Lion's Choice
{{Short description|American fast food restaurant chain}}
{{Advert|date=September 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Lion's Choice
| logo = Lions choice logo1.png
| logo_size = 300px
| type = Corporation
| foundation = 1967
| founder = Marv Gibbs and Clint Tobias
| location_city = St. Louis, Missouri
| location_country = United States
| locations =
| key_people = {{Unbulleted list
|Mike Kupstas (CEO)
|Becky Fine (COO){{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Lisa|title=Former Panera exec Fine joins Lion's Choice as COO|url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/former-panera-exec-fine-joins-lion-s-choice-as-coo/article_969547cc-edbd-5c2b-92cb-4a3e399e59ab.html|access-date=December 29, 2016|work=St. Louis Post Dispatch|date=September 8, 2016}}
|Matt Barry (CFO)}}
| area_served = St. Louis metropolitan area, Kansas City metropolitan area
| mascot =
| industry = Restaurants
| products = Quick service restaurants, including:
Roast beef{{·}}sandwiches
| services =
| revenue =
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| market cap =
| parent =
| homepage = {{url|lionschoice.com}}
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}
Red Lion Beef Corporation, doing business as Lion's Choice,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=8032959|title=Red Lion Beef Corporation: Private Company Information|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=June 20, 2018}} is an American fast food restaurant chain based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving roast beef sandwiches and other menu items. The company was founded in 1952 and opened its first restaurant in Ballwin, Missouri, on October 26, 1967, which remains open today. As of May 2021, there are 62 Lion's Choice restaurants in St. Louis and Kansas City.
In addition to roast beef sandwiches, Lion's Choice offers turkey sandwiches, ham sandwiches, Italian beef sandwiches, French dip sandwiches, hot dogs, soups, salads, side dishes, and desserts.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article214580590.html|title=New Lion's Choice in O'Fallon will be the first in the country to serve breakfast|work=Belleville News-Democrat|access-date=July 9, 2018|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article212499454.html|title=This new restaurant will replace Tim Hortons in O'Fallon|work=bnd|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}}
History
Lion's Choice was founded in 1967 by Marv Gibbs, a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis{{Cite web|url=https://magazine.wustl.edu/2013/june/Pages/The-Road-Less-Traveled.aspx|title=The Road Less Traveled|publisher=Washington University in St. Louis|website=WUSTL Magazine|access-date=June 20, 2018| last = Early | first = Rosalind | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190209164309/https://magazine.wustl.edu/2013/june/Pages/The-Road-Less-Traveled.aspx | archive-date = 9 February 2019}} who worked as a chemical engineer for Monsanto, and Arthur Morey. The first restaurant opened on October 26, 1967, in Ballwin, Missouri. The location served roast beef sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and turkey sandwiches for 69 cents each.{{Cite news |last=Baehr |first=Cheryl |title=Happy 50th Birthday, Lion's Choice — the Pride of St. Louis |language=en |work=Riverfront Times |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/food-drink/happy-50th-birthday-lions-choice-the-pride-of-st-louis-10006158 |access-date=May 5, 2022}} The restaurant was originally named Brittany Beef but quickly changed to Red Lion Beef House. Two years later, Lion's Choice opened its second store in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and changed its name to Lion's Choice, after they could not trademark the name because the Red Lion name was already being used by Red Lion Hotels Corporation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lionschoice.com/about-us/history|title=History|website=www.lionschoice.com|language=en|access-date=June 20, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/68084/10-beefy-facts-about-lions-choice|title=10 Beefy Facts About Lion's Choice|date=October 2, 2015|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}}
In 2013, the founders sold the company to Millstone Capital Advisors and BlackRock Holdings, equity groups led by St. Louis real estate developers Bob Millstone and Mark Disper, for an undisclosed amount. Under the new ownership, in 2015, Lion's Choice opened a restaurant in Ellisville, Missouri, its first in ten years.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/lion-s-choice-founder-sells-chain-to-investors-with-plans/article_5a3d83e6-df3d-5b81-868b-28decebe6db3.html|title=Lion's Choice founder sells chain to investors with plans to expand|last=Brown|first=Lisa|work=stltoday.com|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2018/01/25/new-owners-a-food-truck-and-expansionhow-lions.html|title=New owners, a food truck and expansion: How Lion's Choice got its roar back |website=www.bizjournals.com|access-date=June 20, 2018|url-access=subscription
In May 2017, Lion's Choice named Mike Kupstas, a longtime veteran of the foodservice industry, as its new CEO. Prior to this appointment, Kupstas held senior executive and marketing positions at Panera Bread, Long John Silver's and Red Lobster.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/lion-s-choice-hires-new-ceo-as-it-celebrates-years/article_be46671d-58a0-5b98-8613-d2d454949a05.html|title=Lion's Choice hires new CEO as it celebrates 50 years|author=Staff reports|work=stltoday.com|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}}
