Clark Knippers, President, Foremark, Ltd.

Clark Knippers is president of Foremark, Ltd., a real estate consultant business for restaurant and retail companies.  Foremark was founded on July 14, 1997. Based in Dallas, Foremark currently has 12 employees and focuses on the real estate and development needs of growing companies. In ten years, Foremark has developed over 250 new locations for clients such as Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Johnny Carino’s, Mimi’s Café, California Pizza Kitchen, Millers’ Ale House, Fleming’s and others.

Prior to founding Foremark, Knippers corporate career included leadership roles as chief development officer for Quality Dining, Inc. and vice-president of real estate and development for Brinker International, Inc. 

In 1986 Clark joined Chili’s Inc., subsequently renamed Brinker International, Inc. and was responsible for property development and construction management of new restaurants.  He later joined the real estate department and began selecting and acquiring sites for this high growth company. In 1989, he became director of real estate and was responsible for directing the real estate strategy and acquisition for Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, Grady’s American Grill and Spageddies. At that time Brinker operated 181 restaurants.

In 1990, Clark was promoted to vice-president of real estate and assumed the additional responsibility of the property development department in 1993.  Clark lead a team of 28 people responsible for the acquisition and development of 110 new restaurants at a cost of more than $250 million in 1994.

Clark graduated from the University of Georgia in 1984 and received a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in 1993. Clark, his wife and four children live in Dallas, Texas.

WEEK 2: Controlling Food Costs

WEEK 3: Menu-Pricing Strategies

WEEK 4: Marketing

WEEK 6:
The Upside of the Downturn

Steele Platt, Founder and CEO, Yard House Restaurants

Steele Platt, the Founder and CEO of Yard House Restaurants has always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. With tremendous drive and determination Platt has been part of the restaurant industry for over 30 years. Platt began as most restaurateurs do, as a dishwasher at the age of 16. While attending the University of Denver’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management he worked in over a dozen restaurants as a busboy, bar back, server, and bartender. A few years after graduating with a business degree, Platt created his first restaurant in Denver at the age of 25 called Kailua’s named after his hometown in Kailua, Hawaii. By age 30 Platt’s portfolio included six different themed restaurants and Denver’s largest nightclub called EFEX.

Platt moved to California in 1991 and began his “blueprints” for the Yard House concept in 1994 by incorporating some of the similar elements from one of the bars he created in Denver called the Boiler Room. These elements included the hits of classic rock music – large selection of draft beer – and great food. As the first employee of his new company – Yard House Restaurants – Platt orchestrated the financing – site location – and conceptual design of the first Yard House which opened in 1996 in Long Beach.

Located on the Long Beach waterfront, the first Yard House offered 250 draft beers, an extensive menu of American fusion cuisine, and a state of the art audio and video system. Platt has hand selected each song from his music library that has played in the Yard House since day one and continues to do so today for all of the Yard House stores nationwide. Since 1996 the Long Beach Yard House has become one of the highest sales volume restaurants in California with consistent year after year sales increases. Sales this year are expected to exceed $13,000,000.

Nick Vojnovic, President, Family Sports Concepts, Inc.

Nick Vojnovic graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration.  He was promoted to President of Family Sports Concepts, Inc.,--the Franchisor of Beef 'O' Brady's Family Sports Pubs in January of 2005. Prior to this position, Vojnovic served as the company's Chief Operating Office as well as its Senior Vice President of Corporate Development.

His strong work ethic has helped Family Sports Concepts, Inc. build the chain to more than 260 units throughout Florida and expanding throughout the rest of the United States.

Before joining Family Sports Concepts, Vojnovic was Vice President of Human Resources for Famous Dave's of America, a 70-unit barbeque and blues chain headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. He was also Director of Recruiting and Training at Sunstate Ventures, a 13-unit franchisor of Chili's Grill and Bar in Tampa. Nick is the former Chairman of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, and also served several years as President of FRA's Hillsborough County Chapter.

He and his wife Rene have two children, Jonathan and Lauren.