Mark Davis Bailey Left His Drafting Table to Dish Out Pancakes … And Yesterday He Dished Them Out for Free to Local First Responders
“This was our way of saying thank you for their sacrifice and commitment to serve and protect,” says Mark Davis.
The Original Pancake House served all-you-can-eat pancakes at the location on Beltline Road to any first responders that walked through their doors yesterday morning. As we approach September 11, 2011 with heavy hearts, it is easy to agree that soul-soothing moments like these are invaluable. Join us in recognizing and applauding Mark Davis Bailey and The Original Pancake House for being a bright spot in a time when our minds are on such a dark day.
Click the link the WFAA news story link to find out about this event …
… and read on to learn more about the man behind the mission.
Written by Greater Dallas Restaurant Association Staff Intern, Juhie Modi
Mark Davis Bailey is a board member for the GDRA and is Chairman of the Government Relations Committee. He lobbies on behalf of the restaurant industry through the GDRA on the state level.
“I would say we’re learning a lot about trying to get back to this industry. We’re grateful for the GDRA and TRA. I’ve only been involved for three years, and I have learned that I should have been involved for a lot longer than that. We understand the importance of what they do on Capitol Hill and with politics. Government keeps trying to put small businesses out, the GDRA is in their face trying to fix that, and that’s huge. We’re big supporters, and we’re trying to let everyone know that as much as we possibly can. The other thing is, we’re trying to get better [about charitable giving.] We never turn down a gift card request. We’re very appreciative of the work that they do. It’s nice to be a part of that and to give when we can.”
After spending two hours in a room with two investors, minus the one who walked out, Mark Davis Bailey buries his head in his hands.
Remaining investor Michael Aziz thinks Bailey is about to cry because there are so many people with jobs counting on the deal. A minute later, Bailey resurfaces.
Aziz looks into Bailey’s eyes and says, “Mark, I’m going to make this happen.”
And when Aziz threatens his bank president of thirty years to pull out his money if they don’t give Bailey a loan for his restaurant, he makes it happen.
“I’ve been fortunate because I’ve encountered a lot of people that believe in me,” Bailey said. “I may not have the resources or talent, but I had the attitude. And that has carried me a long way.”
In mid-September, Bailey will open his sixth Original Pancake House in Addison. Bailey said that his restaurants focus on their use of quality food without shortcuts and treating their employees well.
“People come here [and] it is like alcohol,” Bailey said. “People drink when times are bad, and people drink when times are good. When times are bad, people come here and get their comfort food just the same. People can taste the quality. It’s not [just] the quality of food, but the quality of people.”
Bailey’s business partner Jonathan Seyoum said that Bailey’s greatest strength is his energy and desire to grow.
“He’s always learning, always finding ways to improve his working knowledge about the business,” Seyoum said. “He likes learning and he also has a driving passion for achieving something special and unique.”
Bailey said that Original Pancake House hasn’t had a down year in the past 25 years. Even with the economy, he said that they are steady and don’t experience highs or lows. But Aziz doesn’t think it’s about the money to Bailey.
“Motivation is his passion,” Aziz said. “He enjoys helping people and he takes his responsibility very seriously. A six-restaurant-owner, still to this day, he knows everyone by name. It’s a true passion of knowing his restaurant and knowing his business.”
When he first got the opportunity to run a company, Bailey said he remembers admiring companies that were well run in graduate school.
“[Our teachers] showed us great CEOs and culture,” Bailey said. “And that’s what [Original Pancake House] determined we wanted to do, we wanted to be. We learn from Southwest, the Container Store, and those high corporations that they value the people that work there and make them feel loved. If you ask people, they’ll throw back their head and say they love working here. We don’t treat our customers better than we treat our employees.”
Because Bailey lived a couple blocks away from Original Pancake House when he was an architect in Dallas, he ate there frequently. After developing a friendship with the previous owner, they opened a second Original Pancake House together. Even after moving overseas, he sent money to be a part of the third and fourth Original Pancake House and when he returned to Dallas, the owner retired and sold Bailey the restaurants.
