Help
Add this page to your book
Show book (0 pages)
Suggest pagesLuby's
 |
|
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NYSE: LUB |
| Industry | Casual dining restaurant |
| Founded | 1947 in San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, USA |
| Key people | Christopher J. Pappas, President and CEO; K. Scott Gray, Sr. VP and CFO; Peter Tropoli, COO; B. Todd Coutee, Sr. VP of Operations |
| Products | Homestyle food, cafeteria, American |
| Revenue | Template:P rofit$324.64 million USD (2006) |
| Net income |  $19.56 million USD (2006) |
| Employees | 8,210 (2006) |
| Subsidiaries | Fuddruckers, Koo Koo Roo |
| Website | www.lubys.com |
As of March 2011, Luby's, Inc. (formerly Luby's Cafeterias, Inc. and NYSE: LUB) operates restaurants under the brands Luby's, Fuddruckers and Koo Koo Roo. It was founded in 1947 in San Antonio, Texas, United States.
Its 95 Luby's cafeteria-style restaurants are located in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley and other cities throughout Texas; with one in Arkansas and two in Oklahoma. Its headquarters is in the Near Northwest district and in Houston, Texas.
Its Fuddruckers restaurants include 56 company-operated locations and 129 franchises across the United States with one location in Saskatchewan, Canada, and four in Puerto Rico. Its three Koo Koo Roo Chicken Bistro serves fresh, better for you chicken, sandwiches, tossed salads, vegetables and soups in three locations in Southern California. Luby's Culinary Services provides contract food service management to 18 sites consisting of healthcare, higher education and corporate dining locations, such as Texas Children's Hospital, Lone Star College [1]and Baylor College of Medicine.[2][3]
Contents |
[edit] Food
Luby’s is a cafeteria restaurant, specializing in made-from-scratch comfort food and offering a variety of fresh salads, entrees, sides, vegetables, breads and desserts to choose from to “build” one’s perfect meal along the 30-foot (9.1 m) line. Luby’s Fried Fish, often referred to as the “square fish” since it is a block of cod, and homemade Macaroni and Cheese, made from real American cheese, are the two most popular items. During Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season, Luby’s offers several complete meal packages as well as whole meats and sides for guests to purchase for their celebrations.
[edit] Lu Ann Platter
The "Lu Ann Platter", a popular combination platter served at Luby's, is a half portion entree with vegetables. This plate was the inspiration for the character name Luanne Platter from the animated Texas comedy/drama, King of the Hill. The cafeteria itself is characterized as "Luly's" on the show. In a 2010 promotion, Luby's had a "Luann" model visit stores.
[edit] History
Bob Luby was one year old when his father, Harry, opened his first cafeteria called the New England Dairy Lunch. Bob opened his first Luby's Cafeteria in 1947, focusing on fresh food and customer service. Luby's soon expanded outside of San Antonio, Texas to Tyler, Harlingen, El Paso, and Beaumont.
In 1959, the original partners formed Cafeterias, Inc. Luby's continued to grow, entering other Texas cities and locations in contiguous states. Luby's entered Houston for the first time when it opened Romana Cafeteria in 1965. Locations opened in New Mexico in 1966 and in Oklahoma in 1980.
In 1973, Cafeterias, Inc. became a publicly traded company. To honor Bob Luby, Cafeterias, Inc., was renamed Luby's Cafeterias, Inc., in 1981. One year later, Luby's shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange. By 1987 Luby's had reached 100 locations.
In 2001, Chris and Harris Pappas of Houston's Pappas Restaurants (owners of Pappasito's Cantina, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, etc.) joined the Luby's management team. Three years later, Luby's moved its corporate headquarters from San Antonio to Houston.[4] The addition of the Pappas management team saw several Luby's restaurants begin to transition from traditional cafeteria-style establishments to hybrid cafeteria/fine dining establishments, replacing drink cart attendants with traditional waitstaff and extensively remodeling selected locations.[5]
Luby’s celebrated its 60th anniversary in December 2006 with publishing “Luby’s Recipes & Memories: A Collection of our Favorite Dishes and Heartwarming Stories,” a cookbook featuring its most requested recipes, helpful hints and tips and photography of real guests and their personal memories and stories throughout the book.[6] The cookbook went on to win several awards, including the “USA Gourmand Award” for best cookbook photography and the “Independent Publisher Award” bronze winner for cookbooks. In 2008, Luby’s published a special edition of the cookbook that included 12 additional recipes. The 60th anniversary cookbooks were a response to the popularity of the original Luby’s cookbook, published in 1997 in honor of the Company’s 50th anniversary.[7]
In 2009, due to the economic recession, Luby's closed 25 stores and laid off staff as a cost-cutting measure.[8]
In 2010 Luby's Culinary Services introduced "What's Brewing?", a coffeehouse concept store in Downtown Houston.[9][10]
The same year, on June 18, Luby's announced it was buying Fuddruckers and Koo Koo Roo for $61 million after parent company Magic Brands LLC went bankrupt.[11] The acquisition was final later in the summer.