In September 2017, Lion's Choice launched its first food truck. The truck makes roast beef sandwiches, fries, and custard on board. In addition to other popular food-truck locations, the truck makes stops at Saint Louis University home soccer games and Scott Air Force Base.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/09/19/lions-choice-hits-the-road-with-new-food-truck.html|title=Lion's Choice hits the road with new food truck|website=www.bizjournals.com|access-date=June 20, 2018|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/roast-beef-chain-lion-s-choice-adds-food-truck-for/article_206a7e1b-7e51-503b-acc8-486930f92a96.html|title=Roast beef chain Lion's Choice adds food truck for mobile sales|last=Brown|first=Lisa|work=stltoday.com|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}}
In July 2018, Lion's Choice broke ground on two new locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, which are scheduled to open in November 2018. Furthermore, three more new locations in the Kansas City area are expected to open in 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/lion-s-choice-expands-with-plans-for-kansas-city-area/article_98f705d9-e74a-5867-ae80-504ba53f23dd.html|title=Lion's Choice expands with plans for Kansas City area restaurants|last=Feldt|first=Brian|work=stltoday.com|access-date=2018-07-19|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/cityscape/article215158355.html|title=St. Louis cult favorite coming to KC with slow-roasted beef & 25-cent mini cones|work=kansascity|access-date=2018-07-19|language=en}}
Products
= [[Sandwich|Sandwiches]] =
File:Lion’s Choice Original Roast Beef Sandwich cooked well done.jpg
Lion's Choice is known for selling roast beef sandwiches. The company describes the meat as "roasted beef" because of the amount of time the meat is prepared. The roast beef sandwich comes in three sizes: Original, Large and King (double the beef of Original). In addition to roast beef sandwiches, the menu includes hickory-smoked ham sandwiches, smokehouse pulled pork sandwiches, roasted turkey breast sandwiches, Italian beef sandwiches, and French dip. Lion's Choice also serves hot dogs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lionschoice.com/food|title=Food|website=www.lionschoice.com|language=en|access-date=June 20, 2018}}
= Sides =
As sides, Lion's Choice offers french fries, coleslaw, baked potatoes, and veggie sticks (carrots, celery sticks, broccoli florets, and grape tomatoes). The french fries are skin-on, gluten free, and without any added salt, and the baked potato can be loaded with any combination of the following: butter, chives, cheddar, bacon bits, broccoli, or chili.
= Soups and salads =
Lion's Choice offers a variety of soups and salads. Its salads include a side salad; "LC Seasonal", which has carrots, walnuts, dried cranberries, tomatoes and blue cheese topped with bistro dressing; "Butcher Block Cobb", which has roast beef, turkey and ham, paired with blue cheese, shredded cheddar, greens, tomatoes, and carrots topped with bistro dressing. In addition to seasonal/daily featured soups, Lion's Choice's soups include chicken noodle soup, cream of broccoli soup, and hearty chili (with roast beef).
= Desserts =
Lion's Choice serves frozen custard cones, which come in mini and regular sizes and can optionally be dipped in chocolate. The restaurant also serves milkshakes, cookies (chocolate chip, macadamia nut, or sugar), sundaes, root beer floats, and concretes.
Awards
It was the Missouri state winner for the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Neighbor Award in 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.lionschoice.com/news09042006.html |title=Lion's Choice Restaurant Corporation Selected as Missouri State Winner for the National Restaurant Association's 2006 Restaurant Neighbor Award |year=2006 |publisher=Lion's Choice |access-date=November 29, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703210654/http://www.lionschoice.com/news09042006.html |archive-date=July 3, 2008 }} The restaurant chain was named Best Fast Food by the Riverfront Times in 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.riverfronttimes.com/bestof/2008/award/best-fast-food-582209/|title=Best Fast Food|year=2008|publisher=Riverfront Times|access-date=November 29, 2008}} In 2014, the Riverfront Times named it the Best Chain Restaurant,{{Cite news|url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/best-chain-restaurant/BestOf?oid=2512641|title=Best Chain Restaurant|work=Riverfront Times|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}} and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch named it their Best Local Restaurant Chain.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/best-local-restaurant-chain/article_02bc060b-80ec-58e7-8a23-8e99123381d5.html|title=Best local restaurant chain|work=stltoday.com|access-date=June 20, 2018|language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.lionschoice.com/ Official website]
{{Fast-food chains of the United States}}
Category:Companies based in Missouri
Category:Restaurants in Missouri
Category:Restaurants established in 1967
Category:Fast-food chains of the United States
Category:Regional restaurant chains in the United States