In a way, Luby’s chief operating officer Pete Tropoli has been connected to Luby’s since birth. “I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital and we actually have that food services account now,” he says.
A childhood friend of restaurateurs Harris and Chris Pappas, Tripoli grew up going to their restaurants.
“The Strawberry Patch, which opened in 1975, where Pappas Steakhouse is now, was an American bistro and a pretty amazing place in its time,” he says. “Each successive restaurant they opened was a big deal for me as a kid. My first job I got hired as a waiter in 1990 at Pappadeaux on Westheimer and that was the summer before I went to college. It was my first experience with the Pappas extensive training program.”
In 2001, Tropoli joined Luby’s full-time and became general counsel for the Houston-based food service company which also operates Fuddruckers, Luby’s Culinary Contract Services and 155 company-owned restaurants located throughout the United States.