MIDDLETON
Conventional will be out the door when the newest restaurant in the Madison area holds its official grand opening celebration Thursday.
Instead of a scissors and ribbon, a 6-foot hot dog made of bison meat will be cut at Bison Jacks, located between Cosi and Starbucks at Greenway Station.
Manning the knife will be Joe Ricketts, who founded TD Ameritrade and whose family trust owns the Chicago Cubs.
Ricketts, 70, has an affinity for bison. It's served at Wrigley Field, and he owns High Plains Bison, a mail-order bison meat company. In 2003, he founded Golden Bison Co., which raises grass-fed American bison, some of them on his ranch southeast of Jackson, Wyo.
Ricketts' latest creation, Bison Jacks, will attempt to bring bison to the masses the same way Subway has capitalized on the submarine sandwich and KFC on chicken.
Dane County will help determine if the idea goes to a national stage.
"He's very passionate about what he is doing," said Shawn Horne, operations director for the 2,500-square-foot restaurant. "This is his idea to a healthy alternative to fast food. He wants to bring something positive to society when it comes to fast food."
Plans for the $500,000 restaurant began about nine months ago, and construction on the space started in early September. The company wants to open a restaurant in Downtown Madison and is looking at Fitchburg and Verona as other expansion possibilities. Horne believes the company will need to open two to three restaurants before determining if the business plan should move forward with about 50 more around the country over the next five years.
"The biggest challenge will be educating the public and making it work from a cost standpoint," Horne said. "It's a little tough to make money on bison, but it's the best red meat you can eat."
Bison meat costs more than beef but is more lean. According to the Colorado-based National Bison Association, there are 2.42 grams of fat in a 100-gram serving of cooked bison. That compares to 10.15 grams in a similar portion of cooked beef. In 2009, about 70,000 head of bison were processed, double from 2002, according to the association.
It's not uncommon to find a bison burger on the menus of sit-down restaurants, but the meat hasn't taken hold at fast-food establishments. The closest may be Energy Kitchen, a New York restaurant chain founded in 2004 with 11 locations in three states. It is using bison as one of its key menu items and has announced plans for 1,000 restaurants nationwide over the next 10 years. Everything on the menu, which includes ostrich and chicken, is under 500 calories and is either steamed, baked or grilled.
Fryers are also out at Bison Jacks. Specialty dogs range in price from $5.95 for a Chicago style, $6.95 for a Wisconsin style that includes a beer and cheddar bison brat and $7.95 for an Italian Stallion made with Italian sausage. Each includes a choice of baked french fries, cole slaw or a salad. When the restaurant opened Oct. 13, sides were not included, but customer feedback on the cost of the hot dogs has forced the restaurant to adjust its offerings.
The business also features bison chili ($5.95), one-third-pound bison burgers ($6.95) and a salad with bison meat ($7.95).
Customers order at a counter and have their choice of five buns and toppings, including sauerkraut, peppers, onions, roasted carrots and homemade relishes designed by Horne. A breakfast menu includes burritos stuffed with eggs and bison sausage.
Local products being used include gluten-free buns from Silly Yak Bakery, Wisconsin cheeses, beers from Capital Brewery and wine from Wollersheim Winery.
"Their hope is that this is a launching pad," said Vicky Jones, a marketing consultant working with the restaurant. "This is a really good (area) to launch a concept like this."
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