This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Provisioner logo Created with Sketch.
Provisioner logo Slice 2 Created with Sketch.
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Provisioner logo Created with Sketch.
Provisioner logo Slice 2 Created with Sketch.
  • News
    • Industry News
    • Supplier News
    • New Consumer Products
  • Profiles
    • Processor Profiles
    • Processor of the Year
    • Plant of the Year
  • Processing
  • Food Safety
  • R&D
    • Ingredients
    • Formulation
  • Sustainability
  • Packaging
  • Regulations
  • More
    • Top 100 Processors
    • Videos
    • Special Reports
    • Commentary
    • Events
    • Webinars
    • Classifieds
    • White Papers
    • Provisioner Store
    • Market Research
  • Magazine
    • The National Provisioner
    • Independent Processor
    • Digital Editions
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Connect
    • eNewsletters
    • Source Book
  • MIHOF
Home » Premium burgers earns Pat LaFrieda award from Darden Restaurants
Meat and Poultry Industry NewsBurgersIndependent Processor
Independent Processor's Prime Cuts

Premium burgers earns Pat LaFrieda award from Darden Restaurants

New Jersey butcher's custom blend of ground beef boosts steakhouse menu.

Darden Restaurants and Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors
From left to right: Gene Lee, President & CEO, Darden Restaurants; Pat LaFrieda, CEO, Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors; Mark Pastore, President, Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors; Mike LaDuke, Corporate Executive Chef, The Capital Grille; Doug Milanes, Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Darden Restaurants.
June 18, 2019
Sam Gazdziak
KEYWORDS award / Darden Restaurants / Pat LaFrieda / Prime Cuts
Reprints
No Comments

Practically any restaurant menu can be improved with the addition of a good, premium burger. The Capital Grille, a high-end steakhouse and a Darden Restaurants concept, recently added a new burger through a partnership with renowned butcher Pat LaFrieda. The addition proved so successful that Darden Restaurants named Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors as one of the winners of this year’s William B. Darden Distinguished Supplier Awards. Darden gave out five such awards at its Orlando, Fla. Headquarters this past April. LaFrieda and Sysco Specialty Meats were the only two meat purveyors so honored.

LaFrieda Meats is located in North Bergen, N.J. Creating high-quality burger blends is nothing new for the butcher. The company’s signature blend is three generations old and came from LaFrieda’s grandfather.

“It’s a blend of chuck, clod with the flat-iron still attached — which is very important — boneless short rib and brisket,” he says.

The Capital Grille has more than 50 locations nationwide. It was a large undertaking for LaFrieda Meats, but the company’s specialized burgers were just what Darden wanted.

“We were first of all shocked and honored by the opportunity to work with them. Then it was a matter of logistics, to get the product to each location,” he says.

“Most mass-made burgers in the U.S. are just not made from whole muscle, all-domestic product that’s under 30 months of age,” LaFrieda explains. “What we use to make our burger meat is not the norm, and what they were looking to do was get a burger that had a distinct flavor and texture profile, that would stand out from anything else on the market. That’s really what we specialize in.”

LaFrieda Meats has a network of 50 trucks and is able to deliver product up and down the East Coast. For the remaining Capital Grille restaurant locations, the company works with other trucking companies to get fresh products to the customer in a timely manner.

Dry-aged beef has become a larger and larger part of LaFrieda Meats. The company is currently building a second facility with a drying room that will hold three to four times its current amount of product. Customers are demanding beef that’s dry-aged anywhere from a week to 120 days. The demand is not just for steaks, either. Dry-aged burgers are growing in popularity.

“To be able to get the taste of a dry-aged steak in a burger — some of the same experience but for a quarter of the price — is something that we started doing in 2008, and it’s really grown,” LaFrieda says.

The company has a strong reputation and has played a significant part in bringing the role of the butcher to the forefront of the meat industry again. LaFrieda, his cousin and his father all work separate shifts at the plant, so that the family is overseeing operations. 

“I tell this to small businesses: never under-estimate the power of being a small business, not having the red tape that you would in a larger corporation,” he says. “You’re able to make things happen and get things done the right way, the way it should be done. You have yourself to answer to.”

Subscribe to The National Provisioner

Recent Articles by Sam Gazdziak

Dayton Meat Products: Family ties

The value of education in the meat industry

Dr. Joe Cordray retires from Iowa State University

Lorentz Meats celebrates 50 years

Being bold with beef

Samg

Editor In Chief, Independent Processor and Editor, National Provisioner. 

Sam Gazdziak has been writing for trade publications since 1997 and joined The National Provisioner in 2004. He helped launch Independent Processor magazine in 2008 as its editor-in-chief.

Related Articles

Darden Restaurants announces 2019 “William B. Darden Distinguished Supplier Award” winners

Darden Restaurants honors Sysco Specialty Meat Companies/Buckhead Beef with "William B. Darden Distinguished Supplier Award"

Food Network’s Andrew Zimmern, butcher Pat LaFrieda team up for a line of meats

Big burger ideas: How burgers are standing out

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Print & Digital Edition Subscriptions
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Connect with The National Provisioner

More Videos

Popular Stories

newsbriefs

JBS USA intends to purchase Pipestone Facility from J&B Group

Collette Kaster, CEO, American Meat Science Association

Q&A with Collette Kaster, CEO, American Meat Science Association

Andy Hanacek Pointing to Fake Meat Tabloid

From the Editor's Desk: 'OK to eat meat' not a new message!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Fact or fiction: Turkey makes you sleepy

Ben Deda, CEO, FoodMaven

FoodMaven sets out to minimize food waste in the supply chain

The National Provisioner 2019 State of the Industry Report
 
The National Provisioner 2019 Top 100 Meat and Poultry Processors

Events

January 27, 2020

Meat Industry Hall of Fame

Meat Industry Hall of FameThe Meat Industry Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony will recognize the prestigious Class of 2019, on the evening of Jan. 27, 2020, in Atlanta, GA. This Elite Networking Event is co-located with the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).
January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Advances in Meat Processing Technology

Advances in Meat Processing Technology

See More Products

The National Provisioner

The National Provisioner December 2019 Cover

December 2019

Check out the December 2019 issue of The National Provisioner, featuring our cover story on chicken processor Bell & Evans, the 2020 Economic Outlook for meat and poultry, and much more.

View More Create Account

Independent Processor

Independent Processor December 2019 Cover

December 2019

Check out the December 2019 issue of Independent Processor, featuring our cover story on the family-run Dayton Meat Products, an exciting culinary trend showcased at CAB's annual conference, and much more.

View More Create Account
  • Proteins
    • Beef
    • Pork
    • Chicken
    • Turkey
    • Burgers
    • Sausage
    • Bacon
    • Deli
    • Seafood
    • Lamb / Veal
  • More
    • Want More
    • Partners
    • Food & Beverage Brands
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • List Rental
    • Survey And Sample
    • Privacy Policy
  • Expert Commentary
    • Editors Viewpoint
    • Fight for Food Safety
    • Legislative
  • Advertise With Us
    • The National Provisioner
    • Independent Processor
  • Subscribe

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing