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Burger wars, re-visitedModerators: PonyPride, SmooPower With 32 pages of posts on this subject, we are need of making this a sticky and ranking/voting on the official Pony Fans Burger Rankings. Any others interested in this service to the Pony Fans community.
Class of '91
As long as it does not detract from the exclusivity and dignity of these highly regarded and revered rankings. I have not yet seen the final poll for 2004. Is it out yet?
I ate at Cheeburger, Cheeburger on Wednesday of this week. Not a pleasant experience, fellow ponyfans. The hostess/waitstaff acted like I was disturbing them even though it was at 3 p.m. It took several minutes for the LONE waitress to come take my order. I ordered a Swiss cheeseburger with all the fixin's. When it finally arrived at my table almost 15 minutes later (I was the only customer in there), the buns were cold, they had not used real mayo but, rather, Miracle Whip! There was only one tomato slice and the pickles were out of a jar, not freshly sliced. The beef patty was so-so (1/3 lb.) and cooked medium well. Nothing spectacular. I should have known it was going to be a bad experience when the waitress brought me my drink in a MASON JAR! That's a telltale sign that you're eating in a bad restaurant, my friends! The atmosphere of Cheeburger, Cheeburger is trying to duplicate the diners of the 50s but it's a cheap imitation and there's too much PINK! I doubt I'll return and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else, either.
Cutesy and trendy enough to attract the less-experienced Southlake crowd but I don't think it will make it in Inwood Village where the clientele has a more mature, discriminating palate for burgers. Of course, I did not think that Sonny Bryan's (on Lovers) would last a month. Now that's some bad (as in horrible) food. But I'll go to the Bar-B-Q Wars thread to elaborate. I agree with '65 Mustang on this one.
Anybody ever had a Loon burger? Damn, they're good.
The attitude dictates that you don't care whether she comes, stays, lays, or prays. I mean whatever happens, your toes are still tappin'. Now when you got that, then you have the attitude.
-Me
Really? Are you serious? All I've ever done there is drink. A lot. Who knows, maybe I had a burger. But I don't even remember them serving food.
Maybe the Burger Boys should convene for a Loon burger? Rise up, Mustang Nation!
Go SMU!
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Are you serious? While attending SMU, I'm sure Mitch Enright (of Southlake fame) will appreciate the serious culinary genius that makes up HP!
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The Loon has great food, try anything Italian.
Interesting story in the Arizona Republic about SMU grad John Davis of Davis Dining Concepts, owners of Hofstetter's and other upscale restaurants. I thought this might be the most appropriate place to post this...especially since it mentions an old SMU favorite from the '70s, The Old Church!!!!
John Davis is getting quite a lock on power-lunchers in the Valley. With the addition of Eddie Matney's restaurant on the northwestern corner of Camelback Road and 24th Street in Phoenix, the chief executive officer of Davis Dining Concepts now has three corners of the Biltmore corridor covered, restaurantwise. Matney's joins Deemo's in the Esplanade and the Downside Grille on the southwestern corner of 24th Street and Camelback as part of the restaurant chain. Davis Dining Concepts also includes three other restaurants in the Valley along with Hofstetter's in Dallas. That number "changes about every six weeks" as acquisitions continue, according to Davis. The business relationship with celebrity chef Matney has meshed well, Davis says. "I like being behind the scenes; Eddie is best in the spotlight." Davis, who says he's "all about the business," leaves creative issues to Matney, who will remain chef and operator of the restaurant. "The partnership between creative talent and business sense is a good concept for us. My agreement with Eddie is that if he doesn't write any checks, I won't cook." Matney, who opened his namesake restaurant 6 1/2 years ago with his wife, Jennifer, is excited about the new partnership. "It's a win-win situation. I get to expand creatively in my own restaurant and offer input for other restaurants in the chain." Although Davis' entrance into the Valley restaurant scene officially began in 2003, his "foodie" roots stretch back 25 years. While still a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Davis wrote a term paper on starting a restaurant. Through the project, he met Gene Street, originator of the Black Eyed Pea restaurant chain. "I got an A on my paper, so when I got out of school I talked to Gene about opportunities in his company." In 1981, Davis purchased a Dallas restaurant called the Old Church from Street. The former church housed a college bar and grill. "For two years, we served a lot of burgers and beer, until Ross Perot built an 18-story office building practically in our front yard." Davis sold the business and entered property management. During the 1990s, he formed his own custom-home building firm before joining Texas apartment builder Post Properties. In 1999, Davis landed in the Valley with the construction of the Roosevelt Square project in the downtown Phoenix historic district. When the Roosevelt project "fizzled out" after Phase I, Davis began looking for another avenue of business. His search landed him in Chicago, where he began marketing a chemical product for a family business to oil refineries. "That allowed me to put some money in the bank." Davis learned that Dave Froehlich, owner of the Downside Risk Restaurant in Scottsdale, was looking for a buyer. "What originally started as a real estate transaction turned out to be my entrée back into the restaurant business," Davis says. Davis bought the Downside Risk in January 2003 and the Barcelona Restaurant in Chandler the following year. In 2004, Davis also purchased the former Angelo and Maxie's Restaurant on the southwestern corner of 24th Street and Camelback, renaming it the Downside Grille. The Copper Square Grille in downtown Phoenix followed in March. The "Cheers-type" bar and grill Deemo's at the Esplanade was purchased in June. The chain is looking at other opportunities to expand in the Valley. Davis' acquisition and partnership style is unique in the restaurant business. "We don't buy and clean house. We buy and build," he said. "Phoenix is an 'interesting' town to invest in restaurants, (continued) Last edited by MrMustang1965 on Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
"Five or six months out of the year is the season here, when restaurants make money. The other half of the year is what I call 'shopping season,' when opportunities to purchase restaurants present themselves."
Davis maintains a positive cash flow for the chain by using common-sense measures. "We budget for the worst and hope for the best. We don't want surprises, we want results," he said. He also maintains a stable workforce throughout the year. "Unlike other local restaurants, we don't hire during the season and lay off in the summer. We have a continuity of staff and more efficient and effective service for our customers as well." Stefanie VanBeekum is manager of both Deemo's and the Downside Risk in north Scottsdale. VanBeekum, who has 14 years of food service experience, likes the teamwork concept Davis uses. "John asks for my input on advertising, marketing and food selections. I'm able to give my perspective from a day-to-day management viewpoint." Davis is still the owner of Davis Applied Technologies, the family oil refinery firm. He manages his business out of an office in the Camelback corridor. "I'm on the road quite a bit, so it's fortunate I have a staff to run things smoothly here," he said. Davis Dining Concepts sales hit $7 million in 2004 and should approach $10 million this year, according to Davis. The chain also offers catering and special-event planning. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... vis14.html
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