Pat Shannon-VanMatre, Restaurant Owner

Pat is the daughter of ex-Cardinal player and current broadcaster Mike Shannon. With more than 10 years experience owning and operating Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood restaurant, Pat has consistently raised the bar for fine dining in the city of St. Louis. Under her leadership, the restaurant has been nationally recognized for an outstanding wine selection, while locally claiming the titles of Best Steakhouse, Best Sports Bar, Best Power Lunch on more than one occasion.

Additionally, Pat is an owner of Lumen Private Event Space, El Borracho Taqueira y Cantina and serves on the Downtown St. Louis Partnership's Community Improvement District board.

Gary VanMatre, Jr., General Manager

Gary is the son of Pat Shannon-VanMatre and oldest grandson of Mike Shannon. As the General Manager of Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood, Gary’s primary responsibility is to maintain and build upon the outstanding reputation the restaurant has earned throughout the past two decades.

As a native St. Louisan, Gary followed in his grandfather’s footsteps attending CBC High School and making a name for himself in college baseball when he took the Chapman University team to the Division 3 World Series in 2001. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization for two years before accepting a Sales and Marketing position with Anheuser-Busch in Los Angeles.

Gary is proud to be back in his hometown continuing his family’s tradition with the restaurant. He also holds ownership in El Borracho Cantina Y Taqueria

Nick Zotos, Executive Chef

Nick is the core driver of excellence in the kitchen at Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood. Growing up in the kitchen, Nick grew to appreciate every aspect of the kitchen—from the best way to cook a steak to finding the freshest local ingredients.

Before leading the kitchen at Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood, Nick spent 10 years with Smith & Wollensky as a Sous Chef and working to develop new locations of the company’s successful steakhouse. His time with the company was spent in Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Dallas, Philadelphia and Boston before accepting a position as Executive Chef of Smith & Wollensky’s bustling Houston location.

Nick prides himself on consistency and believes teamwork is the best building block for maintaining a proficient kitchen. He attributes the success of the restaurant to equal parts talent and dedication in his culinary team.

Laura Schweikhart, Banquet Coordinator

Laura is one of the many employees at Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood who has been with the restaurant for more than 10 years. She began working at the restaurant as a server and was later promoted to Banquet Coordinator. For the past two years, she has been managing and organizing all of the restaurant’s special events and private parties, accommodating groups from12-1200 guests.

She is a family woman, so it’s no surprise that Laura sees Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood as an extension of her own family. Her love and dedication for the restaurant and all that it entails is clearly illustrated in the memorable experiences she helps create for each and every guest.

If she can’t be found at the restaurant, Laura is enjoying the great outdoors and though she prefers to play softball, she enjoys catching a good Cardinal’s baseball game.

Dan Flaherty, Shift Manager

Dan is yet another employee at Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood, who has been with the restaurant for more than 10 years. In addition to his full-time position with the St. Louis City Fire Department, Dan manages the restaurant during busy weekday lunches and picks up an occasional serving or banquet shift.
He is first an Irishman and then a Cardinal’s baseball fan.