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Brand Name
HAYS, Kan (May
5, 2006) - A new Hays restaurant will have a familiar touch of home
to the many farmers and ranchers who packed Whiskey Creek on
Thursday evening at 3203 N. Vine.
The finishing
touch was put on the decor with a bar-branding party. More than
1,000 invitations were sent out to members of the Kansas Cattlemen's
Association encouraging them to bring their branding irons and have
their mark burned into the bar.
Glen and and
Nancy Stramel, Hays, were among the many people who turned out with
their branding irons and got a taste of hamburgers and hot dogs
cooked on the restaurant's wood-fire grill. The Stramels weren't
responding to a letter, though. “We know employees,” Glen Stramel
said. The Stramels brought two branding irons. One belonged to Nancy
Stramel's grandfather, who raised cattle near Wamego. His brand was
the J-bar. They also brought their own branding iron, which Nancy
Stramel's father had made for them when they bought a cabin in
southwest Colorado. That one is the Lazy S Bar Nothing. The cabin
itself is branded with it, Nancy Stramel said. As she stood behind
tape strung up to keep observers out of harm's way while employees
carried in the heated branding irons and pressed them to the top of
the bar, Nancy Stramel admired the other brands being burned into
the wood surface. “What's neat is, some of these are really pretty,”
she said.
On the north
side of the restaurant, about 10 workers — trainers from other
Whiskey Creek restaurants — heated the brands in a specially built
propane-fired pit used just for branding parties. When the irons
were hot, they carried them inside, calling “hot brand” as they
walked to the bar and found the right place to sear the mark onto
the wood. Some of the irons were so hot flames sprang to life as
they were pressed to the wood. Others merely raised lots of smoke as
they scorched into the surface. The owners of the brands were called
to move in close and watch their marks get burned into the bar.
The Hays
Whiskey Creek is the first franchise restaurant in the chain. The
other 11 restaurants are company-owned and located in Nebraska,
Kansas, Missouri and Florida.
The three
principal owners are Shannon Gnad, Tom Lovewell and Gary Weatherbee.
Several others, including Gnad family members and associates of
Weatherbee's primary business, Commercial Builders, are also
investors.
Lovewell is a
familiar face to Hays diners, having formerly managed the Golden
Corral. He will be general manager of the restaurant. Lovewell will
be assisted by Rick Patrick. Patrick was the general manager of the
Hays ALCO store for 10 years and the finance manager of Lewis
Chrysler for the last three years.
Extensive
renovation was done throughout the building, which formerly housed
Country Kitchen, to create the western ambience of Whiskey Creek.
Gnad said the partners invested more than $1 million in the
endeavor, considering the purchase of the franchise, the building,
equipment and furnishings and renovation work.
Whiskey Creek
will open its doors for business at 10 a.m. Monday. The menu
includes sandwiches, soups, salads, steaks, chicken, shrimp and
pasta. Meal prices range from $6.79 for a hamburger and side to
$21.99 for a 20-ounce porterhouse steak with two sides.
Last summer,
the partners operated House of Fire barbecue and catering. Whiskey
Creek soon will offer catering services.
Reporter
Phyllis Zorn can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 137, or by
e-mail at phylz@dailynews.net.
originally
published in Hays
Daily News, 5-5-06, By PHYLLIS J. ZORN
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...more Whiskey Creek headlines |
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(February 15, 2008) DEERFIELD BEACH, FL — "Focus on
America" to feature Whiskey Creek® Wood Fire Grill
Platinum Productions TV is pleased to announce that
Whiskey Creek® Wood Fire Grill will be featured on its
innovative, educational television series, Focus on
America. The organization will be showcased in a
segment on “Be Your Own Boss” as part of the “Americas
Best Franchise Opportunities” series
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(January 18, 2008) ROCHESTER, MN — Whiskey Creek Franchise Announcement
Whiskey Creek Franchise Systems based in Kearney,
Nebraska is proud to announce that the 9th Whiskey
Creek® Wood Fire Grill franchise has been sold to Blazin’
Beier Ranch, Inc. and is set to open July 28th, 2008 in
Rochester, Minnesota. Whiskey Creek® is the largest
Nebraska-based steak restaurant chain with 15
restaurants open, and four more under construction, in
Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Florida, Minnesota,
Arkansas, and Iowa. Rochester will be the 19th
restaurant in the chain.
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(October 16, 2007) ALEXANDRIA, MN — Big Things
Cooking at Country Kitchen: A familiar
restaurant in Alexandria has closed its doors. But
don’t despair, it will reopen in a few months with a new
look – and a new name.
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(October 14, 2007) MASON CITY, IA — Country Kitchen
to make way for Whiskey Creek MASON CITY — Jay
Kvigne’s goal is to create what he calls “a whole new
landmark” in the restaurant business in Mason City.
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(October 1, 2007)
MASON CITY, IA — Whiskey Creek Franchise Announcement
Whiskey Creek Franchise Systems based in Kearney,
Nebraska is proud to announce that the 8th Whiskey
Creek® Wood Fire Grill franchise has been sold to Kvigne
Enterprises, Inc and is set to open April 2008, in Mason
City, Iowa.
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(August 9, 2007)
KEARNEY, NE — Whiskey Creek Franchise Announcement
Whiskey Creek Franchise Systems based in Kearney, NE is
proud to announce that the fifth Whiskey Creek® Wood
Fire Grill franchise has been sold to KC Hospitality,
Inc and is set to open November 2007, in Alexandria,
Minnesota, at the site of the Country Kitchen Family
Restaurant..
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(July 19, 2007)
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL — Eating with the Parrot, Chef
Marc I enjoyed eating at Whiskey Creek Steak
House on Tuesday in Port Charlotte Florida (for those of
you from Texas we are on the other coast of the Gulf).
This is an American family restaurant that serves a
Great Steak.
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(April 9, 2007)
KEARNEY, NE — Whiskey Creek Franchise Announcement
Whiskey Creek Franchise Systems based in Kearney,
Nebraska is proud to announce the opening of its third
franchise store, set to open May 21, 2007 in Joplin,
Missouri.
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(Mar 1, 2007)
THE VILLAGES — Whiskey Creek Makes Mark on Villages
Sheriff Bill Farmer knew he'd witnessed something
special Thursday evening as he watched the hot branding
iron burn the charred image of his family's ranch mark
into the wooden pine bar. Careful hands guided the hot
poker to the spot on the bar that now permanently bears
the family brand — WOF — in the Whiskey Creek Wood Fire
Grill restaurant in Lake Sumter Landing.
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(Feb 23, 2007) WHISKEY CREEK PLAN INCLUDES 35 FRANCHISES
"We wanted controlled growth from the start, and we
followed that business plan," said company President Jim
Gardner. "Our goals have changed a bit. Now it's time to
take some bigger steps toward growth." Although
the Whiskey Creek chain grew to include 11 stores in
four states, the restaurants remained company-owned
until last year, when the first franchise store, the
12th overall, opened in Hays, Kan. The Kearney-based
company now is in the early stages of an aggressive
growth plan that will include at least five new store
openings in 2007 and as many as 35 in the next five
years.
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Tiffany Ashley email:
tiffany@whiskeycreek.com
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Whiskey Creek Franchise Systems, LLC
Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill
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124 W. 25th Suite C2
Kearney, NE 68847
(308) 234-2757 |
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