A Texas Business That Really Takes the (Pan)Cake | Restaurantville Magazine, Winter 2013

Restaurantville‘13

winter

MAGAZINE CONNECTINGTHETEXASRESTAURANTCOMMUNITY

Photo by Theresa Fernandez Photography

CEO Mark Davis Bailey dishes about The Original Pancake House–DFW

A Texas Business That Really Takes

the (Pan)Cake

2 | Winter 2013 R E STAU R A N T V I L L E M AG A Z I N E

PUBLISHERRichie Jackson, CEO

Texas Restaurant Association

EDITORWendy Saari, Vice President, Marketing & Communications Texas Restaurant Association

CONTRIBUTORS

Chantal Rice

ART DIRECTOR Joanna King,

Graphic Design Manager Texas Restaurant Association

ADVERTISINGJoanne Pantaze, JP Solutions

Restaurantville Magazine is published quarterly by the Texas Restaurant Association.

It is the mission of the Texas Restaurant Association

to be the advocate and indispensable resource for the foodservice

and hospitality industry in Texas.

For advertising information contact Joanne Pantaze, 512 -273-2639

or [email protected].

Editorial questions can be directed to Wendy Saari at 512-457-4100 or

[email protected].

P.O. Box 1429Austin, Texas 78767

512-457-4100800-395-2872

www.restaurantville.com

MAGAZINEConnecting the Texas

Restaurant Community

Restaurantville

R E STAU R A N T V I L L E M AG A Z I N E Winter 2013 | 3

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D E P A R T M E N T S

18 TEXAS 360

23 COMMUNITY NEWS

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F E A T U R E S

4 A TEXAS BUSINESS THAT REALLY TAKES THE (PAN)CAKE

15 PAY OR PLAY: THE COST OF HEALTHCARE

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4 | Winter 2013 R E STAU R A N T V I L L E M AG A Z I N E Photo by Lisa A. Stewart


Based on the restaurant con-cept founded by a family in Oregon in 1953, OPH features an extensive menu of made-from-scratch breakfast deli-cacies offered nowhere else in the Lone Star State. And thanks to Mark Davis Bailey, president and CEO of OPH–DFW and his team, the Origi-nal Pancake House is about to enter a growth phase that in-cludes opening OPH locations in metropolises throughout the state. Mr. Bailey sat down with Restaurantville Magazine to give us the scoop on run-ning and growing a success-ful restaurant chain in Texas, the cult-like dedication of his guests and why his food sells like, well, hotcakes.

By Chantal Rice The Original Pancake House franchise in the Dallas area is no regular flapjack eatery.

A Texas Business That Really Takes the (Pan)Cake



Restaurantville:While pursuing your under-graduate degree in architecture at Texas Tech, you and some friends started an investment club called FTM Investments (“Friends, Trust and Money”). How did that venture lead to your ownership of the Original Pancake House franchise in Dal-las?

Mark Davis Bailey:Five of us started the club in col-lege, putting in $20 a month. First we had a hundred, then a thousand dollars, etc. We started buying CD’s and stocks. Even-tually, we got the club up to 19 people and after a few years had $65,000. We learned a lot about investing, real estate, securities and all kinds of things. It was a great success. It was an original thought, and foolishly, I went for many years thinking I had invented the concept of invest-ment clubs.

When I moved to Dallas, I start-ed eating at the Original Pancake House. The owner and I became friends. I pitched him to do a sec-ond location. With some invest-Photo by Lisa A. Stewart


ment club money, we purchased 10 percent of that unit, and I designed and built it (my back-ground is Design Architecture and Construction). Then I moved overseas and he built a third and then a fourth unit. I sent money to gain 10 percent ownership of that fourth location.

In 2000, while on sabbatical from my work in Asia, the owner asked if I wanted to buy him out since he was retiring. He wanted the concept to grow, and wanted to sell the business to someone who would love it as much as he did and do something more with it. This was his baby. I invited Jonathan Seyoum (his district manager at the time) to be my partner, and we closed the ac-quisition in 2001.

R’villePrior to buying OPH, did you have any experience in the food industry?

MDB: During college, I was a student manager of the larg-est cafeteria on campus. That’s where I learned to love food ser-vice. I also worked nights at a bar and grill during grad school at Mississippi State University studying international business. I could make just as much money as the beautiful blonde girls be-cause I learned it was all about making the guest feel like they received hospitality.

