President, Hatch Restaurant Management Group Owner, Mi Piaci Ristorante and Ocho Kitchen and Cocktails
Brian Black literally grew up in the restaurant industry. The son of passionate restaurateurs, his dad was one of the original founders of the Chili’s concept and his mom is a highly regarded restaurateur. Exposed to every facet of restaurant operations and the corresponding values necessary for success, he began working in the food and beverage industry at the age of 15, and has performed virtually every restaurant job imaginable – from dishwasher and busboy to line cook and bartender. These diverse experiences have provided him the perspective to run and operate restaurants, as well as to help others learn to do the same. Mr. Black spent close to ten of his over twenty-five years of experience in the restaurant industry by working up the ranks to become President of Cobb Restaurant Group. At age 24 his first wine list for the nationally acclaimed restaurant Mi Piaci Ristorante was featured in Wine Spectator, Gourmet, Town and Country, and Esquire Magazine for being a 100% Italian and user friendly. In 1999 at the age of 28 he explored his entrepreneurial side, achieving critical acclaim by opening his first restaurant, Il Sole Restaurant & Wine Bar. Steadily building his career, he went on to become sole owner and operator of Mi Piaci Ristorante in 2004, and in 2007 he opened Volte Restaurant, a Midwest venture that he later sold to a hotel management group. Most recently in 2012, Mr. Black unveiled Ocho Kitchen and Cocktails along with renowned Chef Eric Di Stefano of New Mexico’s highly regarded Coyote Cafe and Geronimo. When not running and operating his enterprises, Mr. Black consults and mentors others to achieve their goals in the competitive restaurant industry. He believes that the success of any restaurant operation begins with a leader who has both experience and vision, and as President of Hatch Restaurant Management group brings these two components to his job daily, earning a proven record of maximizing unit profitability and turning around distressed restaurants and clubs. An avid runner and sports fisherman, Mr. Black shares that nothing amounts to the joy of spending time with his wife Sonia and their three boys Jackson, Garret and Jake, and coaching their soccer and football teams. Also involved in assisting the community, as he is heavily associated with programs which raise funds for the Dallas March of Dimes and Family Place, the largest family violence service provider in the Dallas area which reaches out to thousands of victims each year with award-winning programs that keep women and children safe. A graduate of Southern Methodist University Mr. Black earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Currently serving on the advisory board for the Cattle Barons American Cancer Society, he has served the Dallas Restaurant Association and received a variety of awards and accolades for his business achievements.
