 13 times. Our flavor is the best…IMO. Well, in many opinions. We are also often ranked #1 for the best crawfish in the Houston area.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I feel the demand for crawfish will stay very strong. There were only about 15-20 places in the Houston area serving crawfish when I moved here in 1991. Now I would say there are around 300 There are 6 in this small town of Crosby. I expect a gradual growth going forward.
Contact Info:
- Address: We are located at 5822 FM 2100 Crosby, TX 77532
- Website: www.crawfishshack.com
- Phone: 281-462-2121
- Email: danmeaux@crawfishshack.com
- Instagram: @crawfishshack
- Facebook: Crawfish Shack
- Twitter: @crawfishshack
- Yelp: Crawfish Shack
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