R’ville: What do you think sets OPH apart from other breakfast concepts?

MDB: Without doubt, it’s our dedication to preparation and execution of quality food. Our menu items are authentic, in-ternational, made-from-scratch recipes, enjoyed the world over. Every single day, our batters are made from scratch. We make our own whipping cream from scratch, every day. We juice or-anges and grapefruit every day.

We make our own

whipping cream

from scratch. We

juice oranges and

grapefruit... We grow

a potato sour culture

for several days, then

make a buttermilk

base from scratch,

then blend the two

together and age

that for 24 hours.



People frequently ask us for our pancake mix. But we don’t have a mix. We grow a potato sour cul-ture for several days, then make a buttermilk base from scratch, then blend the two together and age that for 24 hours. It makes the lightest, fluffiest buttermilk pancake money can buy. No-body else goes to that trouble.

Our competitors’ pancakes come from a bag of dried ingredients, and often, they don’t even add eggs or milk (they typically just add water). Most people don’t realize it takes us five days to make a pancake, but they can taste the difference between us and the other guys.

As a brand, we’ve been around a very long time. We’re enjoying our 25th year in Dallas, and our 59th year nationwide. As a fran-chisee, we have a lot of latitude. The franchisor is a small family in Portland, Ore., and we have a terrific relationship with them. We pay only a 2 percent royalty. They’re not squeezing us. In re-turn, we get recipes and the logo, and training if we need that. But in the end, it’s your enterprise, and you either do a good job or not. If you do it right, you’ll be successful.

R’ville: Your guests seem to be pretty dedicated.

MDB: We’re really fortunate to have a cult-like following. Guests literally show us their budget. They proudly say, “We’re going to spend $1,000 with you Photo by Theresa Fernandez Photography


guys next year.” Some people eat every single day in our res-taurants. On Saturdays and Sun-days, many people drive 30 to 40 miles to come eat with us. Our demographics are all over the place. We get every ethnicity and every level of income, from Great-Grandma, to teenagers, to businesspeople conducting their ‘power breakfasts.’ We get peo-ple from Oklahoma and Houston that travel to Dallas for our food. That's bound to be one defini-tion of a destination restaurant! We also get many requests from developers to open in other ar-eas.

People that know about our history and legacy, it tugs at their heart, and they talk about us with pride. Eighty percent of our business is repeat business. It’s all been word of mouth for 25 years, but now it’s time for us to start marketing and get out there. We know we have an identity crisis. Many people think we’re IHOP. One of our busi-ness coaches feels we have that problem because we don’t have a message out there. So, we’re looking at public relations firms, and will try to get our story out there.

R’ville: Original Pancake House–DFW currently has six locations in the Dallas area, but you are planning to expand to Houston. What do those plans entail?

MDB: We started with four locations then built two more in DFW, so we’re up to six now, plus we relocated and rebuilt our smallest unit (so we’ve actually built 3 restaurants in the past 6 years). We have a lot of demand in Houston, and quite a fan base there already. We’ve been look-ing in Houston for almost two years and are currently awaiting another landlord’s proposal. We

We get every

ethnicity and

every level of

income, from

Great-Grandma,

to teenagers, to

businesspeople

conducting their

‘power breakfasts.’

Photo by Lisa A. Stewart


had hoped to open Houston in 2012, but perhaps we’ll get that accomplished in 2013. Once we gain traction in Houston with two locations, we’d like to de-velop San Antonio as well. We’ll also continue developing DFW; our seventh location is planned for Arlington. Our dream is to be the best breakfast concept in the best metroplexes in the best state.

R’ville: How has the franchise grown in terms of profits?

MDB: In 2001, when we ac-quired the company, it was do-ing $4 million a year. This year, we’ll do $10.5 million. We’ve got one restaurant that does $2 mil-lion and another that does $2.5 million. To provide some context, last year our closest competi-tor published their average unit volume (AUV) to be $750,000 system-wide, and they are open 24 hours with three shifts. Our AUV is more than double theirs

and we only serve breakfast and lunch in a single shift.

R’ville: What challenges have you faced in growing the brand?

