dallas steakhouse At Nick and Sam’s has a new boss: Sam Romano, son of co-founder Phil Romano, will take over as majority shareholder and general partner.
In a statement, Sam Romano says he is honored to take on this role.
Samir Dhurandhar, partner since the opening of the restaurant, will continue his role as chef.
“My dad created something extremely special and through the hard work and dedication of Samir and our staff, they have made this steakhouse one of the best restaurants in the country,” Sam says. “My goal is to ensure that Nick & Sam’s continues to be a dining staple in Dallas for many generations to come.”
Nick & Sam’s was founded in 1999 by Phil Romano with restaurateur Robert Colombo (Sfuzzi), and is named after their two sons. It was also briefly co-owned by Joseph Palladino, who is still a minority investor.
The restaurant enjoys long-term success thanks to its menu of Prime steaks, Japanese Wagyu, seafood and sushi, as well as a 500-label wine list and attentive customer service. Hopefully that’s enough to hold off their new competitor Maple & Ash, a What If Syndicate (Monarch, Kessaku, Etta) steakhouse, which is opening in the new Maple Terrace development nearby.
Sam grew up in the kitchens of the restaurants his father started and has worked in all areas of the restaurant industry, gaining in-depth knowledge of partners, suppliers and contractors.
A 2018 graduate of Syracuse University, he is also a partner at West Dallas Investments in Trinity Groves and founder-operator of SPRomano Ventures, a venture capital-focused investment firm.
“We are thrilled to have Sam take the reins. He was born for this,” Phil Romano said in a statement. “Sam has excelled in everything he chooses to do in life, in school, in athletics, in business and in his personal life. The time has come for Sam to run the restaurant that bears his name. He has the vision, knowledge, passion and dedication to take what has been built and make it more successful than it has ever been.”
