FSR September 2022

OntheRise BY BEN COLEY

SanAntonio’sRed ‘Haute’ RestaurantGroup

Southerleigh Hospitality Group continues to build its portfolio, from French brasserie to brewpub to fast-casual pizzeria. FRENCH EXPAT JÉRÔME SÉROT, cofounder and leader of strategic busi ness development for San Antonio– based Southerleigh Hospitality Group, says the company is in the business of checking boxes—access, pricing, qual ity, consistency, and sincerity. The last of those descriptors speaks closely to how Jeff Balfour, cofounder and executive chef, approaches culinary innovation. As a Texas native, he recalls growing up on the Gulf Coast and tak ing summer trips to San Antonio. Those types of childhood memories and gen uine connections are what he hopes to spark as visitors enter Southerleigh’s col lection of restaurants. The success of this approach speaks for itself. The group’s first brand, South erleigh Fine Food & Brewery, has earned $41 million in revenue over the past seven years—the highest of any culi nary concept at Pearl, a historical district and cultural hub in San Antonio that fea tures more than 22 acres of shops, res taurants, and businesses, and nearly 3,000 parking spots. “When the food is good and the next time you come, the food is still good and you like it and you’re in a fun envi ronment and it doesn’t break the bank, then people keep coming back. We love that,” Sérot says. “When you truly love what you do and when you’re truly sin

ESTABLISHED : 2015 FOUNDERS: Jeff Balfour, Jérôme Sérot, Philippe Placé, Allison Balfour HQ: San Antonio UNITS: 4 CUISINE: 2 Southern, 1 French, 1 brewery

SOUTHERLEIGH HOSPITALITY’S FRENCH-FOCUSED BRASSERIE MON CHOU CHOU MIXES UP ‘LE BRUNCH’ PROGRAMWITH CAVIAR.

cere about how you approach a business exchange with customers, it shows. And the formation of Southerleigh is based on that.” Southerleigh Fine Food is housed in what used to be Pearl’s Brewhouse, built in 1894. By 1916, the venue became the largest brewery in Texas and was the only one in San Antonio to survive pro hibition. The menu marries Balfour’s experiences from coastal Galveston, Texas, with comforting Southern cui sine, including Fried Snapper Throats, Antelope Tartare, and Galveston Bay Shrimp Boil. The restaurant group repeated its tri umphs with the debut of two additional concepts in 2020—Brasserie Mon Chou Chou and Southerleigh Haute South. The former highlights Southerleigh’s

French roots. In France, restaurants use the term brasserie to describe an infor mal and casual setting in comparison to the more upscale locations typically associated with the cuisine. “Chou chou” is a term of endearment in French; your chou chou could be your best friend, your dog or cat, or your favorite place to be. Similar to Southerleigh Fine Food, the menu invokes memories of families and friends from three French founders: Sérot, Laurent Réa, and Philippe Placé. Some of the comfort dishes include Souris D’Agneau (slow braised lamb), Pla teau D’Huitres (East Coast oysters), and Côte de Porc (seared pork porterhouse). Last year, BrasserieMon Chou Chou— also located at Pearl—surpassed Souther leigh Fine Food with $7.3million in sales. “We were basical ly the first great

SOUTHERLEIGH HOSPITALITY GROUP

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