1. tx land cattle.htm[5/5/2015 3:16:33 PM]
Brand-new steakhouse poised to join Texas-themed eateries.
Byline:
Charlotte Balcomb Lane FOR THE JOURNAL
Dining
Tips & Tabs
Yee-haa,
there's a new kind of Texas takeover going on in the Duke City, in the form of
the steakhouse. Opening around Oct. 19 will be
the Texas Land & Cattle
Steak House at 4949 Pan American Freeway, near Jefferson. This new eatery is
designed to look like a country
log cabin with a big ol' fireplace where you
can shuck peanuts and throw the shells on the floor, except this cabin offers
two kinds of
peanuts (plain and fiery) and the steaks cost an average $14.95.
The menu also includes hickory-smoked Atlantic salmon, mesquite-
grilled Angus
beef sirloin steaks and racks of Texas-style baby back pork ribs. The house
specialty is hickory-smoked sirloin, which
comes in either a 16-ounce version
for $15.95 or a 10-ounce version for $12.95. Dinners come with salad and
sourdough bread.
The
Texas Land & Cattle Steak House joins several other Texas-owned or
Texas-themed meat restaurants, including the Great
American Land & Cattle
Co., the Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon and Austin's Steakhouse. It is the
12th location of the Dallas-based
chain, but the first outside Texas. The telephone
number is 343-9800.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW: Looking for the perfect place for that special wedding? It might just be the old Casa Vieja
restaurant, which may get a new lease on life as a venue for special events. The restaurant has been closed for months as owner Rick
Gabaldon has pondered what to do with the venerable Corrales adobe. He and Albuquerque caterer and wedding cake baker Janet
Everett are laying plans to go into partnership to transform the restaurant into a destination for weddings, corporate lunches and holiday
parties. Everett, 37, has operated Alfresco Catering and Confectionery Arts for the past six years. She is a 1990 graduate of the
California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and also studied
pastry-making in Denmark.
Said
Everett about the selection of places for weddings in Albuquerque: "There
are lots of places that almost work, but we need a place
where we can put
together a wonderful, well-rounded event."
Gabaldon,
who owns the Bird of Paradise Inc., a discount liquor store on Gibson, would
maintain the liquor license at Casa Vieja. Everett
said she has no plans to
change the name because the place has so many "wonderful
associations."
When
will the switch occur? According to Everett, she and Gabaldon are still in the talking
phase and no contracts have been signed.
If
you have news of note on the local dining scene, send it to me in care of
Dining Tips and Tabs, P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M.
87103. You may also
leave a message at 823-3931 or e-mail me at tipstabs@abqjournal.com.
Copyright Albuquerque
Journal (Albuquerque, NM)
http://business.highbeam.com/2872/article-1G1-107568453/brandnew-steakhouse-poised-join-texasthemed-eateries
Taking a Bite Out of N.M.(Business)
Byline:
Michelle Pentz Journal Staff Writer
More
restaurant chains settle into the state with gusto
Consumers
hungry for more eatery options have a lot to look forward to this year. After a
1 1/2-year lull in national restaurant chain
expansion, a new wave is due to
hit Albuquerque in 2000.
While
a few new concepts Blue Corn Cafe & Brewery, Fuddruckers World's Greatest
Hamburgers, Texas Land & Cattle Steakhouse
debuted in the Duke City
recently, newcomer activity has been sluggish. In fact, the number of
Albuquerque metro-area eating and
drinking establishments has decreased
slightly: from 1,071 in 1997 to 1,038 in 1998, according to Demographics USA,
Market Statistics
1999.
That's
about to change, said John Sedberry of Sedberry & Associates Commercial
Real Estate Services.
"In
the last year, there have been numerous transactions put together for a wave of
new restaurants this year and next," he said.
Diners
will soon find more Marie Callender's Restaurants & Bakeries, Dion's Pizza,
TGI Friday's and Garduno's of Mexico locations. New
kids on the block arriving
this year are Red Robin, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and
Zio's Italian Kitchen with a
large number going in on the burgeoning West Side.
"As
a city grows, you get all the ingredients for a restaurant to succeed high
traffic, demographics, density and visibility," Sedberry said,
"although (sit-down) restaurants come in bunches every two to three
years."
Fast-food
action remains steady and will continue since the highly competitive chains are
"always on the lookout for strategic locations
and good pad sites,"
Sedberry said.
One
trend that has been gaining momentum here is the gas station/fast-food combo.
Initiated about five years ago, the concept recently
hit the Duke City hard. A
new McDonald's-Shell station is under construction at the southeast corner of
Lomas and Broadway; a
McDonald's-Chevron opened Feb. 10 at Central and Wyoming.
Albuquerque
has impressive eatery numbers given its relatively low density, said Matt
Ladendorf, senior associate at CB Richard Ellis
Inc.