MDB: We’ve grown organi-cally and carefully—six units in 25 years. We’ve focused on building the foundation for a cul-ture of quality that is portable and stays true to our brand and core values. When I became an owner/ operator in this business, I studied other restaurateurs/concepts. Many make the clas-sic mistake of getting one or two locations going and think, “I’m making good money with two locations. Seven must be fabu-lous.” Their culture isn’t portable, they have no foundation. Then they get in debt and in a few years, they’re bankrupt. We set out saying we wanted to grow this thing, but we’re not going to be stupid about it. We take it a step at a time, and that’s kept us in business.


As a growing organization, quality training and development have become critical. We are looking at learning-management systems for that. When we had four restaurants with 30 or so employees, it was a manageable workforce. Now we have 250 associates and multiple manag-ers. So we’ve started producing training films, management sys-tems, conducting weekly inter-nal webinars, etc. and we pair that with on-the-job training. We plan for a balance of on-the-job, A/V and classroom training. It’s our growth that drove us to this solution, and we want our prod-ucts/hospitality to stay consistet.

Additionally, two other key strategies have helped enor-mously: Becoming involved with the Texas Restaurant Associa-tion, and utilizing best-in-class advisors and consultants. These investments have paid dividends and helped us avoid re-inventing the wheel.

R’ville: What lessons have you learned in your time as a restaurateur?

MDB: It’s a little bizarre to me that what we learned in scouting really is true: Be a good citizen, work hard, help others, get in-volved civically and good things will likely happen.

For us, it’s all about our asso-ciates. We happen to sell pan-cakes, but it takes quality culture to sustain an enduring organiza-tion. We focus on our “Associ-ates-First” culture. We engage third parties to conduct associ-ate satisfaction inventories. Re-tention is one measure of cul-ture, particularly in our industry. Last year, we had a documented 70% retention. We belive it goes back to culture and the type of organization seek to become. We honestly believe in the hu-man spirit and our associates feeling engaged. It’s my job to support them, take care of them, and to make them feel loved and cared for. If we’re successful at

...becoming involved with the Texas Restaurant Association, and utilizing best-in-class advisors and consultants. These investments have paid dividends

and helped us avoid re-inventing the wheel.

Photos by Lisa A. Stewart


that, they will automatically re-flect that back to our guests. That’s where we’re trying to go and we’ve had some small mea-sure of success. This year, we had two more associates celebrate 20 years with us. We have close to 10 of those already, and many more with 19, 18, 17 etc. years with us.

Also, we work on our Five Qs: Quality Food, Quality Hospitality, Quality Facilities, Quality Human Resources and Quality Business. If we can hit these elements with

our best effort, then hopefully we’re on a road to success.

R’villeWhat are some goals you have for the restaurants?

MDBImproved “Associates First” cul-ture, superior food and enlight-ened hospitality are our goals. We’re trying to create the kind of company you’d be proud to have your family work with. We’re on

a mission to apprehend the Art and Science of Breakfast.

Although our menu is Old World, we also provide relevant offerings. We have a heart-healthy menu designed and en-dorsed by Medical City.

We also have a good carry-out business, and want to continue growing catering. We are in our third year of catering breakfast to the Dallas Cowboys players and coaches. Our guys get up at 3 a.m., finish setting up by 6 a.m., drive our catering van out



to their practice field, and serve the team breakfast, and some-times lunch, twice a week.

When the Houston Rockets heard we were coming to Hous-ton, they contacted me and said they were interested in talking with us about catering them as well.

We’re also the Official Break-fast provider of the Dallas Re-gional Chamber.

Our catering business has defi-nitely grown because of things like that. About six months ago, we added a full-time catering manager, and hope that side of the business continues to grow.

Up to this point, Jonathan and I have funded this organizations with our own debt/resources. To meet our growth plans, we're going to need to embrace equity partners that understand and care about what we are trying to accomplish.

Finally, we plan to work toward the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award (a highly coveted award focused on performance excellence). I want us to get bet-ter and go for that. It’s a multi-year process and it’s rough, but it can transform your company. We’re very serious about our pursuit of excellence at the Orig-inal Pancake House.

5Q’S:1. Quality Food2. Quality Hospitality3. Quality Facilities4. Quality Human Resources

5. Quality Business



Texas Restaurant Association combines your business with other restaurants to provide workers’ comp premium discounts and job-specific safety resources. As a member of the Restaurant Association Safety Group, eligible businesses may also qualify for both group and individual dividends and receive a discount for choosing the healthcare network option.

Dividends are based on performance and are not guaranteed.

Get A Full Serving of Savings.Reduce Your Costs and Workplace Injuries.

