We’re looking forward to introducing you to Scott Vickers. Check out our conversation below.
Scott, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Good question! All of these play into success, but without question, integrity is key. When I attended college at Texas A&M University, I worked as a waiter at Christopher’s World Grill which, at the time, was the nicest place in town. Chris Lampo, chef and owner, preached the value of integrity. To this day, I define integrity as he did – doing the right thing even when nobody is looking. In other words, to thine own self be true. Still to this day, I use the same example he did at one of our staff meetings. Chris was (and I’m sure still is) very demanding that the property be very clean, inside and out. He once left a piece of trash on the ground right outside the front door prior to the meeting. Once we all gathered, we discussed integrity and what it meant to each of us. The staff was all quick to claim to have great integrity, but he then mentioned the piece of trash he’d placed that still remained by the front door to illustrate that every one of us walked right by it, had the opportunity to pick it up, and failed to do so, even though we knew it was the right thing to do. I’ve used this with my staff as a way to hit home on how integrity carries through and through – not just when you’re “on stage” but when behind the scenes as well. An intelligent person with no integrity turns into calculated devious behavior. An energetic person with no integrity serves no purpose that attributes to their success.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure thing. So, I’m Scott Vickers and I led operations for TCP Catering across North and Central Texas, carrying on a family legacy that began in 1979 in the small kitchen of my parents’ fried chicken restaurant. What started as a humble fast-food operation quickly grew into a full-service catering business, built on a foundation of community, quality, and hospitality.
I reside in Keller, Texas, with my wife, Anna, and our two children, Amelia and Wesley. My commitment to family deeply informs the culture and values that shape the business today.
After gaining experience in several high-end fine dining restaurants during and post-college, I returned to my roots with a vision to expand the family business. Together, we launched a new fried chicken location just north of Fort Worth, where TCP Catering served its first official event in the North Texas area. That moment marked the beginning of a period of strategic growth, including the acquisition and operation of two wedding and event venues, a steakhouse in Central Texas, and the recent opening of a state-of-the-art catering facility in downtown Temple.
Under my leadership, and with the support of years of experience and wisdom from my parents, TCP Catering now serves hundreds of weddings annually, in addition to its longstanding commitment to schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations. The company is known for pairing each event with the right style of service—ensuring quality, customization, and affordability for every client.
As an advocate of team culture and continuous improvement, I prioritize creating a workplace where staff feel valued, many of whom have been with the company for over a decade. By fostering open dialogue and encouraging innovation from both staff and clients, I continue to guide TCP Catering with the same heart and hospitality it was founded on over 46 years ago.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
No question here – my father. That’s not at all to discount my mother’s influence, but my father was simply the more vocal one regarding how I should navigate through career choices. Having spent the better part of my childhood alongside my parents working, I saw the sacrifices they made, mostly in the form of the time spent at work relevant to anything else. I didn’t really understand it then the way I do now, but at that time, I wanted to do ANYTHING else but work in the family business. Through college and after, my father was always quick to remind me that I wasn’t built to work for someone else. After college, I continued my career as a waiter in Houston at top restaurants including Pappas Bros Steakhouse and Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse where I met my wife. I was happy where I was at the time – a waiter working 4-5 days/week for relatively short shifts making more money than many of my friends who also attended Texas A&M that were working their fingers to the bone confined in a cubicle for the entire day – all to be reporting to their bosses. As I began to look toward the future, it became more and more clear to me that, as a waiter, I’d reached a ceiling. My father was still, always at just the right time, there in my ear nudging me to take a leap into the family business. As they say, the older you get, the smarter your parents become, and I finally decided it was time to lend an ear to his suggestions. Best decision I ever made, but it certainly wouldn’t have happened without his influence.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In short, no. When I married Anna in 2010, we took our vows and added to them that divorce is not an option. I feel the same way regarding my commitment to my craft. Just the same as my family relies on me for so much, my customers and staff rely on me to be successful as well. We employ a lot of people, and every one of them counts on me to make the best decisions for the company so they too can live the lifestyles the desire. The same as it makes me proud to provide for my own family, I’m also proud to be able to, albeit a collective effort, provide for our family of staff members.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
My mother and I talk every day – multiple times a day in most cases. Prior to my father’s passing in 2021, I talked to him every day, if for no other reason, as a function of necessity regarding day-to-day business, often times in a competitive nature comparing numbers. Since then, I’ve seen how they were each other’s yen and yang. Dad’s eagerness to jump out and take risks was balanced by Mom’s more quiet calculated cautiousness. She continues to work in the business every day, so these days, she and I talk a lot about business. She may not know it, but having listened to my father for so long with such regularity, I’ve definitely shifted my perspective on some things since his passing that, frankly, likely bring my views on things in the business back to center.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I think many of us, myself included, at times find ourselves out of touch with the big picture. We’re all busy. The years become short and the days long. I’m currently 47 and have been working in this capacity for a little over 15 years. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that we opened our business here, but when you add another 15 years to it, I’m 62, so it drives me to push for more success now so that I’ll be able to live out my elder years doing whatever it is that I want to do at that time. I don’t yet know what that is – continue working? Retire? Travel? Golf? I don’t think I’m built to ever fully retire, but I just want to have options available to me when I get to that point, whenever that may be. Back to the question. With all that said, when we began working in the family business, I told Anna that I wasn’t sure if we’d ever be rich or not, but I knew one thing: Nobody will ever outwork me. Period. That sounds admirable and all, and it is in its own way. However, as she and I have grown older, had two beautiful children and matured, she and I both agree that we want to be remembered as people of faith and admirable values combined with kindness and empathy for others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tcpcatering.com
- Instagram: @tcpcatering
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcpcatering
- Other: www.cathedral-oaks.com; www.cheeves.com; www.makeupandcocktailscosmetics.com; www.thechickenplacetx.com
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