By Sydney Williams
Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Simmer had its grand opening in Coppell. Being one of the many hosts on the Simmer staff, I have hands on experience on the great opening. I interviewed Kimberly Thornburg, one of the managers about new restaurant.

What is your role in Simmer and why is it important?

I am one of the four managers here and my area of responsibility are the hosts and servers, and making sure their taken care of and ensuring that their taking care of our guests.

How did Simmer come to be?

Two people Eric and Steve, who are both entrepreneurs in the Coppell area, always had a dream of wanting to own their own restaurant. They both had an idea and brought Cash White, one of the managers, on board and him and Eric and Steve came up with better ideas than what they already had.

Why did you name the restaurant Simmer?

The name Simmer actually came from Eric’s wife. The name before Simmer was Sizzle. Eventually Simmer came to be because they felt it matched what we were trying to accomplish with the type of atmosphere and food that we wanted to be and have.

What was the inspiration for the making of the restaurant?

Coppell does not have anything like Simmer. Simmer is very different from what is here. The desire really came from knowing what Coppellians wanted and wanting to meet their needs in this, like having interesting drinks, having a bigger menu and having menu items change often; all of those things came to be by having the guest in mind.

Why did you build Simmer in Coppell?

A lot of people in Coppell wanted the variety of items that we have, the uniqueness that we are and what we stand for. You know, we are not a cookie-cutter restaurant, we are not a corporate restaurant. People in Coppell wanted something that is really going to cater to them and give them what they want.

How did you know that people from Coppell wanted this?

Steve and Eric are Coppellians, they are from Coppell and lived here for years at a time and know people that have been here for 20 years. So visiting with them and going to other restaurants as well, they found out what [other restaurants] do, and what they do not like and what they wanted. So they said OK, we are going to make it ourselves.

What was the process of starting the restaurant?

It really revolved around the type of food that we wanted to serve. Modern comfort food. The type of bar atmosphere that we wanted and the drinks involved in that-that was what really sparked. The desire for the different chandeliers and atmosphere that we provide for our guests its just different than what others around us provide.

What does your motto Modern. Comfort. Food mean?

Modern. Comfort. Food is our interpretation of something that you know when your mom makes a really good pot roast, and the comfort you have when you know when you come home you are going to have that pot roast at home waiting for you. When you come to Simmer, and you can get something like the braised short ribs that has those same flavors and textures, it is going to give you that idea of comfort but with a new unique twist; with the chef driven presentation and chef driven flavor, we want you to make you feel like you are at home.

How long was Simmer an idea before it became a reality?

Eric, Steve and Cash started thinking about having a restaurant about two years ago, and saw the location and are they wanted to be in. They saw the real estate that was here and said, “We need to get in there, we need to get in there,” and they said OK. We finalized everything this past year.

What idea of yours became a use for the operation of Simmer?

We all had a lot of menu ideas and critiqued them together; coming up with better ideas operationally were collected between the four of us and collected from different restaurants we have been connected with before. I vouch for the scotch egg being mine. I go to a restaurant in Denton, where I am from,  and I always have that every time I go there-we made a variation of that.

What was it like when you learned you were opening your first restaurant?

I have been in the industry for over 10 years now, and I can say that working for mainstream franchises and corporations, this is the experience of a lifetime. To be on the front side of this in 2014, we are going to be the talk of 2014, we are going to be the talk of the town. When I had my interview for the job I thought it was too good to be true. This is something that is for sure going to curve my career in a positive way.