I was saddened to hear that Dick Clark, the iconic TV personality and ever-youthful rock 'n' roll promoter, passed away April 18. His passing reminded me of an old phone interview I did with him back in 1994 about his then-growing restaurant chain, American Bandstand Grill, for Nation's Restaurant News.
A rock 'n' roll fan since age 9, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to talk to him after often watching him host "American Bandstand." That voice on the phone was unmistakably Dick Clark.
The story was about the growth of his small restaurant chain, which still exists at three airports, a travel plaza and in the form of Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Mo. Those he and I discussed 18 years ago were in Columbus, Ohio, Indianapolis and Overland Park, Kan. A few more opened later.
Why did Clark, who was so successful in the music and entertainment fields, feel the need to get into the restaurant business? Here's what he told me: "I have always wanted to have a restaurant. It's always been in my blood to want to do this." He oversaw menu development and some other operations details and visited the restaurants whenever he could. The restaurants were tastefully decorated with music memorabilia from his extensive personal collection.
"The name is an American icon that draws them in, but once they get in, we have to please them," Clark said. "We do that with generous portions and reasonable prices. Good food and nice people you get it from will bring people back."
Unfortunately, people did not come back often enough to keep the small chain growing and thriving. I thought the food and service were fine, as was seeing all of the memorabilia. But running restaurants is a hard business, and Clark had a lot of other priorities. Like the "American Bandstand" show, it was fun while it lasted.