"We've
now reached this magic population threshold where we've started to catch the
eyes and ears of the national retailers," he said,
adding that many will
not enter a market until it reaches 500,000. "Then they look and say, 'Oh,
Starbucks is there and doing great. We'll
move in, too.' ''
A
second-tier market to hot spots such as Phoenix and Denver, Albuquerque often
rides on the coattails of its sister cities' rapid growth.
"It's
easier for a restaurant chain to open in Phoenix and then head to
Albuquerque," Ladendorf said. "They won't open 25 or 30
restaurants
here, but they might open 15."

2. tx land cattle.htm[5/5/2015 3:16:33 PM]
Part
of CKE Restaurants Inc.'s strategy and many of its competitors' is contiguous
expansion so it can share advertising costs in a
region. The Anaheim,
Calif.-based chain operates Carl's Jr., Hardee's and Taco Bueno. CKE is opening
as many as 20 Carl's Jr.
restaurants in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the company's
initial push into New Mexico.
"In
certain markets, we require 40 restaurants to become media efficient,"
said spokeswoman Suzi Brown, referring to sharing the cost of
advertising.
"In Albuquerque we can do it with seven or eight."
Distribution
is key, and nearby management also is important, she said. Cost and timing also
are factors how fast the company can
penetrate a market as are estimated growth
rates.
For
Marie Callender's of Orange, Calif., once there are 100,000 people within a
5-mile radius, the company is interested. Using local TV
and newspaper
demographics research, along with target growth area recommendations from real
estate brokers, the company
determines where to expand.
The
final step is to fly out on three occasions to inspect a potential site. If an
area surpasses a population of 500,000, for example, that's
enough to support
two restaurants.
"For
most retailers, they have the same antennae," said Tom Van Gilder, real
estate director at Marie Callender's Ventures Inc. "It
triggers everybody."
Marie
Callender's, which had only one location here for many years, opened another
restaurant on the West Side. The company is
planning to open restaurants in
Santa Fe, where incomes and population have jumped.
"Five
years ago we wouldn't have done that," Van Gilder said.
The
company takes extreme care in selecting a site since its goal is to stay in a
leased building for at least 25 to 30 years. For the next
decade, Marie
Callender's is bumping up that time to 40 years.
"If
it doesn't work out, you're in there for 20 years and that's not good," he
said.
Burger
King Corp. only moves into markets where it can be a dominant player: No. 1,
No. 2 or no go, said Kim Miller, spokeswoman for
the Miami, Fla.-based chain.
Since
it is mostly franchise-operated, Burger King looks for qualified franchisers,
burgeoning markets and prime real estate locations on
main roads on the
going-home side of the street, with convenient access and with no U-turns.
"A
community has to have our core market, which is 18- to 34-year-olds, primarily
ethnic customers," Miller said. "But we view anyone
with teeth as a
potential customer."
Nearly
all restaurants consider what competitors are doing and how they are faring in
a market.
"Making
a decision as to whether we can live with a site for 30 years takes a lot more
research than where a particular trend is going,"
said Paul Saber,
owner/operator of 11 Albuquerque McDonald's.
McDonald's
real estate department considers local and outside research, what is happening
in an area along with the usual car counts
and demographics analysis.
"That
helps us validate or tell us there's something here we're not seeing,"
Saber said.
Most
restaurant owners do their own research, review data from each city and build
successful business models based on projected
sales volumes. Then, they plug in
numbers to assess viability.
It
is a combination of many things including the all-important "gut
feeling," said Perry Mann of H. Davidson & Associates.
But
even the most thorough research doesn't necessarily guarantee success. The West
Side's On The Border Mexican Cafe, a popular
concept elsewhere in the
Southwest, was bought out by competitor Garduno's late last year after
suffering from sluggish sales.
"Eventually,
there's not room for all players, so the weaker chains will go by the
wayside," said Marie Callender's Van Gilder.
The
good news for retailers is there isn't much competition in the Duke City for
consumers' leisure dollars, Ladendorf said.
"We
don't really compete with the ballet, symphony or pro sports in a big
way," he said.
"What
else is there to do here but shop, go to the movies and eat?"
Popular
industry research sources
*
Population and growth rates
*
Labor pool and unemployment rates
*
Traffic counts
*
Franchise interest level
*
Current franchisers' recommendations
*
TV advertising research, "dominant market area"
*
Newspaper advertising research, "metro statistical area"
*
Local real estate brokers
*
Community master plans
*
City government and chamber of commerce stats
*
Census data
CAPTION(S):
PHOTO
BY: ADOLPHE PIERRE-LOUIS
PHOTO:
Color
ANOTHER
PLACE TO EAT: More and more national retail chains such as Marie Callender's of
Orange, Calif., have discovered
Albuquerque. Shown here is Callender's newest
restaurant next to Cottonwood Mall on the West Side. Since opening, half-hour
and
longer waits are common.
