Del Frisco's puts on feast for Stock Show winners

February 6,2016

By Sarah Bahari

Greg Kalina scans the dining room of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House.

Men in cowboy hats strut by with beers and scotch. Customers squeeze into the lobby, waiting for open tables or a seat at the packed bar. A warm, peppery smell coats the air.

Frequently, Kalina, the restaurant’s general manager, stops to shake hands with friends and strangers. He beckons an assistant and asks him to turn up the volume of the music.

It is Friday night, just hours before Saturday’s Sale of Champions at the Fort Worth Stock Show. As per tradition, the teens who showed the grand champion steer and reserve champion steer, along with their friends and families, dine at the steakhouse. Two huge banners congratulating the winners hang from the restaurant’s balcony.

“This is an emotional day for the kids and their families, and we get to be a part of their celebration,” Kalina said. “Over the years, this has become a rich part of who we are.”

Del Frisco’s relationship with the Stock Show bloomed some 20 years ago, when the restaurant opened in downtown Fort Worth. Since then, Del Frisco’s has purchased numerous steers, including grand champions, at the annual Sale of Champions, where the top winners from the junior livestock shows are sold.

Past grand champion trophies are housed at Del Frisco’s, where a special room honors the contributions and charitable donations made by the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate, a committee of Fort Worth businessmen who raise money to purchase steers.

Syndicate member Gary Ray, who served as a past chairman, said Del Frisco’s involvement helped push local businesses to join the sale. The steakhouse has 18 locations across the country, but Ray said it is perceived as a local Fort Worth haunt.

“When Del Frisco’s stepped up to the plate, it brought a lot of new buyers to the Sale of Champions,” Ray said. “People said if Del Frisco’s is bidding on animals, so can we.”

‘He was a shoe-in’

Kalina, who grew up in nearby Lewisville, first became acquainted with the Stock Show when he joined Del Frisco’s more than 10 years ago. As manager, he sought to solidify the relationship between the restaurant and annual livestock show, and in his first year as general manager invited the grand champion and reserve champion winners to dinner.

Then about seven years ago, Kalina decided to further his own involvement and join the syndicate himself. Ray recalled his admission did not even require a vote.

“He was a shoe-in,” Ray said. “We all knew it.”

Syndicate members have raised some $46 million since forming the group in 1980, and Kalina has played in integral role in fundraising and operations, syndicate member Eddie Arguijo said.

“Del Frisco’s has shown its commitment to not only Fort Worth but to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo,” Arguijo said.

‘It’s pretty incredible’

On Friday night, Sherri Martin, mother of Saige Martin, who showed the reserve grand champion (and sold it Saturday for $170,000) said she and her family were taken aback by Del Frisco’s hospitality.

“They have gone out of their way to make us feel special,” said Martin, who is from Hereford, a small Panhandle town known as Beef Capital of the World. “We are so happy and excited to be here.”

It was not the Martins first time at Del Frisco’s. They celebrated there in 2013 after Stock Martin, Saige’s older brother, showed the grand champion steer.

Kalina said the restaurant and Stock Show have proven a natural fit.

“It is really neat to see the looks on these kids’ faces,” Kalina said. “For the kids, Friday night is a wonderful combination of relief, exhaustion and euphoria all rolled together. All of their hard work is paying off, and they just raised enough money to pay for their college. It’s pretty incredible.”