How Athletes Score
In The Restaurant Biz
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How Athletes Score (Or Don't) As Restaurateurs
After years of being cheered on, jeered at and banged up, plenty of professional athletes plow part of their stash into another sexy business: restaurants. Truth is, it takes more than a marquee name and reverent fans to run a winning eatery. Here are some tips from the trenches, care of ex-athlete restaurateurs and their advisers.
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Next: Joe Theismann -
Corbis
All You Have Is Your Name -- Protect It
Player: Joe Theismann, quarterback for the Washington Redskins (1974 to 1985)
Restaurant: Joe Theismann's Restaurant
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
"I wasn't happy with how my restaurant was being operated, so I eventually took 100% control. I washed dishes, bussed tables, and tended bar. I have no problem rolling up my sleeves. As an athlete, all your have is your name, and you have to protect it."
More on Joe Theismann's Restaurant
Next: Rusty Staub -
Corbis
Learn From The Inside
Player: Rusty Staub, first-baseman and right-fielder for multiple MLB teams (1963 to 1985)
Restaurant: Rusty's
Location: 2 Manhattan locations
"When I was injured in 1972, I had to stay in New York and train. I decided to have fun on the side by working under different chefs in the city. By the time I had opened up my restaurant, I had spent over 1,500 hours in the kitchen. It was an incredible basis for my ideas of what I wanted to accomplish."
More on Rusty's
Next: Amos Zereoue -
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Let Them Know You're There
Player: Amos Zereoue, running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1999 to 2003)
Restaurant: Zereoue
Location: Manhattan
"We sent out about 10,000 postcards to people in the neighborhood to invite them to an open bar from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a whole week. We need the people in the neighborhood to know we're here, because those are the people who are going to come in day in and day out."
More on Zereoue
Next: Brett Favre -
Courtesy Brett Favre
Serve The Right Niche
Player: Brett Favre, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers (1992 to current)
Restaurant: Brett Favre's Steakhouse
Location: Green Bay, Wis.
"We were trying to be a Cajun sports bar and a high-end steakhouse. Eventually, we learned that the Midwestern palate is not a Cajun palate. We upgraded our whole profile--everything from the quality of meat to the wine list to the table presentations--to become a high-end steakhouse. Since then, our sales have grown between 10% and 15% each year."
More on Brett Favre's Steakhouse
Next: John Elway -
Courtesy John Elway
Have Patience
Player: John Elway, quarterback for the Denver Broncos (1983 to 1999)
Restaurant: Elway's
Location: Cherry Creek, Colo.
"It takes a while to get all the costs in line--it took us millions of dollars to get started--and you have to be patient. If your investors don't know the business, and expectations are out of line, that puts inordinate pressure to make money from the get-go, which is not what a new business needs."
More on Elway's
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