CALDWELL, TX — The 4 Tines restaurant in Caldwell, also known as the Surrey Inn’s restaurant, has been through multiple owners across the decades. Its most recent iteration was opened by two family members in the midst of a global pandemic.
Brian Broaddus owns 4 Tines alongside his brother-in-law Phil Sprouse. The two opened the restaurant in February, just after winter storm Uri.
Despite the challenging financial landscape posed by the pandemic, the family started planning to transform their catering business into this restaurant in September of 2020, when restaurants were operating at limited capacity.
"We got to start the business during the pandemic," Broaddus said. "And we knew what we were faced with, so we based our budget numbers on 50% [customer capacity]. So anything above that would be gravy.”
Broaddus noted that the biggest challenge for him hasn’t been getting people through the door – it's been finding a crew.
“Hiring is definitely a challenge," he said. "We run on a shoestring, skeleton crew, basically. We would like to have a few more folks.”
One thing the Caldwell native believes has kept 4 Tines sustained is the support of the customers, many of whom are fixtures of the close-knit community.
“It has changed, but stayed the same," said Caldwell resident and 4 Tines customer Phillip Rodriguez. "The Surrey Inn has always been a really good restaurant, from what I can remember in the mid-90s to now.”
One local customer named Horace Hamilton, a Pearl Harbor survivor who’s no stranger to KRHD News loves 4 Tines so much, he and his family decided to celebrate his 97th birthday there.
“This restaurant, it’s changed hands three different times, and I love it," Hamilton said. "It's getting better all the time.”
According to Broaddus, while 4 Tines accepted help from the Small Business Association when starting up, he believes he is on track to make back his initial investment soon, and to continue thriving.
Ultimately, it’s the people of Caldwell and Burleson County who make the difference.
“This is a great community," Horace Hamilton said. "The people here love each other, help each other. It’s one big family.”