Known to the Greater Houston area as the “home of throw’d rolls,” Potatoe Patch was first opened by Richard and Caroline Schaffer in 1988. While the eatery was originally located in a shopping center farther down the road, Andrews said his grandparents moved the restaurant to its present location on FM 1960 in 2004.
“I grew up here,” Andrews said. “I started off rolling silverware when I was 7 years old.”
After his grandfather died in 2010, Andrews said the restaurant became fairly mismanaged, which is why he decided to step in and buy the restaurant earlier this year.
“I’ve changed everything back to the way my grandpa did it,” he said. “We’ve got better-quality products, better staff and just since August, we’re already got between 28-38% more business than we had last year at this time.”
The eatery features Southern country cooking with dishes including chicken-fried steak, chicken and dumplings, catfish, and pork chops.
“I’ve added some really good steaks to the menu including a black Angus New York strip,” he said. “I’ve got people that come two or three days a week just for that.”
Capitalizing on the tweaks he has already made to the menu, Andrews is planning a complete overhaul of the menu in January as well as a host of renovations to the building itself.
Having served nine years in the U.S. Navy, Andrews said he also offers discounts to first responders, active-duty military and veterans, with plans of adding teacher discounts in the future. Additionally, Andrews said he hopes to open more locations in the Greater Houston area and continue the roll-throwing tradition for generations to come.
“You get to make people happy, and this was my grandfather’s legacy, so it’s good to see that continue, and I’ll be able to build something for my daughter,” he said. “I want to keep this in the family.”
Potatoe Patch
2020 FM 1960, Houston
281-443-3530
www.facebook.com/potatoepatch
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