“I never try to make myself wealthy. I always felt like if I could make people in business with me financially successful, I would be taken care of,” Bailey said. “And I have been.”
At first, Bailey had to work at the bottom by cleaning toilets and was doing dishes in order to gain the right to buy the restaurant.
“I remember my ex-partner walking in to the back of the house and I was sitting on a gallon bucket peeling potatoes,” Bailey said. “He asked how it was going and I said, ‘well, a couple months ago, I was jetting around the company making $100,000 a year, and now I’m sitting on a bucket peeling potatoes.’ We both laughed pretty hard at that. But I went through every step and process and that was fundamental.”
Because he started from the bottom in order to ensure that he wouldn’t be ignorant of the other side of hospitality, Bailey said he wouldn’t have changed a thing.
“I’ve had people say to me before, ‘wow, you’re lucky,’” Bailey said. “I have the kind of luck I had to work my butt off for. Luck has nothing to do with it.”
Join Chef Kent Rathbun & Chef Nick Stellino … there will be no lack in servings of bantering, bickering, laughter, fun, and of course delicious culinary creations that you will not soon forget!
Click the link below for details!
Chef Kent Rathbun & Chef Nick Stellini September 16 & 17
One of the GDRA’s Texas ProStart schools is reaching out to you to help provide scholarship opportunities for their students that have financial needs. All proceeds from this event will benefit students in their Career and Technology programs. They are asking for table sponsorships in the amount of $100 and in-kind food and cash donations. Sponsor a table in your company’s name, get some friends together and share a table, or donate food items or cash for a great cause!
July, 26, 2011
From July 22-26, the Texas Chefs Association hosted the annual ACF National Convention at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas.
1,200 attendees utilized the trade show that featured 100 exhibitors, hands-on workshops, educational sessions, competitions, and a demonstration by Alton Brown regarding the importance of salt.
Brown lectured about his background, the characteristics of kosher salt and the three things to master in cooking, which are heat, water, and proper seasoning. Using salt as a conductor for indirect cooking, Brown demonstrated how potatoes and other foods can be coated in salt, which, he explained, is essentially a stone.
Brown first became interested in his promoter, Diamond Crystal Salt, when he compared various types of salt by examining them with his microscope years ago.
Brown expressed his concern for the molecular gastronomy trend, which he feels will prevent young chefs from learning how to cook food properly.
“Don’t think that you can replace cooking technique with throwing a bunch of flavors on tops of something any more than you can making it into a candy bar or making it into a foam,” Brown said. “If I live the rest of my life without seeing another foam, I’ll be ok. What does foam do? Cover bad cooking by and large.”
After answering audience’s questions and concluding his presentation, Brown signed copies of his books Good Eats: The Early Years and Good Eats 2: The Middle Years.
Article by Juhie Modi, GDRA Intern & Quite Possibly Alton Brown’s Biggest Fan
Click on the link below to see a youtube video of Alton Brown at the AFC Convention:
Nations Restaurant News reports on the event:
http://www.nrn.com/article/alton-brown-molecular-gastronomy-won%E2%80%99t-replace-cooking-basics
American Culinary Federation website:
Food, tourism and other community links that may be helpful.