On June 13, 2011, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its milestone Fuddruckers acquisition, Luby’s launched its first, new company-owned Fuddruckers location. Situated in the heart of downtown Houston’s seven-mile (11 km) tunnel system, the 3,330-square-foot (309 m2) concept store showcases a more compact footprint.
Located in an upscale, mall-like setting below a 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m2), 55-story office tower with more than 2,200 parking spaces, Fuddruckers – Houston Tunnel is easily accessible throughout the underground, pedestrian network and via street access to many of the area’s 140,000 workers and a growing residential population.[12] [13] It’s also in close proximity to a world-class theater district, Toyota Center, Minute Maid Field, George R. Brown Convention Center, several parks and numerous hotels. Adjacent retailers include homegrown Treebeard’s restaurant and Starbucks. The carefully abbreviated, express menu, designed specifically for busy workers and those on the go, features some of Fuddruckers’ most popular items and new selections.
[edit] Headquarters
Luby's has its headquarters in Suite 600 of the 13111 Northwest Freeway building in the Near Northwest district and in Houston, Texas.[14][15]
In July 2004, Luby's announced that it would move its headquarters from San Antonio, Texas to Houston, where Pappas Restaurants has its headquarters. At that time Luby's did not yet state where it would be moving to; the company stated that it would most likely move to a suburb in Greater Houston. 80 jobs were transferred to Houston.[16] After the Pappas takeover and before the move, several members of the Luby's management had traveled between Houston and San Antonio.[17]
[edit] Luby's massacre
A deadly shootout occurred at a Luby's restaurant at 1705 East Central Texas Expressway in Killeen, Texas, on October 16, 1991, when George Hennard gunned down 24 people.[18] This location reopened after cleanup and redesign of the front wall; it closed permanently on September 9, 2000.[19] The building is now the location of a Chinese-American buffet restaurant.[20]
[edit] References
- ^ Wollam, Allison (January 19, 2010). "Luby's cooks up Lone Star College deal". Houston Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/01/18/daily13.html. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ Luby's Culinary Services
- ^ "Luby's Opens New Dining Facility at Baylor College of Medicine". Red Orbit. August 20, 2007. http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1038921/lubys_opens_new_dining_facility_at_baylor_college_of_medicine/index.html#. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ Aldridge, James (July 16, 2004). "San Antonio Business Journal". San Antonio Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2004/07/12/daily33.html. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ Wollam, Allison (December 3, 2006). "Luby's to dish out new design with Post Oak remodel". Houston Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2006/12/04/story5.html.
- ^ Oelrich, Shannon. "Where Texans Go To Eat". Texas Co-Op Power. http://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/food/where-texans-go-to-eat. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Luby's Cafeteria Recipes". Food.com. http://www.food.com/cookbook/lubys-cafeteria-80013. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Luby's closes 25 stores." KTRK-TV. Monday November 16, 2009. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
- ^ "Luby’s posts 2Q net loss as sales slide." Houston Business Journal. Thursday March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Luby's Culinary Services Introduces What's Brewing at 1301 Fannin in Downtown Houston." PR Newswire. Retrieved on March 22, 2010.
- ^ Baertlein, Lisa (June 18, 2010). "UPDATE 1-Luby's buys Fuddruckers for $61 million". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/18/fuddruckers-lubys-idUSN1816499820100618. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ www.fuddshoustontunnel.com
- ^ "Downtown Underground". Downtown Houston. http://downtownhouston.org/district/downtown-tunnels/. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ "Area Map." Near Northwest. Retrieved on February 8, 2011.
- ^ "Contact." Luby's. Retrieved on February 8, 2011. "Office 13111 Northwest Freeway, Suite 600 Houston, Texas 77040."
- ^ Athavaley, Anjali. "CAFETERIA STYLE / Home is where the CEO is / Luby's will move its headquarters to Houston, bringing 80 jobs along." Houston Chronicle. Saturday July 17, 2004. Business 1. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
- ^ Aldridge, James. "Luby's relocating corporate headquarters to Houston." San Antonio Business Journal. Friday July 16, 2004. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
- ^ Shooting rampage at Killeen Luby's left 24 dead Houston Chronicle, August 10, 2001
- ^ "Luby's in Killeen, Texas, site of 1991 massacre, closes its doors." CNN. September 11, 2000. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
- ^ http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=12299
