Lion's Choice facts for kids
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| Corporation | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Marv Gibbs and Clint Tobias |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Area served
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St. Louis metropolitan area, Kansas City metropolitan area |
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Key people
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| Products | Quick service restaurants, including: Roast beef · sandwiches |
Lion's Choice is a popular American fast food restaurant chain. It's famous for its delicious roast beef sandwiches. The company started in St. Louis, Missouri. Its very first restaurant opened on October 26, 1967, in Ballwin, Missouri, and it's still open today! As of May 2021, there were 62 Lion's Choice restaurants in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.
Besides roast beef, Lion's Choice also offers turkey and ham sandwiches. You can also find Italian beef sandwiches, French dip sandwiches, and hot dogs. They also serve soups, salads, side dishes, and yummy desserts.
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History of Lion's Choice
Lion's Choice was started in 1967 by Marv Gibbs and Arthur Morey. Marv Gibbs was a chemical engineer. The very first restaurant opened on October 26, 1967. It was in Ballwin, Missouri. This first store sold roast beef, ham, and turkey sandwiches. Each sandwich cost 69 cents back then.
The restaurant was first called Brittany Beef. But it quickly changed its name to Red Lion Beef House. Two years later, a second store opened in Creve Coeur, Missouri. The company then changed its name again to Lion's Choice. This happened because another company, Red Lion Hotels Corporation, already used the "Red Lion" name. This meant Lion's Choice could not legally use it.
In 2013, the people who founded the company sold it. It was bought by two investment groups. These groups were led by Bob Millstone and Mark Disper. After the sale, Lion's Choice opened a new restaurant in Ellisville, Missouri in 2015. This was their first new store in ten years.
In May 2017, Mike Kupstas became the new CEO of Lion's Choice. He had a lot of experience in the food business. He had worked for other big restaurant chains before joining Lion's Choice.
In September 2017, Lion's Choice started its first food truck. This truck makes roast beef sandwiches, fries, and custard. The food truck visits popular spots. It also goes to Saint Louis University soccer games and Scott Air Force Base.
In July 2018, Lion's Choice began building two new restaurants. These were in the Kansas City metropolitan area. They were planned to open in November 2018. Three more new locations in Kansas City opened in 2019.
What Lion's Choice Serves
Delicious Sandwiches
Lion's Choice is most famous for its roast beef sandwiches. The company says their beef is "roasted beef." This is because of how long they prepare the meat. The roast beef sandwich comes in three sizes. These are Original, Large, and King. The King size has twice the beef of the Original.
Besides roast beef, they offer other tasty sandwiches. These include hickory-smoked ham sandwiches. They also have smokehouse pulled pork sandwiches. You can also get roasted turkey breast sandwiches. Other options are Italian beef sandwiches and French dip sandwiches. Lion's Choice also serves hot dogs.
Tasty Sides
For sides, Lion's Choice has several choices. They offer french fries, which are skin-on and gluten-free. They also have coleslaw and baked potatoes. You can also get veggie sticks. These include carrots, celery sticks, broccoli florets, and grape tomatoes. You can add toppings to your baked potato. These include butter, chives, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, broccoli, or chili.
Soups and Salads
Lion's Choice offers different kinds of soups and salads. Their salads include a simple side salad. The "LC Seasonal" salad has carrots, walnuts, dried cranberries, tomatoes, and blue cheese. It comes with bistro dressing. The "Butcher Block Cobb" salad has roast beef, turkey, and ham. It also has blue cheese, shredded cheddar, greens, tomatoes, and carrots. This salad also comes with bistro dressing.
Besides daily special soups, they have regular soups. These include chicken noodle soup and cream of broccoli soup. They also have hearty chili made with roast beef.
Sweet Desserts
For dessert, Lion's Choice serves frozen custard cones. These come in mini and regular sizes. You can choose to have them dipped in chocolate. They also offer milkshakes and cookies. Cookie flavors include chocolate chip, macadamia nut, or sugar. Other desserts are sundaes, root beer floats, and concretes.
Awards and Recognition
Lion's Choice has won several awards. In 2006, it won the Missouri state award. This was the Restaurant Neighbor Award from the National Restaurant Association. The restaurant chain was named Best Fast Food in 2008. This award came from the Riverfront Times newspaper.
In 2014, the Riverfront Times named it the Best Chain Restaurant. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper also named it their Best Local Restaurant Chain that same year.