American Institute of Wine & Food | www.aiwf.org
D Magazine | www.dmagazine.com
Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau | www.dallascvb.com
Dallas Morning News | www.dallasnews.com
Dallas Museum of Art | www.dm-art.org
El Centro Community College | www.elcentrocollege.edu
Regional Dallas Chamber of Commerce | www.gdc.com
Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | www.gdhcc.com
GuideLive | www.guidelive.com (Dallas Morning News online restaurant/entertainment site)
Hotel Motel Association of Greater Dallas | www.greaterdallashotels.com
National Restaurant Association | www.restaurant.org
Texas Restaurant Association | www.restaurantville.com
UNT School of Merchandising & Hospitality Management | www.smhm.unt.edu
Uptown Dallas | www.uptowndallas.net
Zagat | www.zagat.com
We have received questions from some of our members asking if the Dallas health inspectors are calling ahead to schedule inspections. Apparently, some restaurants have received calls from people posing as health inspectors, asking to set up a health inspection “appointment”, or asking for credit card numbers in order to pay for a fine.\
Please be aware that according to the head of the Code Compliance Department that this is a scam. Health inspectors will NEVER call ahead for an appointment and will NEVER take payment information over the phone. They will either send you something in the mail or will drop by your restaurant. The department head also asked that if you do receive such a call and that person leaves their name and phone number, please report that to the police. This scam has been going on for about a year, so please inform or reiterate this to your management staff!
Jennifer Gause-Prestridge Honored as 2011 National ProStart Educator of the Year for Texas
Frisco ISD Career & Technical Education Center educator will be recognized during
National ProStart Educator Excellence Awards
Austin – The Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation announced today that Jennifer Gause-Prestridge, culinary director at Frisco ISD Career & Technical Education Center in Frisco is the 2011 National ProStart Educator Excellence Award recipient for Texas. Gause-Prestridge will join 34 other top educators from across the country in Chicago, Ill. for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) ProStart Educator Excellence Awards from May 19- 21, 2011.
“Texas ProStart unites the industry and the classroom to create a unique and unparalleled experience for students. Our dedicated Texas ProStart educators are working diligently to create that vital bridge for their students,” said Cathy Cace, Johnny Cace’s Seafood & Steak House and chair of the TRA Education Foundation. “Jennifer embodies all that makes Texas ProStart educators successful – inspiration, leadership, collaboration – and is very deserving of this honor.”
Gause-Prestridge is a certified executive chef and the culinary arts program director for the Career &Technical Education Center at Frisco ISD. Additionally she is a member of the TRA Education Foundation board of directors, serving as chair of the education committee for two years. Under her leadership, students have participated in competitions, published a cookbook, run a restaurant and deli at the school, and catered numerous school and community events. Gause-Prestridge is passionate about the industry, education and her students. Her energy and extremely positive attitude have a remarkable effect on her students and others she works with.
“Jennifer is passionate about integrating connections from real life into the educational process,” said Wes Cunningham, principal, Frisco ISD Career & Technical Education Center. “She is devoted to advancing the core academic concepts in our culinary programs and is extremely loyal and supportive of the students and teachers in our program.”
The NRAEF’s ProStart Educator Excellence Awards recognize an exceptional educator from every state who utilizes the ProStart program in his/her classroom. Awardees will be flown into Chicago and hosted by the NRAEF from May 19-21, 2011. The activities kick off with an opening reception on Thursday evening, followed by a day of engaging, interactive sessions on Friday. On Saturday, the educators will start the day sharing best practices for running a successful ProStart program before being honored at the Educator Excellence Awards Luncheon. Finally, educators may take advantage of a complimentary ticket to the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show.
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year program for high school students that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s industry leaders. From culinary techniques to management skills, ProStart’s industry-driven curriculum provides real-world educational opportunities and builds practical skills and a foundation that will last a lifetime. By bringing industry and the classroom together, ProStart gives students a platform to discover new interests and talents and opens doors for fulfilling careers. It all happens through a curriculum that teaches all facets of the restaurant and foodservice industry, inspires students to succeed and sets a high standard of excellence for students and the industry. With national and local support from industry members, educators, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and state restaurant associations, ProStart reaches 90,000 students nationwide. For more information on the ProStart program, please visit www.prostart.restaurant.org.
###
Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation
It is the mission of the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation to serve as the resource arm of the restaurant industry by maintaining educational programs and enhancing the industry’s image to benefit local communities, the state and the foodservice industry. www.restaurantville.com