 |
 |
|
    |
|
2005-11-10
Gregory Family Pushes Forward
It’s an icon, its name synonymous locally with ribs and associated with Cincinnati food every bit as much as Graeter's Ice Cream, Skyline Chili, and LaRosa's Pizza.
As heirs to the Montgomery Inn restaurant legacy of their father, Ted Gregory, the four Gregory children, Tom, Dean, Vickie, and Terry Andrews, as well as son-in-law, Evan Andrews, have put their collective energy into keeping the restaurant successful.
At the same time, they have explored strategies to keep it flourishing for the family's next generation.
As the company enters its 55th year, the children of its founder recently gathered around one of the upstairs tables at the original Montgomery Inn restaurant in Montgomery to discuss the future of the business built on ribs.
Survival, they said, is all about family – for the siblings to get along, share a vision for the business and preserve not only a Cincinnati institution but a way of life for the family's next generation.
“That's the key to our future,” said Tom, president of the company. “If the kids don't want to get involved, then where do we go?”
Among their plans for growth is a commercial real estate project.
The Gregorys are partners with Miller Valentine and Greiwe Development Group on a $75 million plan to build 140 condominiums and 2 restaurants at the site of their banquet center . The Gregorys say the project will spur riverfront development and keep them on the cutting edge of the downtown dining and entertainment business.
“Ted was one of the first to put a restaurant on the river (The Boathouse, 1989), and now we are continuing that tradition with this project,” said Matula Gregory, widow of Ted Gregory, who died in 2001.
“It was a leap of faith at the time,” adds Evan, executive vice president of Ribs King, part of the Montgomery Inn's business that sells food to grocery stores and outside establishments. “The Boathouse was a catalyst for all the development that's happened on the riverfront. I think this project in now going to help us get off the dime and get things done on the river.”
In addition to anticipated revenue from the condo project, the company is seeing strong growth from its packaged foods and Internet sales. Bas as far as changing its Montgomery Inn restaurants in Montgomery, Downtown, and Ft. Mitchell, the family says they won’t mess with a recipe for success.
With three restaurants in the Greater Cincinnati area plus a banquet center and catering services, the Gregorys said they feed more than 31,000 people each week.
Evan said much of the recent sales growth has been propelled by the expansion of Ribs King, which now offers pre-packaged ribs and sauce in grocery stores throughout much of the Midwest and a few states in the Southeast.
Ribs King accounts for about 25 percent of company revenue and has seen double digit revenue growth every year since its launch in 1990.
As the company has grown, however, the Gregorys said they have worked to ensure that the character of their business has remained true to the formula that Ted Gregory made popular more than 50 years ago. He came up with the idea for the casual, all-American sports themed atmosphere that has drawn in so many local residents.
“We were hanging up sports jerseys and photos way back in the ‘60s before it was cool,” said Dean. “Dad was always asking for a jersey or a picture from someone who was in the restaurant.”
Ted Gregory's larger-than-life persona has been a key element in the success of the Montgomery Inn, his four children believe. They say they feel his influence during family meetings.
“There isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn’t mention him,” said Tom. “We often talk (during business meetings) about what dad would have done.
back to "Inn The News." | |
|
|
