Steakhouse News
Dallas steakhouse Nick & Sam's has a major shakeup in ownership
Dallas steakhouse Nick & Sam's has a new boss: Sam Romano, the son of co-founder Phil Romano, will take over as majority owner and general partner.
In a statement, Sam Romano says he's honored to step into the role.
Samir Dhurandhar, who has been a partner since the restaurant opened, will continue in his role as chef.
"My father has created something extremely special and with the hard work and dedication from Samir and our staff they have made this steakhouse into one of the best restaurants in the country," Sam says. "My goal is to make sure Nick & Sam's continues to be a staple of Dallas dining for many generations to come."
Nick & Sam's was founded in 1999 by Phil Romano with restaurateur Patrick Colombo (Sfuzzi), and named for their two sons. It was also briefly co-owned by Joseph Palladino, who is still a minority investor.
The restaurant has enjoyed long-term success due to its menu of Prime steaks, Japanese Wagyu, seafood, and sushi, plus a wine list of 500 labels, plus attentive customer service. Hopefully sufficient to keep their new competitor Maple & Ash, a steakhouse from What If Syndicate (Monarch, Kessaku, Etta), opening at the new Maple Terrace development nearby, at bay.
Sam grew up in the kitchens of restaurants his father created, and has worked in all areas of the restaurant industry, gaining inside knowledge of partners, vendors, and contractors.
A 2018 graduate of Syracuse University, he's also a partner in West Dallas Investments at Trinity Groves and founder-operator of SPRomano Ventures, an investment company focused on venture capital.
"We are excited for Sam to take the reins. He was born for this," Phil Romano says in a statement. "Sam has excelled in everything he has chosen to do in life, in school, in athletics, in business and in his personal life. The time is right for Sam to lead the restaurant that is named after him. He has the vision, knowledge, passion and dedication to take what has been built and make it more successful than it has ever been."
