Born and raised in New Braunfels, Texas, Local & Executive Chef, Chad Niland personally designed and opened the original Downtowner Bar & Kitchen back in 2016. He relied on his fifteen years of first-hand experience working in the restaurant industry to develop his menu, source his ingredients locally, hire a team, and deliver a great experience to his customers.

Just after celebrating the 4th anniversary of being opened,the 2020 pandemic hit, and Niland made the call to close the Downtowner until the time was right to re-open.

“Being closed for a year was unfortunate; but it gave us the opportunity to evaluate what we do really well, time to review our internal processes, and the possibility to develop our newly released hand-crafted menu. Whether it’s our food or cocktail menu, we still have our signature fan favorites but you will notice we’ve added new items that are sure to delight and over deliver on flavor every time.”

During college, Jason, better known by his regulars and friends as “Subby”, started working in the kitchen at the local Tap Room in San Marcos, to earn extra money during college. Turns out college, and the kitchen weren’t really his thing. “Building craft drinks that make my customers happy and make their eyes light up are why I love what I do. And I’m happy I get to do that here with my team at the Downtowner.”