Indisputably, Al Biernat was the maestro of Dallas’ hospitality scene from 1998 until his passing last November. 1998 was the year that he leased the space on Oak Lawn from two other hospitality industry icons, Gene Street and Phil Cobb, to open his namesake restaurant.
Al’s nephew, Brad Fuller, was named Assistant GM and Miguel Cauich started as a Line Cook. And now, 26 years later, Brad is taking over the reigns as Director of Operations and Miguel Cauich has served as Executive Chef for more than a decade.
The restaurant, at the edge of Highland Park and Uptown, is still a hotspot all these years later.
Many members of Al’s “fine dining orchestra” have been part of the restaurant’s success since the start. Along with Al, Brad and Miguel, the 25th Anniversary Celebration recognized some 14 other staff members with 18 or more years history as part of “Al’s Family” who are still associated with the team.
How Al Biernat’s Became a Nexus of Dallas Restaurant History
Al was keenly adamant that each section of his orchestra played in harmony. The chef is the composer, creating intricate culinary pieces. The waitstaff are the performers, ensuring that each dish is presented to the guest at the perfect moment, with grace and knowledge. The ambiance — lighting, music, and decor — is like the backdrop of a theater, setting the mood and enhancing the overall experience.
The goal is to evoke emotion, create lasting memories, and leave the audience — or the diners — feeling like they’ve experienced something truly special and unique. This feeling of warmth can only be delivered when it’s genuine and comes from the heart.
Mentors and Mentoring—How it All Came to Be
Al didn’t know that the restaurant industry would be his life calling when he began working at age 15. He started as a dishwasher and busboy at an Elias Brothers Big Boy Restaurant his native town of Detroit. He was keenly driven to pursue his passion for skiing at that time. So, at 18, he landed in Aspen, Colorado. But to support his skiing habit, he needed a job. So, Al worked the oyster bar at the famed nightclub Paragon.
Then on a trip to New York City, and after a visit to The Palm restaurant there, Al first witnessed the magic orchestrated there by Wally Ganzi, Jr. At that instant in New York, Al knew that he wanted to be part of the effort and energy to deliver the fine dining experience in such a grandiose fashion.
Ganzi would become Al’s lifelong mentor. When Al asked him for a job, Ganzi said if he’d move to California he could have a job at The Palm Hollywood. So he moved to Los Angeles and went to work. The young and determined Al worked his way up from busboy to eventually become manager. Al was then tapped to open The Palm in Houston and later Dallas’ Palm Restaurant. And it was here in Texas that Al met his future wife, Jeannie.
Under Al’s direction, the Texas Palm locations soon became known as the “see-and-be-seen” dining establishments, where power lunches and intimate dinners alike brought in elite residents and visiting celebrities. The Palm indeed ruled the dining scene throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990’s.
“I Got Caught up in the Energy of Each Night”–Brad Fuller
Brad was still in high school when he started visiting Dallas from Michigan. Working at The Palm alongside his own mentor, “Uncle Al, ” Brad had his own epiphany. Even as a busboy, Brad said he felt a part of the “magic on the floor.” “Getting through the shift and seeing happy customers leave at the end of the night was like being part of the cast of a performance,” said Brad. Even as he started his college years, he continued the trips down to Texas from Michigan. He remembers spending every winter and summer break at The Palm.
“I remember I was working one summer at The Palm when I learned that Uncle Al was opening his restaurant on Oak Lawn.” A few days later, Al asked Brad about becoming his Assistant GM. “He said, ‘Is this really what you want? Do you have the passion to do this?’” And of course, Brad’s answer was a resounding YES!
While patrons only feel the thrill of experiential fine dining, we all know that that there is a lot of hard work and obstacles to overcome behind the scenes to deliver it. Even for the experienced Al, with his extreme attention to detail, the first couple of years were hard. But with the help of his wife, Jeannie, and their team, he persevered.
Soon, the Who’s Who of Dallas had a new hangout.
An article published in D Magazine years ago said, “The bar is for first-timers checking out the place and cougars looking for the kill. Visiting celebrities like the placement, and the protection, of certain booths where they can watch the crowds file in but go relatively unnoticed. Those seeking more privacy retreat to the secluded space in the back of the restaurant, where a quiet meal can be had by drawing the curtains. And the see-and-be-seen crowd, likes the tables front and center, including one dubbed ‘billionaire booth.’”
