SANTA FE N.M. K-Bob’s Steakhouse concept appears to be running a competitive race against many larger casual-dining rivals. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Tinsley says the 15-unit Southwestern steakhouse chain generated a 3.4-percent increase in same-store sales during 2009’s unforgiving first quarter. In addition, same-store sales rose 4.9 percent during fiscal 2008 over the 2007 period, he said. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
By comparison, Technomic Inc., the Chicago-based foodservice research and consulting firm, reports that same-store sales at casual-dining chains declined an average of 4.17 percent in the first three months of the year. Of the 32 chains tracked during the period, 27 reported negative growth versus only five that were in positive territory. Technomic also estimates that same-store sales for 2008 were down an average of almost 3 percent for dinnerhouses. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“I’m pleased that the company is holding its own in these challenging times,” said Tinsley, who has refocused his energies on the 43-year-old brand following his grinding 2008 congressional campaign. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Technomic’s president Ron Paul observed that restaurants that are fundamentally dependent on a loyal, local following tend to do better in the current recessionary environment. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“[K-Bob’s] are probably in relatively small [cities],” he said, “and, obviously, the franchisees are doing a great job running the stores and paying attention to their customers. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“If you look across the board, only a couple of players are doing well in casual dining.” —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Tinsley Hospitality Group LLC, the franchisor of K-Bob’s, also is stepping up growth. Tinsley said the wholly franchised chain anticipates cutting the ribbon on two new locations this year. It shuttered two units last year in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and Durango, Colo., and opened one in Ruidoso, N.M. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Tinsley said the company has created a corporate position that will focus on franchise sales and real estate acquisition. The individual’s role “will be to match an operator to a particular piece of property,” he said. “We will put some resources behind that in the second half of the year.” —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
K-Bob’s tends to target smaller communities with a population of about 25,000 or less, but which also are tourist-centric or else centralized enough to draw traffic from outside of the area. For example, franchisee Don Reish operates a K-Bob’s in Cañon City, Colo., which is 45 miles southwest of Colorado Springs and situated on the Royal Gorge. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“If we didn’t get tourists, our numbers would show it,” he said. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
The chain’s average unit volume is about $1.1 million. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
But K-Bob’s restaurants also rely on local residents, many of whom are involved either in the oil and gas business or in agriculture and ranching. Because of that, the recession has been somewhat less of a factor to the business, Tinsley said. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“The recession has had less of a dampening effect on our markets,” he said. “We’ve seen a little apprehension [among customers] connected with the economy, but it’s just not as devastating in our markets as it has been in others.” —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
K-Bob’s franchisees operate restaurants in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Colorado. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Nevertheless, he noted that the recent decline in oil prices has impacted several of the chain’s locations. One K-Bob’s situated in a west Texas market was affected when the largest employer in town shut down all of his drilling rigs until the price of crude oil stabilized again. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Mike Myers, who franchises three K-Bob’s in New Mexico and Texas, credits some of the brand’s success to the personal connection between the restaurant and its local patrons. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“The wife of a longtime customer, a farmer, passed away recently,” said Myers, who had served as interim president of the chain while Tinsley was on the campaign trail. “There were so many people at the funeral, the farmer asked K-Bob’s to help him prepare food for all of the people. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“It’s on a more personal level. Most of the servers know folks on a first-name basis.” —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Myers, who previously was chief executive and president of Back Yard Burgers in Nashville, Tenn., said he is hoping to open a fourth K-Bob’s this year. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Reish, a longtime K-Bob’s franchisee who left the brand and then returned, said the concept also resonates for many residents in the markets it enters. Reish and his family converted his Cañon City restaurant into a full-service Italian concept in 2005, but the area did not respond strongly to it. So, last year, he reopened a K-Bob’s on the site. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“Now, our business is flourishing,” he said. “It’s a challenging environment, but I think people just feel more at home here and are comfortable with the food we serve: steaks and seafood.” —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
However, value also is a critical element for the chain, Tinsley said. In March the chain launched its Lunchtime Gold Rush promotion, which features smaller portions for $6.99. K-Bob’s also debuted a Fiesta Menu on May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, which features a number of the chain’s standard menu items that have been spiced up with Mexican flavors. The promotion runs for 60 days. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
K-Bob’s average per-person check runs just slightly above $10. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“We try to stay competitive with quick-serve chains,” Myers said. “People can still come in and have a meal for under $7. It’s not just about adding new products right now; it’s also about adjusting portion sizes so people can save money.” —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
Tinsley concurs. —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his
“People are taking a hard look at the difference between a $5 bill and a $10 bill these days,” he said.— [email protected] —Ed Tinsley may have lost his bid to become the U.S. congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District last year, but his