Norman Brinker

I was flipping through Time magazine today and saw that Norman Brinker passed away. I met Mr. Brinker when my high school swim team went to a retreat at a ropes course he had on some land outside of Dallas. He came out to say hi since he was also a swimmer and told us that even in his old age he swam a mile a day to stay in shape. That impressed me, along with the fact that he started Chili’s, the restaurant where I hung out with my youth group and other friends on innumerable occasions growing up (and most recently with friends on a ski trip in CA). Other restaurant concepts created by Mr. Brinker’s Dallas-based Brinker International include On the Border (I’d eat at the one in College Station when my parents came to visit me at A&M) and Maggiano’s (My sister and a friend from med school each had their rehearsal dinners there, and I celebrated a birthday there). Seattle doesn’t have a whole lot of chain restaurants compared to Dallas. But I guess part of the reason is that in Dallas many local restaurants ARE chain restaurants. And that doesn’t diminish the experience of spending time with friends over a good meal. Thanks for the present and future memories and rest in peace Mr. Brinker!

Addendum: I didn't realize this until adding the links for this post, but he was also instrumental in founding the Susan G. Komen foundation which funds breast cancer research and puts on events like Race for the Cure which I ran in memory of my grandmother.