Readers Speak Out: Is the growth of the burger category short-lived?

In the June 23 edition of SiteTalk, we asked you what you thought about CSA columnist Jeff Green's opinion that the growth of the burger category could potentially be short-lived (read Jeff's column here). This is what one reader had to say:



“I am a founding partner with Becks Prime Restaurants in Houston. We opened our first restaurant here in 1985. We are most known for our burgers made from Certified Angus Beef chuck ground each morning in each kitchen. We grill our burgers over mesquite wood coals, as well as many other items such as chicken, ahi tuna, custom made hot dogs, and Angus steaks. We prepare virtually all our menu items from scratch from full recipes. The only items coming out of a freezer in our kitchens are our beer mugs.



We have grown to 11 restaurants in the Houston area. Our staying power/success over the past 25 years is based on our commitment to serving only top-quality, freshly prepared menu selections. To have a chance of being successful, speed of expansion of a concept must relate to the simplicity of execution. We believe preparing selections from full recipes in each kitchen, each morning leads to a better product, but certainly lends to the need for greater attention. Our customers have too many choices here in Houston (nearly 10,000 restaurants) for us to rest on our previously earned reputation. To have staying power we must be most concerned with the customer experience TODAY.”



-- Mike Knapp

Founding Partner

Becks Prime

Houston