Copper Cellar | 5 facility. The owner’s wife and two daughters all play integral roles in design, marketing and management. In all, nearly 1,400 employees play a part in the process. “In a day and age of chains and cookie-cutter restaurants, we try to stay away from fads and from chasing what’s popular at the moment,” says Bart Fricks, the organization’s chief operating officer. “Good food has always been popular. It’s not a matter of who has the latest gimmick. We base our operation on community involvement, excellent service, how clean we keep the restaurants. “Those are the things that never go out of style.” FIRST STEPS The tradition began in 1975 on the Cumberland Avenue strip in Knoxville, where owner Michael Chase opened his first Copper Cellar restaurant – a classic steakhouse – just a short jaunt from the sprawling University of Tennessee. Another Copper Cellar followed soon after, before Chase decided to change course and expand the brand with Chesapeake’s, which offers an array of seafood. It was a risky move to tweak a successful recipe, but passion won out over practicality. “The first two restaurants were Copper Cellars and they were very successful, but (Chase) is from the Maryland area and he likes to eat,” Fricks says. “He’s very passionate about food and he wanted to offer a variety of options for his customers.” More evidence of Chase’s entrepreneurial acumen came with his fourth restaurant, Calhoun’s, which entered an already crowded barbecue space in the area and initially failed to distinguish itself as a casual restaurant compared to the fine VIEW THE MAGAZINE ON IPAD Download the app from iTunes to your iPad ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB at FoodFanatics.com GET FANATICAL The go-to source for the foodservice industry and anyone truly passionate about food, food people and improving the bottom line.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=