By K.D. Norris
Tommy Brann — the small business owner and operator, not the current State Representative and State Senate candidate — remembers his first day of work at Brann’s Steakhouse and Grill like it was yesterday.
But it was 50 years ago, and on Monday, July 5, Brann’s Steakhouse will celebrate 50 years of “serving sizzling steaks” to the West Michigan community with a special appreciation reception for its employees and customers from 5-7 p.m.
And, of course, Tommy will be there all day, wearing his customary blue apron, bussing tables, and talking up the staff and customers.
“July 5th, 1971,” Brann said about his first day, when he was just 19 years old, during a recent interview with WKTV. “We served 97 dinners and I remember one customer came in that day … a friend of my dad’s … and he bought the whole restaurant a drink. It was a hard working day for us.”
During the interview, he also stressed that he was a restaurant businessman before he was elected to serve the community in Lansing as a State Representative, and that no matter what happens in the next year or so, he will stay being a restaurant businessman.
(Rep. Brann is running for the open State Senate seat from District 28, with the Republican primary set for Aug. 3; and if he is not elected to the Senate, he will be term-limited out as a State Representative in 2022.)
“I really believe small business in the backbone of our country, of our state,” Brann said. “I really believe small businesses are job creators. … That is what I bring to Lansing.”
Brann also talked about how his restaurant survived the pandemic shutdown and business slowdown — due both to the “family” he has at his steakhouse and to his aversion to debt. (See video clip above for a story on the Brann’s “family.”)
And the restaurant survived. And so on Monday, July 5, it will be all about celebrating Tommy the restauranteur and the 50 years of Brann’s Steakhouse and Grill, located on Division Avenue in Wyoming.
Family, and work family, reflect on Tommy
“I am incredibly proud of my brother, Tommy Brann, for his dedication and commitment to being a business owner and restaurateur these 50 years,” Johnny Brann, Sr., owner of Grand Rapids-based, Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille, said in supplied material. “Tommy has made his restaurant a community icon and is known for his service and dedication not just to the business, but more importantly to his employees and customers.”
For most of those 50 years, Tommy opened and closed his restaurant, working from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., 6 days a week, doing what is needed — from cooking to dishwashing to to bussing tables, and other less glamorous jobs.
Tommy has also spent 50 years being more than simply a boss to the employees at the steakhouse.
“I have been an employee of Brann’s steakhouse for over 40 years,” senior executive waitress Jennie Lehnertz said in supplied material. “It truly is a family business. I work here, my daughter works here and now my grandson works here. It is my second home.”
The family atmosphere is echoed by Jermaine Jennings, executive waiter for about 30 years — “Tommy is not just a boss. He works alongside his employees and instills in us a sense of purpose. He’s always willing to help those in need and considers all of us who work for him and his customers his family.”
Five decades of restaurant ownership has brought ups and downs, especially throughout the past year in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. What has kept Tommy going has been his strong work ethic, his tenacity, and his belief that he can make a difference in the lives of others.
“I care about serving my community and helping others in need,” Tommy Brann said in supplied material. “My wife, Sue, and I are committed to making our employees and customers our family. We have used our restaurant as a way to provide food to the homeless and provide jobs for those who need one, including those with developmental disabilities. There’s no greater joy to me than seeing the smile on the face of someone we’ve helped.”
