Scott Pontikes and his brother, Chris, own all five Scotty P’s locations in Collin County. In each location, the walls are lined with large, historic photographs that are a nod to the history of that city and the Pontikes family.

Scott opened the first Scotty P’s in Frisco in 1999, and by doing so he fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning his own restaurant. He opened the McKinney location in February 2005.

Working in the restaurant business is a family tradition. Scott and Chris’ father, Michael Pontikes, worked from a young age in taverns and bakeries. Michael, who died in 2010, spent close to 64 years of his life in the restaurant business, including helping his sons open their own restaurant.

“It’s been a family affair since the start,” Chris said. “And what he instilled in us was hard work and an old-school style that has made our business successful.”

Scott and Chris said one of those old-school methods is that everything has to be fresh.

“With the influx of new [businesses] coming into the marketplace, that’s their big selling point, that everything is fresh, but that’s the way it’s always been for us,” Scott said.

Scott said some of the most popular dishes include the Green Chile Burger ($8.99), served with fire-roasted Hatch green chiles, pepper jack cheese and onion strings; and the Chris P. Chicken Tenders ($8.99), hand-breaded chicken tenders served with fries.

After their first location in Frisco, the brothers opened locations in McKinney, Allen, Plano and Garland.

“The progression [of these towns] made sense for us,” Chris said. “All these towns were built on the backs of the people who lived in those communities. And we knew the communities were similar to one another, so our family-oriented concept works in each one.”