Page 10 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Winter 2020- Online Magazine

HONORING
SMALL BUSINESSES

Living Life to

the Fullest

Mike Fogiel

Mike with his dad on Mike's 21st birthday
By Jelaine Workman

f you know Mike Fogiel, you had three more children and lived opportunity to purchase Ye Olde
know he has a great passion for in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas. Pancake House. He saw a diamond-
life. He works hard. He plays Mike reflects, “Dad had a 2nd grade in-the-rough opportunity. Mike got to
Ihard. And he gives back to those education but was a tremendous meet the regulars and enjoyed visiting
in the community who need help. numbers person. He could calculate with each of them every day. Mike
all kinds of numbers in his head. He told us, “We have several regulars who
Mike’s mother and father lived in started working at a construction site come for breakfast and stay through
Benzing, Germany, near the Polish when they arrived in America and lunch. This is their social time. They
border. Not long after they were learned the business, so he opened his enjoy talking to other patrons, as
married, they were taken to Auschwitz own construction business.” well as the staff.” Mike reports that
concentration camp. Auschwitz he made a few minor changes, like
was the largest and deadliest of six Mike is the youngest of three children a new menu, about six months after
extermination camps, located in and was born in Houston in July 1956. he purchased the restaurant, but he
German occupied Poland. Hundreds All three children, as they grew older, wanted to keep the family feel for
of thousands of people were tortured were a part of the development of the everyone who came to share a meal
and murdered during World War II family business. In 1986, Mike moved there.
and the Holocaust under orders of to Dallas to expand the company.
Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler. Three years ago, he ate at a Lost Cajun
Thirty-eight years ago, Mike invested in Pagosa Springs. He loved the food
According to Mike, reflecting on his in Hoffbrau Steakhouse in Fort Worth. and asked to meet the manager. After
parents’ stories, “When they went into The Hoffbrau opened in Amarillo in meeting, Mike took advantage of an
the camp, they were separated, Dad March 1989, and Mike moved here opportunity to invest in a franchise
to the men’s camp and in January 1991. of the Lost Cajun and bring it to
Mother to the women’s Everyone dining in Amarillo. He has seventeen limited
camp. The Nazis took the restaurant got a partners but says the restaurant is
their nearly one-year old big hello from Mike, locally owned and operated.
baby. They never saw him no matter who they
again. My parents worked were or where they I asked Mike how the COVID-19
hard and just took one day were from. It was pandemic impacted his business. He
at a time until they were during the early said, “I was fortunate to get some
released in January 1945.” Hoffbrau years PPE money so I could keep my staff
he met his wife, longer.” The first three weeks, he had
A Jewish organization Cindy. They have all of his staff for carryout. He had to
sponsored many people two daughters, one stop doing that for a while, so he had
who survived the currently living in employees do some updates to the
concentration camps. Austin and one in restaurants.
Mike’s parents had a Dallas.
choice of ports, and they Mike's mother and father Within six weeks of reopening, he was
selected the Houston port. In February 2015, able to bring all of his staff members
Mike’s mother and dad Mike had the back to all three restaurants. They had

10 Amarillo Senior Link