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Contact your agent or Scott Lea at (800) 395-2872 or email [email protected].


PAY or PLAY: The Cost of Healthcare

Pay or play? That is the decision that restaurant owners

who meet the threshold requirement of 50 or more full-time

equivalent employees are facing under the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate. Will they pay the penalties for not

offering coverage or will they play and offer health insurance to

their full-time employees? Many Texas Restaurant Association

(TRA) members are just now taking a look at what the pay or

play mandate may cost them and numbers can be daunting.


Before you decide whether to pay or play, you must determine if you are subject to the mandate. Employers with 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees will be required to offer their full-time em-ployees health insurance coverage starting in 2014 or pay a penalty for not doing so. Employers who have fewer than 50 full-time-equivalents are not subject to the law.

You will generally be required to combine the employees of all com-monly owned companies when making this calculation. The follow-ing formula is used to determine the annual calculation of the threshold of 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees:

All hours worked by part-time employees in a month ÷ 120

+

# of Full-time Equivalents for the month

# of full-time employees Defined as those who average 30+ hours a week in a month

Determining # of Full-time Equivalents

Large Employer 50 or more full

time-equivalent employees

Small Employer 50 or less full

time-equivalent employees

SUBJECT TO THE MANDATE

NOT SUBJECT TO THE MANDATE


The Kaiser Foundation report-ed that premiums for coverage of a single person in an employer provided group health insurance program in 2012 were $5,297. As-suming a minimum employee con-tribution of just over $1,000, the annual cost to the employer would range around $4,000 per full time employee electing coverage under the plan.

Now is the time to look at wheth-er or not you are subject to the em-ployer mandate. If you are close to that 50 FTE threshold, you should pay close attention to your staffing levels throughout 2013. If you de-termine that you are subject to the mandate, plan now for the costs you will need to cover in 2014, whether those costs come in the form of penalties or health insur-ance coverage for employees.

For more on the Affordable Care Act:

TRA Healthcare Resource Center

NRA's Healthcare Center

A large employer subject to the mandate that chooses not to provide coverage will be subject to a penalty of $2,000 per full-time employee annu-ally. Employers may exclude 30 full-time employees in calculat-ing the penalty. For example, a covered employer who has 60 full-time employees and choos-es not to provide coverage would face an annual penalty of $60,000. [60 total full-time employees – 30 full-time employees excluded from the calculation = 30; 30 x $2,000 penalty = $60,000.] This pen-alty is calculated and paid on a monthly basis.

PAY PLAYA large employer subject to the mandate that chooses to offer health insurance will find that costs vary depending on the level of coverage offered and the number of employees electing to obtain insurance. You are only required to offer coverage to full time employ-ees and their dependents. The employer is not required to pay anything for dependent cover-age. You may offer a very basic plan, covering 60% of the costs of care, and charge employees a share of the premium. The employee share may not exceed 9.5% of their income.

$2,000 Annual penalty per full-time employee

Penalties are not tax deductible. Based on a 2012 study from the Kaiser Foundation

$4,000 Annual cost per full-time employee

18 | Winter 2013 RESTAURANTVI L LE MAGAZINE

TEXAS 360

Word of Mouth, Convenience, Technology Key to Restaurant Selection

Word-of-mouth recommen-dation, convenience and ex-panded use of technology are some of the best ways to grow a restaurant's customer base, new research conducted by the National Restaurant Asso-ciation has found.

"Understanding what influ-ences a diner to choose one restaurant over another can give an operator a distinct competitive advantage," said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the NRA's Re-search & Knowledge Group. "Word of mouth has always been a restaurant's best pro-motional tool and that remains the case even in today's tech-nology-driven world."

According to the NRA’s 2013 Res-taurant Industry Forecast:

• 94 percent of adult consum-ers surveyed are likely to base their restaurant choices on rec-ommendations from a family member or friend.

• 45 percent would likely choose a restaurant based on ad-vertisements or promotions emailed to them.

• 43 percent said special offers sent through online market-ing sites, such as Groupon or LivingSocial, would likely influ-ence their restaurant choices.

• 35 percent said information posted on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter would likely influence their restaurant selections.

Restaurants' increased use of tech-nology, such as engaging in social media programs and websites, is seen as a good way to retain and attract customers, especially from those who seek value.

The use of online marketing as a communications tool is an increas-ingly important, strategic way for restaurant operators to reach tech-savvy customers who rely on their computers and mobile phones to make their dining and entertainment choices.


