Chef says things go bump in the night at high-end Dallas restaurant

A fine dining restaurant in Dallas known for serving celebrities, billionaires and CEOs has another group of enchanting clientele – ghosts!

Nick & Sam’s – known as one of Dallas' liveliest restaurants by day – is also known for the things that go bump in the night.

"Whether you call it supernatural or something, it's intriguing to know is there something out there,” said founding chef Samir Dhurandhar.

He has experienced some things that are hard to comprehend after running the restaurant for nearly 25 years.

"It's something different from ordinary life. You know, it's something exciting,” he said.

Nick & Sam’s has operated in a posh location in Uptown Dallas since its beginnings in 1999. However, the building itself goes back 65 years – long before it served high-end steak dinners.

“I think it's a landmark, especially with everything going around us right now, between the hotels and new constructions, the apartment buildings. I think we stand by ourselves,” said Chef Samir. “We are blessed to be here for this long. Not many restaurants can say 24 years – and hopefully, we can say 25 and throw a big party next year. But I think it shows what we do here. It's all about how we take care of our guests. And that's the reason why we are still here.”

Before Nick & Sam's, the building was home to another restaurant since the 1970s. Before that, It was used by the City of Dallas and the old Parkland Memorial Hospital. In the late 1950s and 1960s, the hospital used it as its "charnel house," a place where human skeletal remains were kept.

"I never believed it in the beginning. Everyone said it used to be a morgue,” said Chef Samir. “But about five or six years into Nick & Sam's, a guest came in who used to run the morgue. And he brought the blueprints of the morgue and showed us."

Chef Samir has stories to tell of the things he has experienced inside the building. He has seen objects move across the bar before his very eyes – anything from soup ladles to wine have fallen off the shelves.

"We've had a manager that got locked in the office and she couldn't get out. She had the key, but she still couldn't open that door. She felt like someone was holding that door,” said Chef Samir.

But the entities seem to be more friendly and playful than anything else. No one has ever been hurt.

"I feel whatever spirits, if there are spirits here – I think it's all a good thing,” said Chef Samir.

Sometimes the incidents are more helpful than anything else.

“I was making risotto one day and sometimes I deglaze the pan with white wine, sometimes I don't. I thought to myself, what should I do today? And the bag of white wine fell off the shelf. I did use it that day,” he laughed.

Some of the creepiest experiences happen after hours or when the restaurant is not open to customers. Busboys and cleaning crews reported being watched or hearing whispers in the empty dining room.

One time, Chef Samir physically saw someone he thought was a customer or potential interviewee.

"There in the middle booth, there was only one light on. And there was a lady sitting there,” he recalled. "No one else is here, just some kitchen staff and myself. And I stopped and I said, ‘Ma'am, are you being helped?’ And she goes, ‘Yes, I'm waiting on a manager.’ I thought maybe there's an interview or something. Just didn't sit right with me."

His gut was right. No one knew who she was and she disappeared as quickly as she appeared. To this day, it’s still a mystery to the staff.

Far from being frightened, some customers have embraced the supernatural ambiance.

"We did have a guest stay the night here one night because he wanted to experience something,” said Chief Samir. “I think it's part of the whole experience of Nick & Sam's, part of the energy. I think they're having as much fun as all the guests dining here, so I think it's all a good thing.”

Whether or not you believe in things supernatural, Chef Samir welcomes all of his guests.

“Guests alive or passed on,” he joked. “It's like everyday life now for me. It doesn't bother me anymore."