Dallas Bids Adieu to Gracious Host, Restaurateur Al Biernat

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was updated to include information on the celebration of life.

The curved booth seat to the left of the bar at Al Biernat’s restaurant has been a favorite meeting spot of ours for years.

After inquiring where our friend in the well-dressed suit and congenial smile had been, a friend who knew him well shared his ALS diagnosis.

After nearly a year-long battle with the disease, the restauranteur has died at age 69.

Biernat was legendary around these parts, never forgetting a face and always looking one in the eye during a conversation, despite the simultaneous tugging by many on his well-pressed arm sleeve.

In a society where we barely listen to one another, we remember Al Biernat for always recalling a name, a face, and your story. He was one of those rare people who treated the everyman exactly the same as he did the A-list celebrity — and he hobnobbed with many — but valued learning about all types of people the most.

“I first met Al when he was the GM at The Palm. I was just out of college and barely could afford eating there, let alone a glass of house wine to complement my steak. What I remember most is that he treated me as if I was the most important guest with the most expensive check,” said longtime friend and fellow restaurateur, Salim Asrawi. “He will be sorely missed,” added the co-founder of Texas de Brazil.

Friend Ron Lusk also met Biernat at The Palm. “His warmth, gentle personality, and genuine desire to make people feel at home followed him to the end,” said Lusk. “He treated staff like family — that’s why so many never left — and the respect he had did not go unnoticed by patrons.”

Nancy Nichols wrote a piece for the website of our sister publication D Magazine that describes how Biernat set the “standard for graciousness.”

Dallas Morning News’ Sarah Blaskovich also wrote a touching tribute to the hard-working family man; today the family shared the story on his social media account. Blaskovich wrote of Biernat’s ambitions, his love for his family, and how he climbed the ranks at the famed Palm Restaurant, known for its signature caricatures of famous diners.

In 1998, he opened Al Biernat’s on Oak Lawn Avenue and built a loyal customer base. He later opened a second location in North Dallas on Spring Valley Road.

We’ll still sit in the curved seating Biernat keenly prepared for his customers, but it won’t be the same without the larger-than-life figure that welcomed us with the same vitality each time we visited.

May we all aspire to be remembered with the fondness his family and friends cherish, his patrons recall, and the strangers he encountered appreciated.

Biernat’s family is gathering messages, stories, and photos from friends and customers. Email FriendofAl@albiernats.com, write to Al Biernat’s Personal, 4217 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75219, or add to the memory board the family has created in his honor.

A celebration of life was held Dec. 2 at 10:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 1707 San Jacinto St, Dallas, TX 75201.