TEXAS 360

Online Registration Open for 2013 Southwest Foodservice Expo It takes knowledge, passion, creativity and a drive to succeed to make it in this competitive industry. Industry insiders know that the Southwest Foodservice Expo, produced by the Texas Restaurant Association, is the place to go for education, networking and a chance to see, sample and purchase the latest products and services to make their business successful. If you're in the foodservice industry, you need to be at Expo.

Save money and register online! THE $30 EARLY BIRD RATE ENDS MARCH 31. Texas Restaurant Association restaurant members attend FREE if they register online before June 18.

REGISTER NOW!

City of Austin Single Use Carryout Bag Ordinance

UPDATE:

The Texas Restaurant Association and our Austin chapter have worked closely with the City of Austin to clarify how the single use carryout bag ordinance applies to restau-rants. Thanks to our work, restaurants are partially exempt from the single use carryout bag ban. The ordinance includes the following exemption and information for restaurants:

RESTAURANT BAGS

Restaurant bag must be made of paper for take-away food. Single-use plastic bags are only allowed if necessary to prevent moisture dam-age, such as transportation of soups, sauces, salad dressing, and other liquids.

If you do use plastic carryout bags as allowed under this exemption, please educate your employees so that they are able to answer any cus-tomer questions. And thank you to all of our members who worked so hard on this issue.

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW BAG ORDINANCE?

On Thursday, February 7, the City of Austin will host two free train-ing sessions for businesses seek-ing more information about the ordinance.

The training classes will pro-vide an overview of the new bag standards, implementation and enforcement, as well as offer time for questions and answers. Both sessions will cover the same ma-terial. Bag distributors and sales representatives will be avail-able. Complimentary refresh-ments will be provided.

The training classes will be held at City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St., in the Council Chambers. Free parking is available at the City Hall parking garage. Please bring your parking pass for validation. Registration is limited to 150 participants per session, is required and can be completed online.

For more information about the Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance, visit Austintexas.gov/bags.

FREE INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS

Thursday, February 7 | City Hall, 301 W. 2nd St.

Morning Session 9–11:30am | Register

Evening Session 5:30–8pm | Register


TEXAS 360

The Texas Restaurant Associa-tion has launched a new and improved TABC To Go website at www.tabctogo.com. With user friendly features includ-ing convenient TABC certifi-cate reprints, the ability to log-in when you need to take the course and easy links to ad-ditional industry certifications like Foodguard and ServSafe Food Handler, our site will keep your entire staff trained and ready to go

Want to make training simple and easy for your staff and manage-ment? Learn more about Corporate Accounts and how we can make our training and certification work with your needs. We offer volume dis-counts, personalized customer ser-vice and more!

TRA members and their staff re-ceive discounts on all of our online certifications.

For more information on TRA Certified programs contact Scott Smith at 800-395-2872 or visit www.restaurantville.com/certified.

New & Improved! TABC To Go Alcohol Seller-Server Certification

TRA Announces Partnership with American Express The Texas Restaurant has selected Ameri-can Express to be the Official Card Part-ner for 2013. This is the second consecutive year the association has partnered with American Express.

“One of the top priorities for the Texas Restaurant Associa-tion is to create strategic alli-ances with organizations that can offer valuable resources to our membership,” said Richie Jackson, TRA CEO. “American Express offers many solutions to small business owners and is of-ten the credit card of choice for business transactions.”

American Express has support-ed the restaurant industry since 1958 and continues to develop new products and services to benefit the industry.

BEFORE AFTER

• Refrigeration seals made on-site• On-site welding

• Custom stainless steel fabrication• Kason refrigeration hardware

(800) 428-7325www.sealtexinc.com

• Custom built walk-in doors and floors

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www.GlazierFoods.comConnect with us:

www.facebook.com/GlazierFoodswww.twitter.com/GlazierFoodsCo

marketplace

For Advertising Information contact Joanne Pantaze at 512-273-2639 or [email protected]

Looking for a new ice maker? HVAC? Restaurant technology provider? Look no further than the TRA Online Buyer’s Guide. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, easily find TRA Allied members eager to help you run your restaurant better.

Online Buyer’s Guide

www.restaurantville.com/buyersguide

TexasRestaurantLaw.com is your free one-stop shop for all legal questions related to the restaurant industry.

