Robert and Suzie Lau, Owners of Theo’s Bar and Grill
Available at: https://www.theosgrillandbar.net/
Address: 107 NW 8th St, Grand Prairie, TX 75050
The owners moved from New York to the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. Their good friend Theo asked Robert and Suzie Lau to partner with him in his restaurant business, and they agreed. After a few years, the Lau’s opened their own hamburger restaurant in downtown Dallas. They did extremely well in that area; however, as the Dallas restaurant industry grew, their lease wasn’t renewed because they wanted the franchise money, not small businesses such as the Lau’s burger joint.
Next, Robert was extended the opportunity to learn how to cook comfort food from his friend, Steve Cannon. He owned Mama’s Daughters’ Diner, a comfort food restaurant. Cooking this style of food was harder than making burgers, and this is where they learned how to make all the dishes served today at Theo’s. Eventually, they purchased a former Mama Daughter restaurant in Oak Cliff, which they changed the name to Tops Cafe. Next, they purchased another restaurant franchise, but shortly after, Theo reached out to Robert and asked if he wanted to take over because of a family emergency.
From that point, the Lau family took over and created a restaurant that served American comfort food. They changed the menu and before long people were lined up to eat at Theo’s while the entire Lau family worked and greeted the people. The cooks and servers have become the extended part of their family. While I was there, I heard the owners and servers call people by name. I met Bruce, who is a 94-year-old man, and he wore a military hat with great pride. It was inspiring to see people of many racial backgrounds walk into the place and be welcomed by the owners and customers as well. I’m an African American woman and each time I entered and exited the door, an older white gentleman opened and closed the door for me. America could learn a valuable lesson by simply going to Theo’s and having lunch. It totally blew me away because it was like Utopia. This is the America that we all miss, where everybody is family and respected no matter what! You should plan to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Theo’s in Grand Prairie for comfort food and Utopia.