Copyright Albuquerque
Journal (Albuquerque, NM)

3. tx land cattle.htm[5/5/2015 3:16:33 PM]
http://business.highbeam.com/2872/article-1G1-107064202/taking-bite-out-nm
TXLC wrangles tender beef, with side of corn pone.
Byline:
Charlotte Balcomb Lane FOR THE JOURNAL
With
ropes and longhorn steer horns hanging on the walls and bark planks lining the
dining rooms, the new Texas Land & Cattle Steak
House lays on the
ranch-hand hokum pretty thick, but the grub is genuinely good.
Since
the neon barn opened in mid-October, customers have congregated at the I-25
restaurant as thick as flies in a feedlot. I
understand why. If your idea of a
good meal is spelled "S-T-E-A-K," this is your place.
Popular
wisdom holds that fewer Americans cook slabs o' steak at home anymore, so when
they dine out, they want meat. The TXLC
chain (their abbreviation for Texas
Land & Cattle) gives meat-eaters what they crave: tender, flavorful, juicy
steaks served in big portions
at prices that make 'em feel like they got their
money's worth.
The
Texas Land & Cattle Steak House isn't cheap; the lowest price dinner entree
is $8.95 for a half-rack of barbecued ribs. Steaks run
$12.95 to $18.95, which
makes a meal pretty costly. But you get plenty of moo for your money, so it
feels like a bargain.
Plus,
if there's a wait before dinner, you can munch on roasted peanuts and throw
shells on the floor. All steak, seafood, ribs and poultry
dinners include a
crusty loaf of sourdough bread baked daily in the restaurant, a large salad or
soup, and your choice of baked potato or
sweet potato, garlic-mashed potatoes,
beans or fries. You can make a meal on the trimmings. The side dishes, salad
dressings and
sauces are novel enough to make you feel like you've tried
something new, without experimenting with an entree.
TXLC's
signature dish, smoked sirloin, is slow-smoked and sliced into thick, tender,
rosy-red, pepper-speckled pieces. The redness and
the hunks of pepper look a
little frightening, but the meat tastes mild and offers just coquettish resistance
to a knife. (It's red because of
the smoking, not because it's raw.)
You
can order a 16-ounce portion for $15.95, a 10-ounce portion for $12.95 or a
10-ounce portion with four mesquite-grilled jumbo
shrimp for $17.95.
I
ordered four grilled shrimp with my $15.95 entree of Angus steak, and I
recommend you stick to steak. For $5.95, you can get four
grilled shrimp with
any entree. Shrimp are wasted on a mesquite-fired grill, because they wither
under the intense heat. Dry, grainy
shrimp were the only disappointment in 10
items that a group of four of us diners tried, but the Angus steak was
excellent. No waste, no
fat. A server hovers by your table until you cut your
steak to see if it's properly cooked.
Two
other entrees -- grilled salmon and smoked quail -- were also commendable and
commodious. The salmon was a lovely, 10-ounce
portion, lightly smoked but not
parched. The quail consisted of three birds, split and halved, heavily smoked
and grilled. There isn't much
meat on a single quail, but three constitute a
large meal.
If
you want chicken, you can get it grilled, fried or doused with poblano chile
sauce. If you want no meat, there are some good-size
salads and those enormous
baked sweet potatoes, which come with a gooey cinnamon, sugar and butter sauce.
For
chuckles, try the fried dill pickle appetizer for $3.95, which tastes a lot
like hot dill pickles. (They're better cold.) The "white BBQ
sauce"
served with them is pretty good, however. Better starters are the $5.95 or
$7.95 TXLC steak nachos, served with guacamole and
pico de gallo. For dessert,
try the $3.73 Jack Daniel's Pie, an enormous, warm chocolate chip cookie,
nestled in a graham cracker crust,
and topped with a scoop of ice cream.
Teetotalers, fear not: It has little relation to whiskey.
OK,
but not great, is the $3.50 Chuckwagon Cobbler with ice cream, an uninspired
apple-cinnamon mush.
As
one of a chain, Albuquerque's TXLC can afford to do what many locally owned
restaurants can't: Give abundant food at near-margin
prices. So what if most
Albuquerqueans have never set foot on a ranch? When we eat at the Texas Land
& Cattle Steak House, we get
the meat and a little bit of corn pone thrown
in.
Texas
Land & Cattle Steak House
*
* * 1/2
LOCATION:
4949
Pan American Freeway, near the Jefferson overpass; 343-9800
HOURS:
Sunday-Thursday
11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight
Smoking
section
CAPTION(S):
PHOTO
BY: JIM THOMPSON/JOURNAL
PHOTO:
b/w
The
Texas Land & Cattle Steak House offers a taste of ranch living, both in
decor and menu offerings.
Copyright Albuquerque
Journal (Albuquerque, NM)
http://business.highbeam.com/2872/article-1G1-107566726/txlc-wrangles-tender-beef-side-corn-pone