Brian Sandel is a native Houstonian and proud 7th generation Texan. Growing up, his mom’s side of the family were devout Catholics and his dad’s side of the family were Southern Baptist, so naturally they attended Catholic church. The foundation of his faith came from his mom.
Brian lived in Bellaire until the age of 10, when his family moved to Sharpstown, then to the Alief area during junior high. He started a career in the nightclub business right out of high school and soon after getting married transitioned to the restaurant industry. He has worked for operations of all sizes ranging from the small single unit mom and pop variety restaurants to the high-volume national chains, including Macaroni Grill, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Yard House and Raising Cane’s. In 2018, Brian partnered with a friend and fellow restaurateur in Cypress to open Creekwood Grill on Telge Road. He has been actively involved in the Cypress community since early on in his career with Raising Cane’s, supports numerous area charities and is currently serving on the board of directors for the Cy Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. Creekwood Grill also is home to a church every Sunday morning, Cypress Chapel.
Brian and his wife, Alli, were married in 1989 at Windwood Presbyterian Church, where they are members and still attend. Brian has been actively involved in numerous ministries within Windwood over the years, including volunteering with the high school programs, leading youth retreats, serving on session for 6 years and filling in as Youth Ministries Coordinator for a few months while the church was in between permanent directors. They have two grown daughters. Hannah, the oldest is 25, married with a step-daughter (Everley,) a son (Noah,) and a daughter on the way in summer of 2023 (Brianna.) Hailey, 22, currently works at Creekwood Grill as his Bar Manager and is attending Lone Star College currently with plans to attend UH for a business degree starting in the fall.
Brian and Alli enjoy traveling together, most frequently to Colorado or The Bahamas, or to the Wimberley area when time doesn’t allow for longer trips.