Patrons are abuzz about the new Graze, which debuted in early June in The Woodlands. Co-owned by chef Craig de Villiers and Damion Scott, the restaurant reopened in the high-profile location along Richmond Road five months after shuttering its much smaller downtown dining room on South Limestone and, subsequently, its original Winchester location, which opened in 2013.
Craig de Villiers
“It breaks all the rules when it comes to the restaurant business,” Scott said of halting operations for nearly half a year. “Our goal was to ... figure out who we are, get our identity set, and take care of the people who work for us.
“We loved Winchester and Combs Ferry because that was our beginning. And we loved South Limestone because it gave us the opportunity to say ‘hey, we can actually make it downtown.’ We just needed more seats.”
Now they have them. The new 3,000-square-foot restaurant, formerly home to The Julep Cup, has been extensively renovated to include a large, open dining room; a bar and cozy lounge area; a private dining room; and a covered patio. The restaurant also features 14 large-screen televisions, a necessity, Scott said, to compete for business during University of Kentucky football and basketball games. Graze is open six nights a week for dinner (every evening except Sunday), with plans to add lunch and brunch service in the coming months.
“The Graze brand is still global comfort food—it’s still chef-inspired—it’s just in a venue where we can reach more people,” Scott said. “We’re a full-fledged business now with a staff bigger than we’ve ever imagined [nearly 40] and more seating.”
That’s not to say that the transition to the new location hasn’t come without a few hiccups, including a walk-in cooler malfunction in mid-June that forced Scott to cancel some early reservations.
“It’s disappointing, but bad things are going to happen—we know that—and some things are going to happen that are out of our control,” Scott said. “Although today is not ideal, I’m still ecstatic because ... the people are very generous and say that they’re going to come back, and we’ll take care of them.”
Seared scallops with edamame cucumber salad and red pepper are on Graze’s debut menu.
Taking good care of guests and facilitating an enjoyable, relaxed and memorable experience is paramount, and that experience begins and ends with the staff, Scott said. The intimate dining room and open kitchen in Graze’s former location also contributed to an inclusive atmosphere, and carrying that feeling over to a larger space again comes down to the staff.
“The Graze brand is still global comfort food—it’s still chef-inspired—it’s just in a venue where we can reach more people." — Graze co-owner Damion Scott
“We didn’t hire restaurant people, per se, for the front of the house. We have some, but we hire nice people with good personalities,” Scott said. “When you walk in, we want you to feel a joyous vibe. That’s very important to us.
“As a manager and owner, one of the most telling experiences ... is the body language and look on the faces of the staff. If they have great posture, if they’re smiling and seem happy and are interacting with each other, it’s like osmosis,” he said. “We want to keep that energy going with every table and ask for honest feedback.”