Provided by the attorneys at the law firm of Looper Reed & McGraw, the site offers advice on:

• How to deal with landlords• What to ask and not ask

potential employees• How to protect your trade secrets• Buying, selling and franchising

your restaurant• and much, much more.

Our attorneys are always glad to answer your unique legal questions too, so call today at:

888.863.7157

DALLAS•HOUSTON•TYLER

Your Recipe for Restaurant Success— Texas Restaurant Law.com —


TEXAS 360

Texas is projected to see sales of $40.8 billion, a 5% increase over 2012. Restaurants in Texas will employ 1,074,200 Texans, a slight increase from 2012. Texas is also projected to post the strongest growth in employ-ment over the next decade, increasing 15.9% to 1,245,000 employees.

“Crossing the $40 billion mark in projected sales is a significant milestone. While we will always be Main Street in our business model, the Texas restaurant industry’s collec-tive might makes us one of the largest economic engines in the state,” said Richie Jackson, Texas Restaurant Association CEO. “With over 1 million em-ployees we employ one out of ten in the workforce and gen-

erate substantial tax revenues to both state and local government in the form of sales and property tax.”

While the restaurant industry is ex-pected to grow in 2013, operators will continue to face a range of challenges. The top challenges cited by restaura-teurs vary by industry segment, and include food costs, the economy and health care reform.

After increasing steadily in the last three years, wholesale food costs will continue on an upward trajec-tory through 2013, putting significant pressure on restaurants’ bottom lines as about one-third of sales in a res-taurant goes to food and beverage purchases.

The sluggish economic and em-ployment recovery impacts consum-ers’ cash-on-hand situation, which in turn impacts restaurants as there is a strong correlation between consum-

ers’ disposable income and restaurant sales.

Preparing for the implementation of health care reform will put additional cost pressure on some restaurant op-erators in the near future. One-third of a typical restaurant’s sales go toward labor costs, so significant increases in those costs will result in additional cost management measures to pre-serve the already slim pre-tax profit margins of 3-5 percent on which most restaurants operate.

In addition to containing a national, regional and state-by-state sales and employment outlook, the 2013 Res-taurant Industry Forecast provides de-tails on the latest economic, consumer, technology and operator trends. For more information, visit the National Restaurant Association’s web site at www.restaurant.org/forecast.

Texas Leads the Nation in Projected Sales GrowthOnce again; the Texas restaurant industry is projected to lead the country in sales growth in 2013 according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast.


COMMUNITY NEWS

Nominate them for the W. Price Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Win this Truck!

Know an Outstanding Hospitality Student?

Someone is going to win big, and it could be you! Tickets are still avail-able for the 2013 Texas ProStart Raf-fle. You have a one in 325 chance of winning the Grand Prize; a 2013 Ford F-150. Purchase your ticket today!

Each year the Texas Restaurant As-sociation awards the W. Price Jr. Memorial Scholarship to students with a growing passion for the food-service industry. Scholarships for $2,000 are awarded to four graduat-ing high school students attending

a post-secondary culinary program and three students currently enrolled in a post-secondary culinary pro-gram. The application deadline is February 1, 2013.

Apply Now

Tickets are $300 and for every tick-et purchased, you will receive $150 worth of gift certificates to Texas res-taurants. YOU GIVE. YOU GET!

Order Your Ticket

Register for the 2013 Texas ProStart Golf ClassicApril 7–8, 2013 Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa

Register and find more info at

www.restaurantville.com/golf

W. Price Jr., the first TRA Executive

Director, served from 1953–1974


TEXAS 360

Congratulations!Twelve Teams Advance to the Texas ProStart Invitational State FinalsThe competition was fierce. The skill and talent displayed was amazing. Twenty-five high school teams com-peted, 9 of them for the first time. And at the end of the day, twelve teams, six management and six cu-linary advance to the Texas ProStart Invitational state finals from the Hurst regional competition.

“This is our fourth year to produce the Texas ProStart Invitational and I am so impressed by the creativity, knowledge and passion these stu-dents show for our industry,” said Jer-ry Walker, Texas Restaurant Associa-tion Education Foundation chairman and owner of Lunada Tex-Mex Grill/Subway franchisee. “It was an exciting event and I can’t wait to see what the students bring to the Humble regional competition, to the state finals and ul-timately to the National ProStart Invi-tational!”

