Beef Backer Awards
Posted by Chuck – February 8th, 2008
The annual Beef Backer awards were presented at this year’s convention by Vice Chairman, Dave Bateman along with representatives of the various state beef councils that nominated them. The Beef Backer Award recognizes chain and independent restaurant operators who excel in menuing and marketing beef.
Cherry Valley Country Club, a non-commercial establishment, won the “Independent of the Year” award by offering their patrons quality beef in a variety of applications across all menu day parts. Their exceptional commitment to serving “the best” has kept club members happy. Michael Giletto, executive chef of Cherry Valley Country Club, says, “As chefs, we look for the best ingredients to create the menus we design. I’ve found the best quality beef allows me to satisfy any diverse palate.”
Giletto’s commitment this year was not only to continue to put beef on the menu, but to promote beef to the general public, purveyors, club patrons and fellow chefs. Giletto participated in a television show called, “The Digital Cookbook,” demonstrating how to prepare exceptional beef recipes in realistic time. He also shared cooking videos with a children’s TV show to help spark kids’ interest in cooking with beef.
You can listen to Giletto’s remarks here: 
Cherry Valley Country Club (1 min MP3 File)
You can see and hear all the award winners by clicking on the “more” link here:
Steve Anderson, Logan’s Roadhouse senior vice president of marketing, was thrilled to receive the Chain Restaurant National Beef Backer Award. Logan’s Roadhouse prides itself on serving “craveable beef choices at incredible value.” Logan’s has implemented promotions to showcase beef such as the “Top Your Steak Off” menu category, where guests can customize their steaks as they choose, and the holiday advertisements on their menu that prompt customers to purchase gift certificates for steak.
“Logan’s Roadhouse is a great place for steak, first and foremost,” says Anderson. “It’s featured at both lunch and dinner, and our guests love it. We serve high quality, aged steaks, hand-cut fresh on the premises. From signature sirloins like the Logan and Onion Brewski to classic cuts such as our Filets and Ribeyes, Logan’s is well known for great steaks at a great value.”
You can listen to remarks from Logan’s here: Logan’s Roadhouse (1 min MP3 File)
The Rex Restaurant & Bar captured the “Innovator of the Year” title by preserving The Rex’s 25 year old tradition of serving “the best steak in town” while managing to integrate new cuts like the Flat Iron and Ranch Steak into menu applications. Owner Gene Burgad says, “Today, like 25 years ago, the Rex menu features beef as our menu mainstay. In addition to the traditional cuts, we are now featuring the newer cuts of beef, offering our customers a wide variety of beef items on the menu. From blackened Prime Rib to garlic roasted and bacon wrapped filets to Flat Iron, Hanger, and Ranch Steaks, as well as steaks in salads and appetizers, The Rex team is proud of their diverse, beef centered menu.”
Gene and his head chef David Maplethorpe, believe in beef. “It is such a huge part of our Montana economy, and we are passionate about bringing quality beef to our Montana community.”
Restaurant operators interested in entering the 2008 Beef Backer contest should contact their State Beef Council.
You can listen to remarks from Rex Restaurant here: Rex Restaurant & Bar (1 min MP3 File)
The Beef Checkoff Program also announced the winners of the first annual national Retail Beef Backer® Awards program. Retail Beef Backer Award winners are selected based on their excellent merchandising of beef at the meat case. A third-party judging panel also took into consideration the retailers’ tie-ins with beef checkoff-funded programs such as Easy Fresh Cooking® labels, Beef Training Camp, Summer Grilling promotions, the Beef Value Cuts program and on-pack nutrition labeling. Applicants are also judged on retailer-originated beef promotions that focus on increasing beef demand among their customers. Such programs include outstanding beef promotions, co-marketing promotions and customer education programs.
The 2007 award winner in the category of Independent (fewer than 11 retail stores): Foodmaster Supermarkets (10 stores), based in Chelsea, Mass.
You can listen to remarks from Foodmaster here: Foodmaster Supermarkets (1 min MP3 File)
“The Retail Beef Backer Awards Program is one way beef producers can show their appreciation to retailers for the exceptional work they do to increase beef demand,” says Don Stewart, an importer from Highland Park, Ill., and chair of the beef checkoff’s Joint Retail Committee. “We are excited to award these winners for their hard work over the last year.”
The 2007 award winner in the category of Chain (11+ stores): Harris Teeter (166 stores), based in Matthews, N.C.
You can listen to remarks from Harris Teeter here: Harris Teeter (1 min MP3 File)
The 2007 award winner in the category of Innovator (This award, for an innovative beef support program or product merchandising program that succeeded in increasing beef demand, will be chosen from all submissions): The Kroger Company (2,400 stores), based in Cincinnati, Ohio, for their launch of the Flat Iron Steak.
“We were very impressed with the 2007 contest submissions and how retailers worked at increasing beef demand by utilizing beef checkoff funds. Their dedication to this industry only helps us further our work toward the Long Range Plan goal of increasing beef demand by 10 percent by 2010,” adds Stewart. “We welcome all retailers to submit an application for the 2008 contest.”
You can listen to remarks from Kroger here: Kroger Company (1 min MP3 File)
