Vermillion Restaurant and Watering Hole

Before Dan Davidson passed the reins of Vermillion Restaurant & Watering Hole to longtime manager George Perez, he fired him. It happened many years ago, of course. Davidson found out that Perez, who’d come to work for the restaurant in 1980 as a 13-year-old dishwasher, had been falling behind on his studies. “I fired George during high school, because his grades were not doing so well, Davidson said. “He was always a great employee here, no problem, but I heard that his grades in high school were failing. I said you can come back when your grades are better.”

Perez was washing dishes again in two months, and over the years rose through the ranks: salad prep, assistant cook, cook, busboy, waiter, assistant manager and, finally, manager. On Jan. 4, Davidson, who was born and raised in Brownsville, officially transferred ownership to Perez, also born and raised in Brownsville.

Perez knows the restaurant inside and out. He’s been managing it for years and, in fact, has never worked anywhere else. His mother, Esther, has worked there since 1968, said Rachel Davidson, Dan’s wife.

“George has always known Vermillion growing up when he was a child, because his mother worked here,” she said.