The team from the Academy of Culinary Arts & Hospitality at Byron Nelson High School took first place in the culinary competition with a meal that you might find at a high-end steak house.

Appetizer — Sesame and coriander crusted tuna, blistered corn and avocado vinaigrette and sweet corn puree

Entrée — Beef tenderloin, parsnip whipped potatoes, thyme roasted baby San Marzano tomatoes with a

sherry wild mushroom pan sauce

Dessert — Chocolate marquis with chile pecan tuile, prickly pear coulis and crème anglaise

The management team from the Career & Technical Education Center at Frisco ISD jumped on the burger trend with their first place concept U*Burgz, a restaurant serving burg-ers offering a taste from cultures around the world.

Congratulations to all of the com-petitors! If you want to see the future of the restaurant industry in action, join us at the next regional competi-tion in Humble February 11–12 or at the state finals in Waco March 20–21.

Management1st Career & Technical

Education Center – Frisco

2nd Prosper High School

3rd Academy of Culinary Arts & Hospitality at Byron Nelson High School

4th Plano East High School

5th Allen High School

6th Hollenstein Career & Technology Center

Good luck to these teams as they advance to the state finals!

Culinary1st Academy of Culinary Arts

& Hospitality at Byron Nelson High School

2nd Career & Technical Education Center – Frisco

3rd Prosper High School

4th Hollenstein Career & Technology Center

5th Allen High School

6th Royce City High School

Sysco Launches Multi-Platform Marketing Relationship with The Food Network, "Restaurant: Impossible" and Chef Robert Irvine Sysco Corporation, North America's leading foodservice distribution company, announced a multi-plat-form marketing relationship with the Food Network and its highly rated show "Restaurant: Impossible," and a partnership with the show's host, celebrity chef Robert Irvine.

The multi-level campaign is the first of its kind for Sysco. It will utilize specific Food Network programming and feature assets that relate to how Sysco serves its customers every day. The campaign will include integrated marketing and engagement initia-tives to reinforce Sysco's commitment to be its customers' most valued and trusted business partner.

"As the industry leader, we must continue to find new ways to en-gage with, provide value to and earn the trust of our customers," said Bill DeLaney, president and chief ex-ecutive officer of Sysco Corporation. "Launching this unique marketing re-lationship with the Food Network and Chef Irvine will enhance our ability to strengthen our customer relationships by contributing to their success."

In a recent study, more than 70 per-cent of Sysco's customers surveyed

said that they watch Food Network at least once a week and that it helps them stay on top of trends. Key com-ponents of the Sysco-Food Network multi-level campaign include:

• Media tie-ins, involving formal sponsorship of "Restaurant: Impossible," in-show product integrations and TV commer-cials;

• Digital integrations, incorporat-ing Food Network, Chef Irvine and Sysco assets on foodnet-work.com, the "Restaurant: Impossible" page on foodnet-work.com, and sysco.com and Sysco's Facebook page and ChefRef app.

• Product promotions, including three, large-scale Sysco cus-tomer sweepstakes; and

• Consumer tie-in, including a consumer sweepstakes on foodnetwork.com.

"Partnering with the Food Network is a great fit and an unprecedented journey for Sysco on a number of fronts," said Bill Goetz, Sysco's senior vice president of marketing. "With our presence in nearly every major

U.S. and Canadian market, it provides us with a platform to launch our first national brand campaign and our first network show integration. Food Net-work's mission is directly relevant to Sysco's mission, vision and goals. And what Chef Irvine does with his show, 'Restaurant: Impossible,' is what Sysco does with its customers – and that's help make restaurants successful."

www.sysco.com


COMMUNITY NEWS

P: 713.802.1200F: 713.802.2770www.GHRA.com

On April 22, 2013, the Greater Houston Restaurant Association will host its an-nual Spring Swing Golf Tournament at Kingwood Country Club. The event, sponsored by Glazier Foods Company, will begin with a Games of Skill contest, followed by a Shotgun start at 11:30 a.m.

The annual golf tourna-ment brings out the best

The Greater Houston Restaurant Asso-ciation will hold its annual President’s Dinner honoring 2012-2013 GHRA Pres-ident, Reggie Coachman, on Wednes-day, June 19, 2013.

The dinner and presentation recog-nizes those extraordinary members who

go above and beyond to further the suc-cess of the Association, as well as the un-paralleled leadership of President Reggie Coachman. The 2013-2014 GHRA Presi-dent, Walter Cervin, will be inducted dur-ing the event.

