Growing up, when Gary Adair and his cousins would make too much noise around their great uncle, he would say, “Shoo, you skeeters.”

“That name just became sort of a family name for all young children,” Adair said. “It’s always been part of our family lexicon.”

Adair, who opened Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill in The Woodlands over 20 years ago and has been in the restaurant industry since he was 15, made this endearing term the root of his family-friendly restaurant business. 

“Parents sometimes are scared to death to bring their kids out because they’re going to spill stuff and make noise,” Adair said. “We knew at Skeeter’s that was OK. We fell into a neat little niche of families with young people.”

A Houston native, Adair worked as a busboy in high school and as a bartender and waiter while attending the University of Houston.

“I had no thought of getting into the restaurant business,” Adair said. “I did it because it was a great college job. When I [graduated], my degree was in marketing, and I got a job downtown like you’re supposed to.”

The original of four Greater Houston area Skeeter’s locations opened in 1988 in the West University area. The Woodlands location opened in 1993.

“There aren’t very many restaurants in the Houston—or even The Woodlands—area that are 20 years old—that are 10 years old,” Adair said. “I think the reason for that is they don’t stay current.”

The menu at Skeeter’s changes as often as necessary to cater to each location’s customers, Adair said. Some of the most popular menu items include cheeseburgers, salads, grain bowls and fajitas. Weekly specials include Taco Tuesday, Burger Friday and a weekend breakfast buffet.

“We know what our core things are,” Adair said. “The cheeseburger is still our No. 1 seller. Kids meals are still a big part of this restaurant. But, if we’re going to get a young mom and her kids, the young mom today that’s 30 years old eats healthier than my wife did with our kids. We just learn.”

Adair said he is working to make Skeeter’s menu options a little healthier. Menu items are always made from scratch, and it will always be a burger joint, he said. However, Adair hopes to attract more health-conscious customers in the future by providing popular healthy menu items, such as grain bowls, made with rice, beans and fresh vegetables.

Although the menu may change, the community feel at Skeeter’s in The Woodlands does not, Adair said. From welcoming sports teams and school groups to young families and business people, the restaurant has been a staple in The Woodlands area since it opened, he said.

“From the get-go, The Woodlands adopted us, and they still do,” Adair said. “Over all that time, it has just been the neatest thing. We have so many friends up here and people that have been so good to the restaurant.”