As I approached the Lake House I couldn’t help but notice the great big weathered big blue doors, as I opened them John was waiting at the bar. It’s a nice open area with fun lake house white rock paraphernalia hanging on the walls. The neighborhood’s favorite lake house isn’t on a lake!
We introduced ourselves and I delved into my questions I had prepared.
Q – What made you want to open a restaurant so close to White Rock Lake?
JS – I just love East Dallas and White Rock Lake, it makes you feel like you’re in the country and far away from the city. I truly care about the community here, the people have and they have so much character. I grew up around here, so its home.
Q – What would you say % of your business is from local athletes?
JS – I would say about 50% of it. When the springtime, summer time & early fall hits it’s more than 50%. The runners are really dialed into this area, we get Social Run Groups, Training Groups that do their start and finish here because the White Rock Lake trail is just right around the corner.
We get a lot of cyclist too, there is a bike shop right behind us that really is nice the support we have for one another.
Q – What is your favorite part about serving this part of the town?
JS – I love the customers! They’re laid back, friendly and active. This is a place where you can bring your friends, family and kids to and all have a great time.
Q – You’ve adjusted your menu since you’ve opened, what are your customers interested in?
JS – There is something for everyone at the Lake House. I listen to the customers, when something is being repeated over and over I know I need to adjust things! Traffic also dictates the direction too.
Weekdays- we have nightly specials, check out our Facebook/Instagram pages for daily updates!
Weekends- we have a great brunch menu with mimosa, carafe & bloody mary specials.
Q – Do you run/bike or other? (John was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 3 years ago)
JS – I love to run, my number one thing is I’m very active. I run twice a week 5 miles at a time and I cross train in between my runs. (The Lake House on Feb 9th is hosting Kiss Goodbye to MS starting at noon.)
Q – How many years have you been in business?
JS – 6 years, in fact March 30th we are having a 6 year party!
Q – What is your background in the restaurant industry?
JS – I was with The barley House for 12 years (but even with all that experience under his belt, he admits he had no idea what it would be like owning a restaurant.)
Q – What is your favorite thing on the menu?
JS – Right now it’s the Caprese Salad, it’s what I can eat with my diet restraints and I always love the Salmon.
Q – Are you a Brunch, Lunch or Dinner type of guy?
JS – Dinner!
Q – I noticed you have a lot of local breweries on tap, do you predominately have local beers?
JS – I would say 70% of the beer is from local breweries, I like supporting the local community, we have some of the best breweries around too.
Q – What do you like to do in off time and in general?
JS – I love to travel, boxing, working out, and cross training.
Q – How did you come up with the menu?
JS – Believe it or not some of my good buddy’s came to my house and we sat in my living room, it was throwing a large net out there, we just all started with our ideas on recipes and dishes!
Q – Advice in life, business, sports???
JS – Learn from your mistakes, always turn a difficult situation into a positive, don’t always listen to reviews decide for yourself, support the local community, you need thick skin in the restaurant business and as for me, I just like to make people happy.
Conclusion
John is a fun, true, sports minded, hardworking creative restaurant owner who wants the best experience for his customers!
You Can Find Lake House at Too Cold To Hold on Feb 16th & Check them out on Facebook and Instagram!
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