Contacts:      Jane Gibson             303/850-3371     jgibson@beef.org 
                    Tia Woodward        415/984-6156      tia.woodward@ketchum.com       

                 National Beef Backer Award Winners Announced
             Beef checkoff award honors outstanding beef restaurants nationwide

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Feb. 5, 2007) –National Beef Backer Award winners were announced today by the Beef Checkoff Program at the Annual Cattle Industry Conference in Nashville, Tenn. The Beef Backer Award recognizes chain and independent restaurant operators who excel in menuing and marketing beef.  This year’s national winners included Buckhorn Steak and Roadhouse (Winters, Calif.) in the “Independent” category, O’Charley’s (Nashville, Tenn.) in the “Chain” category and Mortimer’s (Boise, Idaho) as the “Innovator of the Year.” 

The National Beef Backer contest solicits restaurant entries through state beef councils.  Oklahoma cattleman Brian Healey, chairman of the Joint Foodservice Committee notes, “It is important for beef producers to identify and honor those operators who continue to raise the bar in preparing and promoting beef on their menus. In 2006, more than 8.38-billion pounds of beef were served in the foodservice channel. This is a clear signal that today’s consumers expect and are willing to pay for a memorable beef-eating experience away from home—the kind of experience they can count on at these National Beef Backer restaurants.” 

 “Our reputation as a casual-dining leader is due as much to the quality of our steaks as it is to the quality of our service,” Dawn Boulanger, O’Charley’s vice president of marketing, said upon receiving the Chain Restaurant National Beef Backer Award.  “Our guests know they can count on O’Charley’s for the innovative, such as the Louisiana Sirloin, as well as long-standing favorites, like Prime Time Prime Rib.  Our choice, aged and hand-cut beef is the cornerstone of the O’Charley’s concept, and we make it our own with unique flavor combinations and original recipes.” In an effort to communicate the quality of their steaks and differentiate themselves from competitors, O’Charley’s recently introduced “The Great Steak Event” which featured several new steak entrées and custom-cut, branded steaks, paired with new sides and sauces. 

John Pickerel, owner of Buckhorn Steak and Roadhouse, couldn’t be happier with his restaurant’s achievement.  In 2003, the restaurant collaborated with its servers to create a beef training program, where they learned about the cooking, aging and cutting processes, marbling characteristics and beef tenderness, to help educate customers and promote beef, which accounts for 80 percent of the menu.  “Cow School” has since evolved into a mandatory training program for all restaurant employees.  According to Pickerel, “When the server is explaining the tenderness of our 2 ½-inch Baseball Cut, the flavor in our Bob Taylor Cut or the juiciness of our Bone-In 20-oz Rib Eye, they know the why’s and how’s. The customers truly believe we are steak experts, and leave spreading the word. Our best advertising tool is our knowledge and expertise with beef.”  

Mortimer’s captured the “Innovator of the Year” title by offering a breadth of traditional and non-traditional beef items in unique and trendsetting menu presentations.  One such example is “Beef Three Ways” which pairs three types of beef—prime, grass-fed and Kobe—each prepared a different way with distinctive accompaniments, all on one plate. According to chef/owner Jon Mortimer, "Beef is central to our menu. It’s no surprise that our best-selling dish is our Beef Zabuton, braised in Syrah, using the chuck cushion.” Mortimer’s stood apart from other entrants by the versatility of cuts throughout the oft-changing menu, including the popular Flat Iron, Ranch and Petite Tender cuts from the Chuck Roast. “We make sure to offer different cuts and grades to provide beef dishes in a broad range of choices for our patrons. And it’s been quite successful for us,” Mortimer said.”   

Restaurant operators interested in entering the 2007 Beef Backer contest should contact their state beef council.