The Big Bet Behind Texas de Brazil ft. Salim Asrawi
Duration
46m
Broadcast on
02 Oct 2026
Audio Format
other
This episode appears to contain dynamically inserted ads. Transcript timestamps may be approximate.
He came to America as a teenager with nothing — and built a global steakhouse empire.
Salim Asrawi left Lebanon as a teenager, chasing an opportunity in hospitality. Fast forward: he co-founded Texas de Brazil, opening the first location in Addison, Texas back in 1998 — and turned it into a global brand with locations across the U.S. and international markets.
On this episode of Brick & Brand, Salim breaks down the real story behind the growth: the risk of betting everything on that first restaurant, the real estate strategy behind scaling an experiential concept, and how he thinks about expansion into new markets today.
Nearly 30 years in — we ask him what he's learned, and what he'd tell the kid who was just getting started.
This is the American dream, built one restaurant at a time.
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