Today we’d like to introduce you to Jacquie & Dave Petersen
Hi Jacquie & Dave , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After a 30 year career in the U.S. Air Force, Dave retired in 2013, our family began talking about opening a business where people could meet and not only enjoy great food and drinks, but be in a comfortable environment where they could spend quality time with family and friends.
We initially thought about a small wine and craft beer bar, but over time and with many knowledgeable and helpful mentors, we decided to go in the direction of a full restaurant and bar.
The journey from buying land to build on, to opening the restaurant took almost five years. We opened in June of 2019 and with all of the ups and downs, we are grateful for every experience we’ve had to this day. Every challenge has helped us learn how to run the restaurant in the way that works best for our team and every accomplishment brings a lot of joy to all of us.
Our children and parents have been integral parts of this venture, and continue to encourage and support us.
Our team is incredible! From the Back of House to the Front of House, we are so very grateful for their dedication and hard work. They are the backbone of this establishment.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As with anything, there have been many challenges along the way. The biggest challenge of course was Covid 19 hitting 9 months after we opened.
The community support during the pandemic was tremendous and our staff worked diligently to ensure we could offer our best during those ever changing times. In the face of adversity, you’re either going to sink or swim and with everyone’s amazing help, we chose to swim. Was it difficult? Yes. Was it challenging? Yes. Did we all learn what we’re made of? Absolutely, 100%, yes!
Struggles happen all of the time. Choosing how to deal with them will determine if we let ourselves learn from them or let them defeat us. We choose to learn.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Dave was a fighter pilot and instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years. Being married for 27 of those years, we moved 17 times around the U.S. and Europe. We have three children and I was blessed to be able to stay home with them, this was my “career choice”. Moving almost every 1-1/2 – 2 years kept us busy, and we are all very grateful for the time we spent as a military family.
After retiring from the military is when the dream of owning a business began, but even then, Dave quickly decided to continue to find purposeful and meaningful work in the community. Eventually he worked at the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce as the Executive Vice President for 8 years, and is now the COO for Goodwill San Antonio.
Unless I am spending time with our kids or grandkids, you can find me at the restaurant with our “Mako’s family”. We all work hard and have fun at the same time.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
We’ve definitely taken many risks over the years, while probably not realizing they were risks at the time. Instead of risks, maybe viewing them as dreams and goals? Having a family could seem risky to some, but for us, it is the ultimate dream come true. Being a military family could be risky to some, but for us, it seemed like it was what we were supposed to do.
Opening the restaurant is probably the one venture that I believe was a total “risk.” Mainly because, other than one of our sons, we didn’t have any experience in the industry. Talk about a learning curve! We relied/rely heavily on our faith in God and that He would/will lead us in the direction He wanted/wants us to go and we relied, and still do, rely on our mentors. Then and now, we are extremely reliant on Dave’s business acumen as he keeps the business running behind the scenes.
We are very grateful for the “risks” we’ve taken over our 37+ years of marriage, and while some challenges may have been more difficult than others, it’s incredibly rewarding to see what comes out of the more difficult times and be able to learn from them and persevere.
Pricing:
- Happy Hour – $5 draft beer, $5 select cocktails, $5 select wines, $5 – $7 food options
- Dinner Entrees – $14 – $43
- Brunch Entrees – $14 – $25
- Kids Eat Free Sunday Dinners – Free kids meal per every adult entree ordered (4:00 – 8:00)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://makostx.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/makosonthecreek
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/makosonthecreek
