Chip Jackson, founder of Tewbeleaux's Sports Bar & Grill, said he worked in real estate in 2008 when the economy was in a recession. Jackson said he sized up what venture might be successful in his hometown of Spring. He said he was inspired by the idea of starting a restaurant and left real estate to open a sports bar.

"I knew the growth of the area, and I also understood there was a need for something other than fast food and Chinese restaurants," Jackson said.

Jackson said he knew he did not want his sports bar to have an ordinary menu. He uses fresh ingredients for his Cajun-inspired menu, which includes chicken wings, Boudin Balls and Gator Bites. His kitchen staff comes in each morning to prepare the products for the day.

"I know that if you do food, it needs to be done well," Jackson said.

A popular event at Tewbeleaux's is the spicy wing challenge. The wings are slathered in a sauce that scores a 9 million on the Scoville meter, which measures how spicy a particular pepper is. The highest total on the Scoville meter is about 16 million with Tabasco sauce scoring about 600.

The participants of the challenge have to eat 10 wings with nothing but water to drink. Challengers have to wait 10 minutes after eating the wings to drink anything else.

"We have folks sign a waiver prior to the challenge," Director of Marketing Shannon Parker said.

General Manager Drew Millican said he worked at the Carlton Woods Country Club in The Woodlands two years ago. When Jackson offered him the job to run Tewbeleaux's, Millican said he jumped at the opportunity.

Millican said he knew he had a chance to make a difference at independently owned Tewbeleaux's. He can make decisions on the menu and the entertainment based on what his customers tell him.

"It's hard to do that with a corporate place—to cater to the region that you're in," Millican said. "I'm able to give way more."

Tewbeleaux's offers live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, bingo on Tuesdays and trivia on Wednesday nights. Each day of the week offers specials, such as happy hours, $2 domestic pints and on Mondays kids eat free until 9 p.m.

"We like to be known as the 'Cheers' environment," Jackson said. "People enjoy personal service."

Parker can attest to the personal level of service at Tewbeleaux's. She said customers know they can order what they like even if it is not on the menu.

"We like to make someone satisfied," she said. "We have a customer that orders a hot dog with a fried egg on top."

What does 'Tewbeleaux's' mean?

Owner Chip Jackson said that when he was growing up, he played street football, but his mother would not let him tackle other players. He and his friends had to play two-hand-touch below the waist. Since Tewbeleaux's serves Cajun-inspired food, the name is a Cajun turn on the spelling.