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Let's Catch Up!
Well, hello everyone! It has been years since I last engaged guests and friends of Madden's via email, but I am eager to start it up again. I thought for our first email, I would explain how I got here and what is actually going on at The Phillips Event Center and Madden's. I will try to be thorough, and brief. I'll do a few bullet points to simplify the time line and go into more detail as we approach our current status. Here goes!
COVID. That's it, explains everything... haha.
2017: Briarcrest Country Club is donated to the City of Bryan and becomes The Phillips Event Center (PEC) and the Bryan Municipal Golf Course.
In 2021 we had Uri, the big freeze.
Water pipes at The Phillips Event Center (PEC) froze and burst causing substantial damage resulting in a complete remodeling beginning in 2021.
November 2023, I exited MAD taco due to business complications from Covid.
Summer 2024. As a consultant, I engage The Phillips Event Center (PEC) to help them talk through reopening and forming a new identity. The name of the restaurant at that time was 1929 Eats and Drinks (a reference to the address here). For 3-4 weeks we met and discussed different avenues to bring the space back to life after 3+ years of being closed.
November 2024: I contact Micah Turner at the PEC to ask how things are progressing. His response was that they were not progressing as they had hoped and that they lost their chef. I told Micah, I would keep my eyes and ears open for someone to step in.

Now, we move into more detailed explanations. In 2024, my wife, Tara, and I started new journeys. Me as a restaurant consultant and her as a real estate agent with the Keller Williams Shellenberger team, which she absolutely loves. Ultimately, my efforts as a consultant did not work out as well as I had hoped, though they did lead me to the PEC.

At the time Micah told me they had lost their chef, I was not engaged with any clients, so Tara and I spoke and prayed and decided I would offer to be interim chef to help them move their agenda forward and get them fully open. I made the offer and they accepted. Luckily, they also hired a banquet chef, Leo Garcia, at the same time which was really helpful.
So, I started around December 15, 2024. They handed me the 1929 menu and asked if I could get them open with that menu, to which I replied, "of course". I began organizing the kitchen to make if functional, hiring and training staff, building out recipes, etc. On January 3, 2025, the restaurant opened. There was still much to do, including finding my replacement. I continued to massage the processes and daily routines to create efficiency and stability.

Sometime in late January, I was asked if I would consider staying on permanently. I was really reluctant. I was 2 weeks away from my 57th birthday and didn't know if settling into a chef position was the right move. But we kept discussing it, Tara and I kept praying about it, and some time in February, I accepted. Part of those discussions with the PEC focused on how we might change things here to make more of a splash and that's how the thought of a Madden's rebirth came about.
This is seeming longer than I wanted so I'll begin to wrap it up. The decision was made to convert the restaurant to Madden's. I would bring back some of the staple menu items that made Madden's memorable and I would include some MAD taco fare as well... it is all me after all. In April of this year, Madden's was reopened in our restaurant space and we are here for you to enjoy. Last few bullets:
Tomato bisque, poblano soup, bacon-avocado grilled cheese, salmon tostada, cobb salad, meatloaf, fried chicken... they are all here!
We are not private! We have multiple offers: banquet facilities, meeting rooms, bridle suite, public golf course, tennis, etc, but Madden's is open to the public.
We are a public facility!
Anyone can come to Madden's!
This is not a private club, WE ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Ok, now that that is cleared up, I'll say one more thing. It has been wonderful to see old friends and renew the bonds that brought us together at Madden's in downtown Bryan. Please ask for me if you ever come in, I would love to see you again.

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