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Pat Molak, owner of the legendary live music venue Gruene Hall and many other popular retail and restaurant destinations in the Texas Hill Country, has been named 2023 Tau Man of the Year, the highest honor awarded to a Tau alumnus.
"Pat's a rare combination of warmth, generosity, hilarity, and success," said Tim Herman, who first met Pat in 1965 as his pledge trainer. "Almost everything about him is unique, from his colloquialisms to his extraordinary business achievements. In what appears incongruous, his humor belies his attention to detail and keen sense of knowing what the public wants. I can say without fear of contradiction that Pat Molak is one of a kind!"
Pat purchased the much-storied Gruene Hall, a 6,000 square-foot, open-air dance hall, in 1975, restoring it to its former glory and preserving its authenticity. It quickly grew in popularity as it became known for hosting big-name musicians (Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, George Strait, and LeAnn Rimes to name a few) and launching the careers of many soon-to-be-famous ones. He then acquired and restored several other significant properties in Gruene (pronounced "Green") and set the charming German town, located just a few miles north of New Braunfels, on the path to revitalization.
In 1977, he created Molak Corporation, an entity with the express purpose of "celebrating Texas culture and tradition in iconic fashion." In keeping with this mission, he opened the Gristmill River Restaurant, located beneath Gruene's landmark water tower, in the ruins of an 1878 cotton gin on the Guadalupe River. In 1979, he opened Josephine Street, and later Cotton Eyed Joe's, Gruene Antique Company, The Grapevine, and Cantina del Rio among others.
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