For more information on either of these great events, please call the GHRA office at 713.802.1200 or visit the GHRA website at www.ghra.com

of the best of restaurant owners, indus-try leaders, and restaurant association supporters in the Greater Houston area. Both members and non-members of the Association will have the chance to com-

pete in the games of skill and join the helicopter ball-drop raffle, all while enjoying a great round of golf!

Date Monday, April 22, 2013

Location Kingwood Country Club 1700 Lake Kingwood Trail, Kingwood, TX 77339

Time 9am | Games of Skill Contest 11:30am | Shotgun Start 4pm | Cocktail Hour and Dinner

Hit the Links with Houston Restaurateurs!

Celebrate Our Leaders at the President’s Dinner

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Grub Brothers, LLC ................................................ArlingtonANX ................................................................................. AustinBlackFinn American Grille ........................................ AustinCafe Blue ....................................................................... AustinCafe Crepe Austin ....................................................... AustinEl Naranjo Restaurant ................................................ AustinMuzak Systems of Austin ......................................... AustinRed 7 .............................................................................. AustinMaxine's On Main, LLC ............................................BastropBar 2 Winery .............................................................. CanyonOcean Beauty Seafoods, Inc. ............................CarrolltonDinova ..................................................................... ColleyvilleDoc's Seafood & Steaks / ICWR & M, Inc. ............................................................................Corpus ChristiBowl & Barrell / Free Range Concepts .................. DallasLiberty Burger, Inc. ...................................................... DallasThe Lot ............................................................................ DallasTwin Peaks Restaurants Corp Office ...................... DallasTaylor's Rental Equipment Co. ....................... Fort WorthAdvannova .........................................................GeorgetownLarry's French Market And Cajun Cafeteria ...... GrovesChristie's Seafood & Steaks ..................................Houston

Frenchy's Chicken ....................................................HoustonPassion Delight LLC ................................................HoustonR.W. Smith & Co........................................................HoustonBJ's Restaurants, Inc. ...........................Huntington BeachAvero LLC ........................................................................IrvingRudy's Texas Bar-B-Q ....................................................KatySouthern Komfort Kitchen ................................... La PorteMambo's Seafood / MS Valley #1 LLC ............... McAllenTwisted Root Burger Co. .....................................McKinneyCommercial Ice Machine Co. ..................................OdessaHomemade Wines, LLC ............................................OdessaThe Fish Fry ..................................................................... ParisBentwood Country Club ..................................San AngeloANA Concepts ..................................................San AntonioArcpoint Labs of San Antonio .....................San AntonioCompupay..........................................................San AntonioLuciano's Express 101 ......................................San AntonioIsle Grand Beach Resort ................... South Padre IslandCajun Crawfish Company ................................The ColonyChili's Grill & Bar .............................................. Wichita FallsRosati's Waco / Tramar Restaurant Group Ltd ................................................................................... Woodway

WelcomeNew Texas Restaurant Association Members


COMMUNITY NEWS

FEBRUARY 11–12 Texas ProStart Invitational Regional Competition, Humble

FEBRUARY 24 TRA Education Foundation Board of Directors Meeting, Austin

FEBRUARY 24–25 TRA Board of Directors Meeting, Austin

FEBRUARY 25–26 Legislative Affairs Conference, Austin

MARCH 20–21 Texas ProStart Invitational State Finals, Waco

APRIL 7–8 Texas ProStart Golf Classic, Lost Pines

APRIL 18–21 National ProStart Invitational, Baltimore, Maryland

TRA CHAPTER EVENTS

TRA EVENTS

Check out the TRA Calendar at restaurantville.com for a complete list of events!

ServSafe classroom training at Ace Mart locations around the state. ServSafe Proctored Exams given at TRA offices in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Register today!

Our 22 local chapters host many local events each month. Find an event near you and get involved!

TRAINING

CALENDAR OF EVENTS HIGHLIGHTS

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ADVERTISING INDEX

HEARTLAND ............................................................................27

MARKETPLACE ....................................................................... 21 GLAZIER FOODS

LOOPER REED

SEAL TEX

SOUTHWEST FOODSERVICE EXPO ................................ 30

TEXAS MUTUAL ...................................................................... 14

Find Inspiration.

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A Texas Business That Really Takes the (Pan)Cake | Restaurantville Magazine, Winter 2013

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