[caption id="attachment_131862" align="alignright" width="460"]
Michael and Dana Kelly opened the
restaurant in April 2015.[/caption]
With a location tucked away on Market Street, co-owners Michael and Dana Kelly decided to create a new dining concept near the Tomball Historic Depot Plaza to help attract more customers to the area.
“When you’re off the beaten path, you have to become a destination,” Michael said. “You have to offer more than just food—you have to offer the experience.”
The couple opened Brautigams Bar N Grill last April. The Kellys began offering food, drinks and live entertainment to customers as an extension of the atmosphere from their other business, The Empty Glass, located next door.
The restaurant is named in tribute to the Brautigams, one of the founding families of Tomball.
“[With the Brautigam name,] it builds that mystique over time and people realize this isn’t just a Chili’s or an Applebee’s,” Michael said. “It’s a place that’s got some meaning to it that ties back to the history of the community.”
In addition to participating in many of Tomball’s annual city festivals throughout the year, Michael and Dana also wanted to bring an entertainment aspect to the area. Brautigams offers live music on weekends, weeknight happy hours and NFL watch parties during football season.
“Everybody’s looking for some kind of nightlife, and we’re trying to bring more of that to downtown Tomball without people having to go to Houston or The Woodlands,” Dana said.
Brautigams is open for lunch and dinner daily and serves an eclectic
menu, including filet mignon, rainbow trout and chicken cordon bleu, which won best entree at the 2015 Tomball Business and Professional Women Fall Food Fest.
Michael and Dana Kelly opened the
