What do you mean by "mainstreaming the menu"?
The idea was to make our food more accessible and easier to understand while still maintaining great quality and a Southwestern flair. Now we focus on grilled steaks, slow-smoked barbecue and brick-oven specialty pizzas. We use signature seasonings and flavor enhancers and try to create a relaxed atmosphere so that customers can enjoy a fun meal with family and friends.

Part of that formula includes live entertainment, right?
Yes. At least three nights a week, there's live entertainment at Austin's. A large dining room-barroom type of space rolls over at 10:00 to become more like a club. There's lighting, a sound system, the whole thing.

Who is the target audience for that experience?
I'd say we attract mostly customers in the 30- to 55-year-old age group. Austin's is not really designed for the young club kids. Right now we've got a '70s disco band playing once a week for example, and it is really popular. So are the rock-and-roll acts.

What's the kitchen like? You must have a lot of special equipment, don't you?
There's a smoker outside for the barbecue where we burn hickory and slow-cook products from start-to-finish every day. The pizza ovens and the grills are also wood-burning.

Authentic barbecue is quite an art form. How do you handle training and consistent execution?
I oversee a lot of the smoking myself. After traveling around and learning different techniques, I came back to Austin's and began experimenting. I probably ruined 100 briskets before getting the procedure right. We use a dry rub and try to maintain a steady slow heat and just let the process go to work.

Now Austin's isn't the only restaurant that you and your brothers run, is it?
Right now we've got seven places all over Lake County. Each one is different. Fatman Inn, for example, was an old, seedy biker bar on a main motorcycle touring route when we took it over. The owner was a legend and had a lot of memorabilia that created a great atmosphere. We just kind of went in and cleaned it up and started serving burgers and bar food, and now it's sort of a yuppie biker hangout.

One of our other properties is called Half Day Inn. Built in 1857, it's the oldest structure in Lake County and definitely a landmark. It's famous for a half-pound burger on marble rye bread.

None of our restaurants would be what you'd call fine dining. A couple of them have lounges, but none is as big as the venue at Austin's. All are casual but with completely different atmospheres. A lot of people find them comfortable. But then other folks probably wouldn't like them.

Was there a time when you had an even bigger operation?
At one point we had 12 restaurants in both Illinois and Wisconsin. But they were too spread out, and there were challenges involved in operating in two states with different purveyors and standards.

So we decided to capitalize on our clout with the suppliers we had established in Illinois and focus on that business. We were able to sell all of the other properties, so nothing had to close, which was great.

And then there's catering, too?
Our specialty is big barbecue parties, up to 2,000 people with large grill setups. We're pretty selective and do about 30 a year. Austin's is a popular place for on-site events in a private dining room that serves up to 200.

Do you have one central purchasing division or warehouse for all seven restaurants and the catering business?
No. We've thought about the advantages that could have, but to be honest, we don't want our menus to be too much alike. And that seems easy to fall into with a centralized system.

What are your plans for the next 25 years?
We feel very fortunate about our success in this business. It's not easy to accumulate unique properties and then hang onto them for so many years. People have made us buyout offers, but we want to keep the business in the family. There's a whole new generation coming up - our children ages 18 to 26 or so - and we're hoping some might be interested in continuing with Austin's and the other restaurants.