Tiger Harry’s comes roaring into Liberty
Tiger Harry and Ricky Martinez have been hard at work with the team at Tiger Harry’s, preparing for their big opening. The Vindicator | Russell Payne
If you have been driving down Highway 90 towards Liberty, you may have noticed something different. No, not the removal of the trestle bridge, but what is right next to it.
The building that was once Riverside Seafood is unrecognizable as it is being transformed into a vibrant and unique restaurant experience called Tiger Harry’s. The restaurant is purposely designed to feature “visually disruptive” radiant colors, a Pop Art Museum, and recognizable signage to make visitors feel welcomed and at home.
The name may be unfamiliar, but it is a part of the growing Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp restaurant family, which is owned by Ricky Martinez and has several other locations in Texas. So why the different name for this location?
The new location will feature all of the same trademarks as Tia Juanita’s, but it has special meaning, not only because it pays tribute to the family’s first restaurant, but because it will be operated by Martinez’s son–Tiger Harry.
Tiger Harry, who has spent the last five years training with the company, is excited about running the new location and had this to say about the restaurant serving Liberty and the surrounding area,
“We want to bring something new and exciting to them that they can enjoy. We love running these restaurants because it feels good to stand out. It feels good to provide the community with something. There are a lot of moving parts to it, the good service, good food, good atmosphere, and good music; we love holding ourselves to that high standard of providing that for the community.”
The menu features a cuisine dubbed, Mexi-Cajun by Martinez, and after eating at their Lufkin location, I can vouch for the deliciousness of the bold and flavorful foods. The list of options includes freshly grilled steaks, fried green tomatoes, blackened gator tacos, fish, shrimp, seafood enchiladas, Cajun fried ribs, and much more. Tiger Harry’s will even have a top-of-the-line oyster bar where patrons can dine on fresh raw, grilled, or fried oysters. That’s not even scratching the surface of the delectable taste sensations available on the menu.
Another trademark of the restaurant will be the wide variety of frozen alcoholic drinks available to customers, as the restaurant will have six margarita machines. This will pair perfectly with the live music scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
As of now, Tiger Harry’s is accepting applications for multiple positions, which Martinez believes helps the community by creating careers and on-the-job training for the future.
“It’s a fun place, and we touch a lot of lives. We have 500 something employees. We show them how to work, and we show them how to make money. We teach them a lot of stuff,” said Martinez.
“We feel we provide a service, and we train a lot of people to move forward in life. I have guys who worked for me 30 years ago with their own restaurant companies now in Dallas,” continued Martinez.
Tiger Harry’s is tentatively scheduled to open in June 2022. Stay tuned to The Vindicator for more information.