Shannon Wynne

Shannon Shelmire Wynne (born December 2, 1951) is an American restaurateur living in Dallas, TX. He is best known for the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 8.0 Bar, Flying Fish, Meddlesome Moth^[1] and others.

Early life

Wynne was born in 1951 in Dallas, Texas. He is the son of Joanne (née Ebeling) and Angus G. Wynne Jr., founder of Great Southwest Corporation, Six Flags Over Texas,^[2] Six Flags over Georgia, and Six Flags over Mid-America.

Shannon is the great grandson of William Benjamin "Buck" Wynne, and grandson of Nemo Shelmire Wynne and Angus G. Wynne Sr. On his paternal grandmother’s side, he is the great grandson of Dr. Jesse Bedford Shelmire. Wynne is married to Kimberly Claire Daulton (wed August 14, 2010).

From his first marriage to Patti Jo (Gilpin) née Oldham, Wynne has a son, Shannon Shelmire “Sam” Wynne Jr. (born 1984). From his marriage to Brycie Sue Hoecker, Shannon is the father of triplets, Isabella Mae McCarty Wynne, Bowie Hoecker Wynne and Angus Augustus Wynne (born 1996). Shan~daddy has two step daughters with Kimberly Daulton, Raynor Elizabeth Bearden and Wynonah (Wynn) Claire Bearden. Wynne also has two older brothers, Angus Gilchrist Wynne III and David Ebeling Wynne, and their one sister, Mary Temple Wynne. The Wynne family is deeply rooted in Dallas, Wills Point, and Austin, Texas.

Professional Life

8.0, was in the Quadrangle (where his father, Angus, had kept his office and dealings and Shannon followed suit). The Quadrangle was an unusual maze of artists and creative's shops and studios).

This was just the beginning of a rather meteorotic rise in the arena of live music (often booked by his brother, Angus ~ Wynne Entertainment). James Brown, Lisa Lobe, Joe King Carrasco and Tina Turner on her comeback could be found playing at Tango, with Daddy~O's green frogs on top of the building where, inside the former bank building, there was plenty of room to dance.

Then, the ultra~cool sign~less Nostromo and in the VIP, "can't get in without the card", Rio Room, in the back. By then it was 1982 and the "O" restaurants and fascinating venues were what was happening in Dallas. Shannon also had fresh seafood with a New Orleans standards juke box in a white tile setting at Rocco. The pretty etched and blown glass windows were done by Judy Desanders. .....+ a Tex~Mex Mexican restaurant, Mexico and delicious Italian food at Palermo, a casually designed to bring it all full~circle.

Business

A restaurateur, Wynne currently co-owns and operates restaurants in six states and 14 cities, including The Flying Saucers in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri; The Flying Fish concept in Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas; 8.0 Bar in Texas; and Mudhen, The Meddlesome Moth and LARK on the Park^[3] in Dallas, and Rodeo Goat in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.^[4]

Career

in 1980 Wynne opened 8.0 Bar (pronounced "Eight-Oh") in Fort Worth. He opened a string of nightclubs/restaurants in the 1980s including Nostromo, The Rio Room,^[5] Rocco Oyster Bar, Palermo, Mexico, Tango and the Fast & Cool Club. Wynne went on to design the Blue Light Café for rock legend Boz Scaggs in San Francisco. in 1988, Wynne re-opened the 8.0 Bar in the Quadrangle in Dallas.

In 1994, Wynne opened 8.0 Bar in Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas. The Fort Worth 8.0 closed in May 2012 to make way for sister restaurant/bar, The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium.^[6]

In 1995, Wynne designed and opened the first Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Sundance Square. The restaurant included an extensive beer selection, with hundreds of options in bottles and over 80 quality hand-crafted beers on tap. The Flying Saucer now has three location in the DFW metroplex as well as other units in Texas, including Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Lake Ray Hubbard and Sugarland; Kansas City, Missouri; LIttle Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Cordova, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee, Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

In 2002, Wynne designed and opened the first Flying Fish in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Flying Fish serves catfish, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and other seafood. There are locations in Addison, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Garland, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, Arlington, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee.

In 2010, Wynne designed and opened Meddlesome Moth, a gastro pub described as a tap room with chef driven food. The restaurant, located in the Dallas Design District, offers a wide beer selection with rare cask tapped weekly. The Moth features works by James Surls, Frank Tolbert, DImitri Vail and many others.^[7]

In 2013, Wynne opened LARK on the Park overlooking Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, TX.^[8]

Philanthropy

Wynne is currently on the board of The Bridge. He has also served on the board of the North Texas Food Bank and KERA radio in Dallas. He co-founded Preservation Park Cities, now called Park Cities Historical and Preservation Society since merging with the Park Cities Historical Society. Wynne co-founded the David Dike Art Auction with Texas art expert David Dike. A friend of the arts, Wynne collects works by Texas artists, including those from the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) known as The Dallas Nine as well as many current artists including David Bates, Bill Haveron, James Surls and many others. Wynne currently also serves on the Board of the Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth, Texas.

References