Lion's Choice
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Corporation | |
Industry | Restaurants |
Founded | 1967 |
Headquarters | Saint Louis, Missouri, United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people |
Joe Buttice, CEO Becky Fine, COO Linda Stille, CFO |
Products |
Quick service restaurants, including: Roast beef · sandwiches |
Website | www.lionschoice.com |
Lion's Choice is a Saint Louis-based quick service restaurant chain specializing in roast beef sandwiches. Lion’s Choice started with a vision to serve the best roast beef sandwich in the Midwest in a clean, quick and courteous manner. Lion’s Choice is famous for serving lean, butcher-shop-quality, top-round roast beef, slow-roasted daily on-site, shaved thin to order and served with a dash of secret seasoning on a toasted and steamed bun. Its long-standing devotion to quality, taste and nutrition, has earned the restaurant a loyal customer base.
The first store was opened by a group of friends in Ballwin, Missouri in 1967. The concept was originally named Brittany Beef and quickly changed to Red Lion Beef House. The name "Red Lion" was already trademarked requiring the owners to find a new name. The search for a new name brought them back to their childhood days. Back in their day, if you were lucky enough to have the best of something - like field level baseball tickets for a big game - it was said that you had the "lion's choice". Since their restaurant set the standard for high quality food and great customer service, they renamed it Lion's Choice. In 2013, the original founders sold the company to Saint Louis-based private investors. There are 25 locations in Missouri, all of which are in or near Greater Saint Louis.[1]
The restaurant has sponsored a number of charities and teams, such as Shamrocks Against Dystrophy,[2] the St. Louis County Library Reading Club,[3] the MS 150 Bike Tour,[4] and Trailnet.[5] It was the Missouri state winner for the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Neighbor Award in 2006.[6] and was named Best Fast Food by the Riverfront Times.[7]
Because of its specialization in roast beef, Arby's is considered Lion's Choice's direct competition. The company has developed a cult-like following from some customers in the St. Louis market. Since the purchase of the chain by a small private-equity firm from the original founders, it has been involved in much litigation with its largest franchisee that has been reported by the St. Louis media.
References
- ↑ Locations
- ↑ "Lion's Choice Presents Check To Morgan Fritz, MDA's 2005 National Goodwill Ambassador". Lion's Choice. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Lion's Choice Supports St. Louis County Library Reading Club". Lion's Choice. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Team Lion's Choice Ready for 2006 MS 150 Bike Tour". Lion's Choice. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Lion's Choice Sponsors Trailnet in 2007". Lion's Choice. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Lion's Choice Restaurant Corporation Selected as Missouri State Winner for the National Restaurant Association's 2006 Restaurant Neighbor Award". Lion's Choice. 2006. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ↑ "Best Fast Food". Riverfront Times. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-29.