Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Verfurth.
Hi Jim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My first job in 1976 was washing dishes as a 16 year old, 3 months later I was moved up to assist in the steak house. Within a year and a half I was one of the main kitchen leads. Nearing my senior year in Highschool a Manager encouraged me to pursue Culinary Arts and being a Chef as a career, I applied and went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park NY.
I 1981 moved to Texas after graduating and worked for fine dining restaurants, Intercontinental Hotel operations and Club Corporation of America operating private Country Clubs, fine dinning city clubs and resorts. I was eventually promoted to Director of Food and Beverage purchasing for the Company.
In 1997 I left the company to start my own restaurant, the Village Grill in Highland Village, TX, It was open until end of 2014 when I relocated and re-concepted it across the street in the beginning of 2015 to a better location in Flower Mound and named it Verf’s Grill and Tavern.
Two years later in 2017 I developed and opened another concept down the street in the main hub of Highland Village, The Shops of Highland Village, It’s a walking lifestyle center with a movie theatre, ice cream parlors, boutique stores of all types, other restaurants and places for people to gather, listen to live music and relax I named it Shoal Creek Tavern, It’s a Gastro Pub with Maple woods, craft food and cocktails, brass beer taps and a touch of old world Europe inside.
In 2019 another location in The Shops of Highland Village became available so I opened another concept and named Lambeau’s America Kitchen and Taps, geared more towards casual food and sports with a large outdoor patio for live bands and places for families to relax.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The restaurant business is very difficult for sure!
Very slim margins, very high turnover rate due to younger staff in a suburban market that graduate and move on, ever changing product cost but difficult to always pass on those cost when prices suddenly jump.
Social media post can kill you when used to hurt or damage a reputation
COVID
Labor shortages from time to time
unpredictable business cycles
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Verf’s Grill and Tavern?
Verf’s is a true family owned business, I have some employees that have worked for me since I opened Village Grill in 1997 and we still have day one customers that follow us, we make food from scratch and have a tremendous amount of pride in what we do and how we do it.
Every employee knows and understands our values when they are hired and what our goals are with customer service when a guest walks though the door and what we want to provide during their visit.
Warm Welcome
Memorable Moment
Fond Farwell
If we can all work as a team and ensure every guest receives these three experiences on every visit, we know they will return and tell their friends about us.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Being family owned and meeting with my team each week, we work hard to make sure everyone knows how important they are in the success of our operation from the dishwasher to the host opening the door for the guest on arrival and departure, smiling and thanking them for visiting us and inviting them back for the next occasion.
Pricing:
- its constantly dynamic and must be competitive
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.verfs.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VerfsGrillandTavern
