Today we’d like to introduce you to Trace Catlin.
Trace , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 2012 my wife and I decided to take a train ride on the Austin Steam Train out of Cedar Park. We are from Houston, so it was a nice getaway weekend. We arrived at the town of Burnet, never heard of it nor been here before. As we walked the Historic Town Square, we noticed that the only place to eat was at a girly tearoom called Tea-licious. I was not too excited to eat there so we kept walking. There was nowhere else to eat so we went back and lucky for me they served burgers. As we dined at our table the owner stopped by to check on us. I noticed that he made his own pickles and jarred them. My business in Houston was to find and market new food items. As we talked, i asked him about his pickles and if he would be interested in expanding his distribution? At some point i mentioned that we were thinking about moving out of Houston and to the country somewhere. He said that he was ready to retire and if we wanted to move to Burnet, he would sell us the restaurant at a good price. My wife and I discussed and prayed about it on our train ride home. We decided that we would put our Houston home on the market at a premium price (during the housing market crash of 2013) and see if we could sell. If we did, we would move, if not, we would stay. The tearoom owner gave up 4 months to sell and move to Burnet or he would offer the tearoom to someone else. Low and behold we sold our house in 6 weeks, so off we went to Burnet to buy our 1st restaurant. My wife and I have an inside joke of “this is crazy”. We have now been in Burnet for 12 years and have been featured in magazines regionally and nationally as well as featured on the hit TV show Texas Country Reporter. Our restaurant was named in a community contest and the winner named us Trailblazer Grille because not only did we blaze a trail into Burnet with a new restaurant with great food, live entertainment, we also revived the Historic Town Square, we are located on the street that was the trail to the train depot that farmers would ride their horse and buggy to so they could pick up their supplies off the train whenever it arrived. The name was a perfect fit. We are now a destination stop for anyone traveling to the Hill country. They definitely come for the Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Fried Steak.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We had never owned a restaurant so there was a big learning curve and many challenges, Luckily, I inherited a pretty good staff that was able to help me get adjusted in the early days. It took years before people realized we were no longer a tearoom but now we are an anchor to our town.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Connoisseurs, Inc?
In Houston I had my own consulting firm that sought out new food items to market and introduce into distribution. I started regionally but quickly expanded globally.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
God deserves all the credit. He kept me sane and brought the right people to me at the right time. My wife, for allowing me to work day and night to make the restaurant work and the many nights I slept at the restaurant to get more done.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.TrailblazerGrille.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailblazergrille/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TRAILBLAZERBURNET
