Fred Burmer – Lions Choice

**Fred Burmer** (0:00)
I thought we could do a little better on the cheese, so we tried a different cheese.

**Lauren Healey** (0:03)
Oh, you did?

**Fred Burmer** (0:04)
And boy, they noticed, our customers noticed right away.

**Lauren Healey** (0:07)
You can't change that.

**Fred Burmer** (0:08)
Yeah, I didn't think anybody would notice. I thought I liked it a little bit better.

**Lauren Healey** (0:11)
Oh.

**Fred Burmer** (0:12)
But yeah, we still have the same. We went right back as we listened to what the customer said.

**Lauren Healey** (0:17)
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Hello, welcome to The Sauce Podcast. I'm your host, Lauren, and I am here with Fred Burmer, and he is the CEO of Lion's Choice, which is an iconic St. Louis brand. So tell us a little bit about the restaurant.

**Fred Burmer** (1:00)
Well, the brand's been around St. Louis-based. It was founded in 1967, so we're about to celebrate our 59th anniversary.

**Lauren Healey** (1:09)
Wow.

**Fred Burmer** (1:10)
Specializes in roast beef, but we've got a very well-rounded menu, and very loyal customer base and team member base.

**Lauren Healey** (1:21)
Definitely. And how many locations are you up to now?

**Fred Burmer** (1:24)
We have 24 total now.

**Lauren Healey** (1:25)
Wow. And are they all in the St. Louis region?

**Fred Burmer** (1:28)
Yeah. Right now they're all in the St. Louis DMA.

**Lauren Healey** (1:29)
Okay. Because I remember before I moved to St. Louis, Lion's Choice was like the place we always came to the moment we got to St. Louis. And in fact, we would stop, what's the little town down 44 Sullivan, is the first Lion's Choice that you see, and we would stop there every single time. So, it's really near and dear to my heart. So, why do you think that it's so long-lasting?

**Fred Burmer** (1:52)
Well, there's a couple of things. Number one, it hasn't strayed far from its roots at all. A lot of times you see these flashes in the pan and they chase the, they try to be all things to all people and they end up being nothing to nobody. And so, Lion's Choice has stayed very close to its roots. And the other thing, and this sounds a little cliche, but we've got a very loyal customer base. They are diehard Lion's Choice fans and don't ever say anything bad about their beloved Lion's Choice brand.
And the other piece of it is, is our team members. We've got generations of customers and we have generations of team members that work in our restaurants. We've got team members who started off when they were teenagers and now their teenage kids are working for us.

**Lauren Healey** (2:38)
I think that's so cool. And I have to say, my husband and son get this meal at least once a week. Great. Yeah. I mean, it's just the go-to. Like, if I don't feel like cooking, they're like, okay, we'll pick up Lion's Choice. So, good job.
Now, why do you think that the roast beef is really set apart from other sandwiches in the area?

**Fred Burmer** (2:58)
Well, number one, it's top round, whole muscle top round, very lean. In fact, the roast beef that we get, there's really not many suppliers in the country that can provide it to our specifications.

**Lauren Healey** (3:08)
Really?

**Fred Burmer** (3:09)
It has to be trimmed by hand. You can't do it, you know, automatic.

**Lauren Healey** (3:13)
Really? Why is that?

**Fred Burmer** (3:14)
In order to get it as lean as we want it. I mean, there's no, there's literally no fat on it when we get it. If there is, then we'll finish trimming it ourselves. But it's a very lean roast beef.

**Lauren Healey** (3:25)
Okay, that tracks. Good for my protein goals.

**Fred Burmer** (3:28)
Well, the other thing is, is the way we cook it. You know, we have a proprietary method of cooking. We have ovens that are especially designed for the slow roasting that we do. And we've got some, and it's got some automated processes that it follows to cook to me just right.

**Lauren Healey** (3:47)
Okay. And you have some special seasoning, don't you?

**Fred Burmer** (3:49)
Oh yeah.

**Lauren Healey** (3:50)
Tell us about that. It's a secret?

**Fred Burmer** (3:51)
Yeah, it's a secret. I can tell you what's in it, but I have to kill you.