Carl Johnson, the owner of Members Only 937, is operating the steakhouse with his nephew, Celebrity Platinum Chef Jay Jones.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Meet the owner
Johnson is a 1979 Trotwood-Madison High School graduate who has been running clubs throughout the Dayton and Cincinnati region for three decades.
He started his entrepreneur journey a few years after graduating high school with a CD and tape store — getting him into the music scene — before opening Club KIXX.
Johnson went on to own and operate several other clubs including The Fox in Dayton, Celebrities in Cincinnati and The Arena in Dayton before opening Members Only 937 five years ago.
“We as Daytonians have to be proud of our community and we have to make it right to get people to come to Dayton,” Johnson said in an interview on Jan. 30. “We have a lot to offer here and we want to be a part of that.”
The start of Tear Drops
Johnson is an avid traveler who first thought of opening a steakhouse in the Dayton region on a trip to Miami, Fla. He recalled sitting in a steakhouse and thinking how nice it would be to have something similar back home.
Demetrius Wright, the owner of 1Eleven Flavor House, reached out to Johnson in January to see if he was interested in the building.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
In the meantime, Johnson and Jones had been looking at a few places across the region to build a restaurant together and they thought downtown would be a perfect spot.
Jones is a 2002 Meadowdale High School graduate. He went on to Cincinnati State and graduated in 2005 with a degree in Culinary Arts Studies and Business Management Hospitality. Four years later, he started his catering business, Platinum Caterers LLC.
“The food that he provides and the service that we’re going to give this city is going to be something no one else has ever seen,” Johnson said. “We’re really going to go above and beyond. I want this to be one of the best steakhouses in Ohio.”
What to expect
The steakhouse will feature elevated fine dining with servers giving guests a show. For example, the server will top the steak with the restaurant’s signature “tear drop,” a mixed herb garlic butter, that the guest can watch melt down the steak.
“It’s going to be a show that no other steakhouse is doing,” Johnson said. “I think his touch, his presentation, his pride that he takes into his food is what’s going to make a big difference.”
The menu features starters such as:
- Bacon-wrapped Cajun butter scallops with Cajun chipotle sauce ($17.95)
- Baked creamy spinach artichoke dip with house made fried pita chips ($16.95)
- Chef’s deviled eggs with choice of candy bacon, shrimp or zesty avocado pico de gallo blend ($13.95)
Entrees include:
- Platinum crown royal smoked baby back ribs that are slow cooked with its own unique marinade followed by a Cajun six pepper herb season blend (half slab for $26 or whole slab for $48)
- 22 oz. smoked porterhouse ($72)
- 9 oz. filet medallion ($54)
- 9 oz. seared crusted salmon ($49.95)
- Cajun mesquite grilled chicken alfredo broccoli pasta ($27.95)
Sides range from sauteed seasoned asparagus to cheesy parm stacked potato casserole.
Desserts include:
- Banana cheesecake ($11)
- A snickerdoodle brownie sundae with choice of butter pecan or vanilla bean ice cream ($11)
- Four layered pineapple carrot cake ($17.95)
The meaning behind the name
The name of the business comes from the idea that “the food tastes so good it makes you shed a tear,” Johnson said.
“You can’t get enough of that,” Johnson said. “That’s the idea. That’s the tear drop.”
He hopes this is just the start of Tear Drops Steak House — with multiple locations coming down the road.
“This is a Dayton thing,“ Johnson said. ”We are one. We are all together. Every single person in this community is invited to come here.”
MORE DETAILS
Tear Drops is expected to open 4 p.m. to midnight to start off. They have plans to expand their hours to offer lunch.
To make a reservation, call 937-496-5535. For more information and updates, visit the steakhouse’s Facebook page.
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