Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill: Best Steak & BBQ in North Platte

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Whiskey Creek Makes Mark on Villages

Original story by Daily Sun Staff Writer, By DAVID R. CORDER - 03/01/2007

THE 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.

Farmer, the Sumter County sheriff, joined the restaurant owners Thursday in this rite of initiation that proceeds the opening of these steakhouses throughout the country. This is the latest venture for the Kearney, Neb.-based restaurant chain.

The restaurant doors open at 11 a.m. Monday for Villagers hungry for the taste of corn-fed beef cooked over a grill fired with oak and ash logs. You can even watch the steaks cooked behind the protection of a glass barrier.

Expect only the best from the investment team that operates Chillin' & Grillin' LLC, the Kearney-based franchisee that operates The Villages' restaurant.

"Whiskey Creek is second to none when we're on our game," said R.J. Fraser, the investment team's operating partner.

Since planning started on the restaurant last year, Fraser has learned a lot about The Villages. He knows Villagers are particular when it comes to quality food and customer service.

"I've learned that if we don't provide great service along with great food that it will be bad for business," Fraser said. "Villagers demand great service. And we think we can provide it for them."

To ensure the best service possible, Fraser hired a seasoned veteran, George Beglaryan, as the restaurant's general manager.

Beglaryan, who branded the bar for the guests invited to Thursday's event, had managed one of the corporate-owned Whiskey Creek restaurants for five years in Wichita, Kan.

"Our general manager was hand-picked because of his ability to provide service," Fraser said.

Around 500 people received invitations to Thursday's event, and Bob Ives brought his family.

Ives, who raises horses on the Circle I Ranch in Weirsdale, watched Beglaryan burn the family brand into the bar. Then Ives, his wife, JoAnn, and children, Cody and Ashley, had to chance taste the restaurant's grill-cooked hamburgers.

Already, Ives has plans to show his parents the permanent image on the bar. It's a spot he intends to frequent.

"This is great, really cool, to see it there," Ives said. "We're just marking out territory."

Ives' reaction is exactly the type of response Jim Gardner anticipated. He's the one who pushed for a Whiskey Creek location in The Villages.

It seems that Gardner, the chain's president and chief executive officer, had seen TV commercials about The Villages in his home in Kearney and elsewhere throughout the country. The images planted a seed.

Then Gardner had an interesting conversation with Tim Timoteo, president and chief executive officer of the R.J. Gator's restaurant chain.

"Tim said, 'You really should look into The Villages,'" Gardner recalled. "That really got the ball rolling."

To handle the expansion into The Villages, Gardner offered a franchise opportunity to Fraser, who also serves as one of the restaurant chain's vice presidents.

"He's investing in his own future, which is fun," Gardner said of Fraser.

Fun also is how Farmer described Thursday's event. He and his wife, Linda, recalled the meaning behind the brand now permanently affixed to the restaurant bar.

That is the same branding iron his father, Bill Sr., first used about 75 years ago to brand cattle on White Oak Farm, the same ranch the sheriff now owns. The piece of iron is now a family heirloom.

"It's going to be passed down," Linda said about the antique piece of metal.

All that history weighed on Farmer's mind as he watched Beglaryan brand the bar.

"That's very much an honor to have it there," Farmer said about the brand. "And it makes the family proud."

David R. Corder is a reporter with the Daily Sun. He can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9066, or at david.corder@thevillagesmedia.com.

©The Villages Daily SUn 2007 - reprinted with permission

Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill
4016 Fredrick Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 676-1298

	...more Whiskey Creek headlines
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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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	(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..
	(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.
	(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.
	(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.
	(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.