Restauranteur Brendan McMahon Is a Recovering Night Owl

It’s past time we remixed the entrepreneur archetype. The tried-and-true definition of an emerging or aspiring business owner feels tired. The modern entrepreneur is a mover, shaker and doer who’s not content with simply breaking all the rules. Our 52 trailblazers featured in the October issue are rewriting the rules, tearing them up and doing it all over again. It’s creation at its purest, because the fruits of one’s hustle are not actualized overnight or by following one jet-lagged recipe. It’s no longer adequate to measure entrepreneurs by the brick-and-mortar spaces they manifest or the jobs they create. Those are all important elements but fall short of what it truly means to build something — often with blood, sweat and tears. Whether you’re revamping the vintage clothing industry, introducing a fresh dining concept, cultivating an advocacy-focused creative agency or advancing the cause of equality for the LGBTQ+ community, the only thing that matters is freedom — the freedom to march to the beat of your own badass drum. Read our full rundown of trailblazers here.

Brendan McMahon is building an impressive résumé of successful restaurants including Beuchert Saloon, Fight Club D.C., and up-coming Newland with his longtime business partner Chef Andrew Markert.  Growing up in the culinary world, McMahon is committed to providing excellent food and service at his restaurants, while still finding time to be a great dad.

Advice that keeps you hungry
BM: “They’re not the geniuses you think they are.”

Early bird, night owl or in-between
BM: I was a night owl my whole life, but now I have three kids under five years old, so things change. If you want any “alone” time, you’re going to need to get up at 4:30-5 a.m. to get it. I can go either way at this point, but I do love the feeling of getting things done before most are awake.

Burning question for an iconic trailblazer
BM: I’m not sure who I would ask, but I often wonder if the thoughts of the next thing ever stop. I always have multiple ventures in my brain for the future, which needs to stop at some point, I would think.

The current soundtrack to your life
BM: Sly and the Family Stone’s “Fresh” album. 

@beuchertssaloon; beuchertssaloon.com // @fightclubdc; fightclubdc.com // @newlanddc; newlanddc.com

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