“More Than a Great Steakhouse”
Al always said that the toughest challenge was to constantly reinvent the dining experience to retain that aura and the clientele who seek it. But with the phrase he coined, “More Than a Great Steakhouse” as a guiding principle, the restaurant retained its iconic status year after year.
In October of 2017, Al Biernat’s opened a second location. The newest addition to the family of restaurants at 5251 Spring Valley Road in North Dallas is twice as big as the original location. With 12,000 square feet, it boasts two bars, 5 private dining spaces, a subterranean wine cellar, and three fireplaces. Under the direction of Executive Chef Luis Rodriguez,
Al Biernat’s North has developed an equal reputation for being “More Than a Great Steakhouse.” (Rodriguez, by the way, also started as a Line Chef at the Oak Lawn location some years ago!)
Al’s legacy illustrates that delivering the experience that customers have so long enjoyed means day-in and day-out oversight and evaluation. His love of interacting with his customers made them comfortable giving feedback to a guy who they considered far more than just a business acquaintance. The tenured waitstaff built the same type of relationships with customers. In the caring environment nurtured by the maestro of hospitality, each staff member still takes personal ownership of their clients’ experience as the legacy continues.
Being “More Than a Great Steakhouse” Means Loyal Vendor Relationships
Certainly, attention to detail is also about procuring the best of the best in food resources and staying current with trends in food. Loyalty is also important. Brad reiterates, “If we ran out of lemons, we could count on our produce supplier to hotspot them to us. And if he was not pleased with the produce he had in immediate stock, he would drop everything to source whatever we need from the local farmer’s market.”
Having a sommelier capable of curating a top-notch wine list is also part of being “More Than a Great Steakhouse.” But personality is equally important for such an aficionado. Al Biernat’s Wine Program is managed by Miguel Arias at the Oak Lawn location and Brian Hardin at its North location. Each list offers a broad range of vineyards, varietals and vintages all of which are personally selected by Miguel and Brian. And both relish interacting with the customers to help them select the perfect wine to accompany their meal.
Every Relationship Matters
While the restaurant floor is their “work living room,” Brad speaks of how his uncle and mentor also set an example of “family first.” Al and Jeannie’s long-term marriage certainly upholds that example. And Brad tells stories of large reunions held each time the family favorite (Uncle Al) went back to Michigan to visit Grandmother Biernat. And, of course, these celebrations always centered around food!
The “family first” example rubs off on Brad, too. He married his wife Cassie the same year that Al Biernet’s opened in 1998. And Brad and Cassie have raised two sons. The eldest is attending college and the youngest is now a senior at Highland Park High School.
Relationships with co-workers and clients over the years developed into similarly strong bonds. This gave Al the confidence to semi-retire a few years ago. Assured that his restaurants were in the capable hands of all those that he had personally mentored, Al began planning his full retirement.
The Hands of Fate Stepped In To Speed Up the Plan
Al began to experience some unusual symptoms in the Spring of 2023. It began with twitching in the muscles that control speech and swallowing. In February 2024, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease). The outpouring of support from his family and community was nothing short of amazing.
One afternoon, Brad was paged at the restaurant. There was a phone call from Wally Ganzi to check to see if Brad if was fully committed to keep Al’s treasure alive for at least another 25 years. Brad assured Wally that he was ready to step up to the lead role at the restaurants. And his cousins (Al and Jeannie’s children) would also become involved with the business. Together, Brad, along with his cousins Kaitlin Biernat Connell and Jess Biernat, will ensure it remains a strong family-run operation.
“I didn’t know much about ALS before my uncle was diagnosed,” said Brad. “But so many of our clients have told stories about their own family members and friends who have suffered from it. It was tragic to watch the two things that Al loved most—talking to people and savoring fine foods—taken from him by this disease.”
Al’s Last Post
Before signing off of Facebook just this last September, because he no longer had the strength or dexterity in his hands to post or respond, Al posted: “My prayer is that God will give a team of medical researchers the Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding to find a cure to this cruel disease that is affecting more people every year. Sure, I want a miracle for myself, but I want that for everyone who is struggling with this disease. Awareness is the key to finding a cure.”
The ALS website states: Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS and someone passes away from it. This fatal disease can strike anyone at any time. It takes away the freedom to walk, to talk, to run and dance. To laugh. To hug. To eat. To breathe. We fight to give that independence back – and help empower people to live life to the fullest.
The ALS Association leads the way in global research and helps 30,000 Americans living with ALS. Your gift will help find a cure for ALS, while providing care and support to families right here in your community. Visit www.als.org/support/states/texas to donate or learn more about resources.
