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Talk of the bay
Fine-dining venture grows from pedestrian roots
By SCOTT BARANCIK
Published July 18, 2005
Can a fast-food maven and her husband create a fine-dining restaurant a la Bern's Steak House?
Former Tampa Bay area executives Wendy and Basil Beck II are building one in Texas. And they've hired a top waiter from the renowned Tampa restaurant to help.
Wendy Beck, who served as chief financial officer at Checkers Drive-In Restaurants until 2001, says Chateaubriand will be on the grounds of a 1,000-member country club she and her husband purchase d in March. It will include a walk-in humidor and, like Bern's, a large wine cellar.
Former Bern's waiter Robert Durst will serve as director of dining, cellar master and sommelier.
"Years ago, Robert served us at Bern's," Beck recalls. "We always said afterward that if we reached our dream of owning a fine-dining restaurant, we'd steal him."
Beck isn't alone in her esteem for Durst. When President Bush dined at Bern's in 2001, the restaurant chose Durst and one other waiter to serve him.
Despite the high-end venture, Beck is sticking to her fast-food roots. She is CFO of Whattaburger, a privately held chain in Corpus Christi, Texas. Basil Beck, who still owns a business in Clearwater, is president of Kings Crossing Golf and Country Club.
The new restaurant is due to open around Christmas.
[Last modified July 15, 2005, 17:38:02]
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