At Jack Allen’s Kitchen, you are greeted with pimento cheese and homemade crackers. For Jack Gilmore and Tom Kamm, it’s all about setting the standard within those first few minutes. But their emphasis on hospitality extends far beyond their fresh, locally-sourced menu.
“Our goal is to develop people in the next generation of restauranteurs and wish them the best of luck,” says Kamm. “You have to want to take care of people and create a great work environment. We have over 700 families that are dependent on us and we don’t forget that.”
Despite having made names for themselves in the local restaurant scene, Gilmore and Kamm came from humble beginnings. At 15, Gilmore bussed tables while Kamm faced the Dairy Queen lunch rushes. While both expected to go on different paths in life, the hospitality industry was in their blood.
“Before Jack Allen’s, I had known Tom for 19 years. By year 10, we had planned on opening our own restaurant, but never had the money. In the meantime, we kept learning the craft,” says Gilmore. “We designed restaurants, built them, opened them—all on someone else’s dime. We even went to school on someone else’s dime to know what we needed to do.”
In 2009, following a 15-minute investor meeting, everything fell into place. That August, Gilmore and Kamm found a location. By October, they quit their executive restaurant jobs. And come December, the two were officially owners of their first Jack Allen’s in Oak Hill. Now, 14 years later, they are on track to open their sixth location.
“Each location is positioned about nine miles apart, which is perfect,” says Gilmore. “We don’t want to be the best restaurant in every city—we want to be your favorite. It’s not uncommon for our guests to eat lunch at one restaurant and dinner at another.”
Jack Allen’s is embedded in the community. Gilmore, Kamm, and their teams cultivate that community by supporting local fire departments, police, and military members. Since their start, they have also raised over one million dollars for the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation with proceeds from their queso sales and other community initiatives.
“Last August, right before school started, we even invited every teacher in the community to have free lunch with us,” says Kamm. “It starts with staying humble. In whatever form hospitality takes in the future, it’s still the same.”
Visit JAK in Cedar Park!
At 1345 E Whitestone Blvd, you can look forward to original dishes, frozen margaritas, and top-tier customer service.