Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Houck.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Many people in Marietta and the surrounding area remember my flagship restaurant, Houck’s Steak & Seafood, on Paper Mill Road in East Cobb County that I opened in 1992. Prior to that, I along with my college roommate, co-founded the Ernie’s Steakhouse chain where we went on to build twelve restaurants.
Houck’s Grille is the 14th restaurant I have opened over the last 30 years (I started young) and I can tell you that this one is the most exciting for me and certainly the busiest openings we have had to date.
When we decided to re-open Houck’s, it was really important to me that many of the things that we found successful back in the 80s and 90s were kept around. That’s why we continue to feature live music every weekend, we still have our famous fried shrimp, you always eat free on your birthday, and we specialize in private events. We just celebrated our one year anniversary on December 3rd and we have a huge 2017 ahead of us as well.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A lot has changed since 2000 when I sold the last of my restaurants. Think about it…back then there was no Facebook, no internet (not as we know it today), no Food Network, no cell phones with cameras to post on Instagram while at the table, gluten was a word I’d never heard before!
Were there struggles, sure! That’s why I partnered with Allen Barnhart and Chad Barnicoat to make sure that we tackled these issues head on. A lot has changed since 2000, but we have done an unbelievable job of making sure that when you come to Houck’s, whether you’ve been to one of my previous restaurants or not, you experience what everyone did at our previous restaurants: a good time!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We really specialize in three things and we do them all very well. We put out food that exceeds expectations, we feature local entertainment weekly, and we are the best place in Roswell to host events.
What were you like growing up?
Ever see the movie Dennis the Menace? That was me.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10930 Crabapple Rd
- Website: www.houcksgrille.com
- Phone: 770-993-8000
- Email: houcks@houcksgrille.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houcksgrille
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/houcks-grille-roswell
