HGTV’s Mike and Jenn Todryk buy brewery in Allen with sordid past

Mike Todryk and Jennifer Todryk, who star on the HGTV show No Demo Reno, have bought a brewery in their hometown of Allen. Now they are making plans to turn the former Nine Band Brewing into a newly designed brewery and coffee roastery.

It’s a place with a dirty past: Nine Band Brewing was founded by Keith Ashley. Ashley remains in the Dallas County Jail and is held on a $ 2 million bond while awaiting trial.

Mike Todryk, a West Point graduate who spent five years in the military, saw a business opportunity in the beleaguered brewery. And he wants to give him a fresh start.

“As I passed it, the wheels started turning,” he says.

“And when I googled it, of course, I thought, ‘What is this about?'” He says of the crime stories that came up.

He didn’t like Nine Band Brewing’s beer anyway. But he’s a craft beer drinker and wanted to own a brewery near him.

“We hope it will bring salvation,” he says.

“One of the things Jenn and I always try to do is create places that bring joy, light and happiness.” You also own Armor Coffee Co. in Allen.

Dan Bowman, executive director and CEO of Allen Economic Development Corporation, says he’s excited to have a nationally recognized Allen couple investing in their hometown. Bowman grew up on the street from the brewery and calls the Todryks the “ideal owners” of a property in need of strategic redesign.

He believes the Todryks will “breathe new life” into them.

“The past is the past,” says Bowman. “You’ll go in there in a year, in two years… I don’t think anyone will remember that [it was Nine Band Brewing]. “

The Todryks are still in the early stages of planning for the brewery, but it will most likely be called Armor Brewing Company, fitting the name of their cafe, which is five miles away. Mike Todryk was an armaments officer in the military, hence the name, and is a Purple Heart recipient from serving in Bosnia in the early 2000s. He also hopes the brand will help pay tribute to first responders like Jenn Todryk’s father and brother who are cops.

Armor Brewing Company is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022. Mike Todryk is currently working on hiring a master brewer and eventually Jenn Todryk will help out with the design.

He calls it his “secret weapon”.

The plan is for Armor Brewing to have a gastropub menu – one that is not yet set but will likely include pizza.

“I want to create a nice beer garden there and make it a really unique destination,” says Mike Todryk.

The couple have been in the food and beverage business since 2019 when the Todryks took over, renamed, and turned a cafe in The Village at Allen into an all-day dining cafe. Mike Todryk was a regular at the cafe before buying it and calling it Armor Coffee Co.

The family plans to expand Armor Coffee to other locations in Collin County. So as the beer side of the business grows, it will do so in line with the expansion of coffee and roasters.

“I feel like there was a symbiotic relationship between coffee and beer,” says Mike Todryk.

The brewery is located at 9 Prestige Circle, Allen. It is scheduled to open in early 2022.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter @sblaskovich.

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