In 2018, Marty was seated in The Ritz-Carlton during a vacation in San Francisco, the heart of 1845 Taste Texas was born, sketched onto a napkin. A circle with a star around the date 1845, a brand that would one day be burned onto burger buns and wooden cutting boards. Marty and Brian lean back into their chairs and explain, “1845 is the year that we say Texas allowed the other part of the country to join it.” Marty says, glinting a bright smile, “Late December of 1845, Texas became a part of the union. So here in 1845 Taste Texas, we tell the story of Texas.”
At the heart of 1845 are its three owners, Marty Bryan, Alan Mann, and Brian Gasperson. Marty and Brian were old acquaintances and friends from their days working at Outback Steakhouse, while Alan was Marty’s fellow business partner from Cotton Patch Cafe. Brian and Alan, he explains, weed through Marty’s multitude of ideas (too many ideas sometimes, Marty admits laughingly) and bring them to life. While Marty creates the concepts, food and recipes, Brian manages alcohol and vendor relationships and customer relations, and Alan covers the financial and administrative side of the restaurant, keeping them “safe, clean, and legal.”
1845 Taste Texas opened in June of 2020. “Intentionality, work and hustle, and desire, those three things together are what makes this restaurant,” Brian says, “I've learned in my life that most people aren't intentional. We're very intentional about the plates, the lighting, the music, the feeling, the plate presentation, how we give you water. We spend a lot of time just talking to our staff about these decisions. I can promise you there's nobody in the restaurant business in Denton County that has thought about more about every step than us.”
“We are a local, family-owned, Texan, Christian-based company. We're here to give folks an amazing experience. We just want you to come in and escape from your everyday life and enjoy an amazing experience,” Marty says. “And it starts right at the front door,” Brian adds. Intentional excellence lies at the heart of it all, every element telling a Texas story, “We like to say that it’s designed like Dallas, but tastes like Fort Worth.”
“I'm born and raised in Texas. I've been in lots of states and there's nothing like Texas,” Brian says, “I can’t put it in words. People take so much pride in being from the state of Texas. [This restaurant] is just a great way to compliment the whole state.” 1845 Taste Texas is exactly what the name suggests: a taste of Texas. Every detail is designed to be a lover letter to Texas and highlight the love Texans have for their state, from the pork chops, wings, meatballs, salmon, artichokes, and garlic that are smoked in-house to the venison and fried quail combo to Sir Loin, the longhorn mounted on the wall above the bar, to the music of only Texas born musicians that whisper in the moody lighting of the restaurant. 1845 Taste Texas goes beyond the food and is rooted deeply in love for our great Lone Star State.
