Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Homola.
Chuck, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We started working on the concept for Steam Theory Brewing Company over 4 years ago. My business partner Jonathan Barrows and I have been developing the concept ever since. We originally met at the North Texas Home Brew Association in north Dallas about 5 years ago. It was clear early on that we both were driven towards the commercial side of craft brewing.
We are both passionate about having an impact on the local craft brewing scene in Dallas. This concept is all about bringing balance to the brewpub concept and blending that with a focus on seasonality for both the food and beers we offer. We are planning to tie that in with session ability for the beers. The ultimate goal is to provide cuisine that lies between gastro and pub food but with some very unique twists and combinations. We are targeting to have 24 of our own beers on tap. We will be brewing on both a 15 barrel brewhouse and 1 barrel pilot system.
We are will also provide a wine and a full bar for our patrons. We are in the final design phase with our architects and plan to start construction in June with an opening targeted before the end of the year. We have 8000 square feet in the latest development in Trinity Groves. There will be plenty of convenient parking for our patrons – which was a key concern of ours due to the parking fatigue that is plaguing many area of Dallas these days.
We have our key players on board and our exec chef and brew master are hard at work on refining the concepts. We are planning collaborative beers with both local and national breweries. There is also an intensive plan for taking beer and food pairings to new heights. We have two Certified Cicerones already on staff and will provide training to our staff to gain Cicerone certifications going forward.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. We originally planned to open up on lowest Greenville, but we were met with a lot of resistance from the neighborhood when we tried to create additional parking in the area. There was a long battle with city which we ultimately won with the Board of Adjustments, but then we were thrown into litigation that we could take the time to fight, so we had to move on.
We then looked at several properties in Deep Ellum, West Dallas and Downtown Dallas, but each had issues with parking, zoning or issue with the property layout and/or cost of rent.
We finally signed a lease at Cypress of Trinity Groves and it was our 7th location we looked into – so I guess this is lucky number 7!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Steam Theory Brewing Company – what should we know?
First off – we are not yet open. The planned open date is late this year. We are focused on blending a mid-upscale restaurant with a full production craft brewery. We taking a balanced approach between the food and beer. There will be a strong emphasis in pairings between the two. We will also be rotating the menus as the seasons change to ensure we are providing options that fit our changeable climate.
We will be serving most of our beers in-house, but you can get growlers and crawlers to go. We may do some self-distribution of kegs to local retailers if we can spare the beer.
From the beer perspective, we will reign in it a bit to focus more on traditional styles, more sessionable beers and seasonal selections. We will do a few crazy one-off beers – but that is not our mainstay.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We are highly focused on quality in both the food and beer coupled with a well-trained serving staff. We will offer a large selection of our own beers – up to 24 at a time and serve wine along with a full bar.
Pricing:
- Menu items with range from $8 to $35
- Our in-house beers with run around $6 per serving
Contact Info:
- Address: 340 Singleton
Suite 103, Dallas, TX 75212 - Website: www.steamtheorybrewing.com
- Phone: 469-867-2455
- Email: contact@steamtheorybrewing.com
- Instagram: steamtheorybrewing
- Facebook: Steam Theory Brewing Company
- Twitter: @steamtheorybrew
- Yelp: Steam Theory Brewing Company
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