An open letter to our extended Jonathan Byrd’s family, from Ginny Byrd... Since opening the doors to Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria in 1988, we’ve been here nearly every day, serving up great food to our wonderful customers, for whom we are so very grateful. We’ve had more than 5,000,000 people take a trip down our cafeteria line, and with everything that we do in and from this building, we estimate that we’ve served more than 13,000,000 meals. We are and have always been so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve so many. The Jonathan Byrd’s that we have here today sprang from the heart and mind of my late husband, Jonathan Byrd. As we all know, Jonathan’s vision was large. That vision included a 90 foot serving line, with more than 200 items available every day. That vision was a 400 seat dining room. That vision was offering a wide range of signature items, immediately available to every customer that walked through the door. That vision was big trays, big portions, and big value. We’ve faithfully executed that vision for nearly 26 years. It’s been incredibly rewarding, but it has not been easy. However, times change. Tastes have changed. Demographics have changed. The way that people buy their food has changed. The world has changed. Foodservice has evolved, and we can’t fight it. We have to adapt and evolve with it if we want to survive and if we want Jonathan Byrd’s to be more than a pleasant memory and a place that people used to go to eat. Because of that, the vision that I shared and built with my husband, and that has served our family and so many families so very well, has itself evolved. My vision is a smaller Jonathan Byrd’s. My vision is a more intimate and more personal Jonathan Byrd’s. My vision is a Jonathan Byrd’s that can adapt and improvise. Thankfully, because of Jonathan’s grandiose vision, we have something like that right here in this building, and I’m going to focus on it and make it the first step in a multi-step re-envisioning of Jonathan Byrd’s. So it is with a bit of sadness, tinged with anticipation, that I announce that on April 30th, the cafeteria line at Jonathan Byrd’s will serve its final customer, and the Jonathan Byrd’s brand will change forever. As a first step in the new era of Jonathan Byrd’s, the space that has long been known as JB’s will become the new Jonathan Byrd’s, as we continue the Byrd family’s more than 60 year tradition of serving quality food to the people of central Indiana. As we transition to that new era of Byrd family foodservice, it must be said that our popular and signature items will always be available for sure, but that era now includes being experimental, offering more specialty items, and challenging ourselves to be better than we’ve ever been---to be adventurous, to be engaging, and to deliver even better food, better service, and a better experience to the loyal customers of our heartland community for the next 60 years. We’re going to continue being the place where food triggers happy memories and a feeling of home. We want to continue to be all things to all people, but we want to do it in a way that is more efficient, more personal, and more in tune with changes in tastes and times. As we have also done for the last 25 years, we are going to keep building on our brand as we continue our role as the Official Catering Company of the Indianapolis Colts and keep right on growing our successful catering business as we carry the Jonathan Byrd’s brand throughout central Indiana. We’re going to continue to be here for you just as you have been here for us, and we ask those that we have served for so many years to keep on trusting us with your business, as we make ourselves better for you and your families. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be announcing some very exciting things that will allow us to build on our past while adapting for the present and embracing the future. So let me just say that we aren’t going anywhere, but at the same time we’re going new places. We want our customers to rest assured that you will still be able to walk right in, step to the counter, point to the food you love, and have it served to you quickly in a comfortable and casual environment. You’ll still be able to dine with us, take your food with you, and continue to access all of your Jonathan Byrd’s favorites through our drive-thru. To go along with that though, we also plan on making some bigger and more exciting changes. As I said, this is just the first step, and we’re excited about where the steps that follow are going to take us. Thank you for coming to us for more than a quarter century. We’re looking forward to the next twenty-five years. To keep up with the latest from Jonathan Byrd’s, check us out online at jonathanbyrds, like us on Facebook at facebook/jonathanbyrds, and follow us on Twitter @JonathanByrds.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 12:31:58 +0000
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