Meet Anthony Morel | Restaurant & Bar Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony Morel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I got into the service industry when I was 16, almost 25 years ago. Over the years I’ve worked every area from Dish Washer to Bartender to Server, general manager and bounced around all different venues from dive bars to five star restaurants and nightclubs. When I made the decision that I was going to stay in this business for the long-haul I made the decision that I wanted to own my own restaurant and bar rather than grind for someone else. And that sent me on my journey to becoming a restaurant & bar owner.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I started ACM creative concepts in 2016 when I came up with my first bar concepts and invested into it to. I knew I wanted to grow multiple locations and I started to draft up and design different concepts. I do graphic design work on the side so I was able to visually create different concepts and present them in a pitch book form. My concept portfolio started to grow as I was growing and when I found a location that look good I would pull out all these concepts and see which one would fit best in that location and look at what was lacking in that area. I currently have The Nook our in Celina that has been open for two years now, we opened up in March of 2020 when the whole world was shutting down.  That was fun…  Got a second concept, Graffiti Pasta that is opening up in Denton on the square, which will open in the middle of March of this year.  And just signed on a space on the square in downtown Celina which will be a sports bar and speakeasy located inside. I want to incorporate some realy cool new technology that has never really been done before and will link up with the speakeasy experiance. I’m excited to see that part come to life and should be open by the end of 2022.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up in Dallas and worked all over the area. One cool thing about the service industry is we all support each other whenever we go out, and we go out a lot. I love Jimmy’s Italian food store up in Dallas, reminds me of my family in New York and in Italy. Great place to get a prosciutto Panino and a great bottle of wine. Yama Sushi off of 121 and Preston is by far my favorite sushi restaurant and right next-door is Rugby House which is a great pub to drink a beer while watching a soccer game. I love craft cocktails so whenever I’m in the mood for the best of the best I go visit my friends over at the Tipsy Alchemist. Their cocktails are next level not only in presentation and execution but the tastes are always a cyclone of flavor crystals and I’m always discovering new flavors with each sip. When I’m looking just for a good spot to hang out I visit my friend over at Will Call in Deep Ellum and at Elm Street saloon.  Mercy Wine Bar in Las Colinas is perfect for wine drinkers, and when I’m up north in the Plano area looking for a fun spot to meet up with friends Ringos pub, scruffy Duffys, and Bottle Rockets is my go to.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Growing up in this industry of restaurants and bars I’ve worked for a lot of different people at a lot of different spots. Each person I came in contact with taught me something, a little sliver of the business or creativeness that I was able to absorb to help me grow. I learned a lot of what to do and even more what not to do. But I would have to say my most recent support came from my wife, Sarah, who owns a baking company called Vivas Bakery. She really taught me to trust my gut and to concore my goals at a rapid pace.  Really i’m just trying to keep up with her.

Website: TheNookCKMC.com

Instagram: antnycm

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycmorel