John G. Laytham, chief executive officer of Clyde’s Restaurant Group (CRG), announced today that he has named Thomas M. Meyer to serve as the company’s president.
Since 2002, Meyer has served as executive vice president of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, and has been responsible for overseeing the concept, menu creation and recipe development, kitchen design, and staff development of each restaurant in the company.
He succeeds John Laytham, who has served in the dual role of CEO/president since 2001. Laytham will continue to serve as CEO. Sally F. Davidson remains the chairman of the board of Clyde's Restaurant Group, which was founded by her late husband, Stuart C. Davidson.
Meyer has spent his 27-year career at Clyde's Restaurant Group in a range of operations, beginning in the kitchen as corporate chef. His first project was the reopening of the Old Ebbitt Grill when it was moved to its new location in 1983, and in the mid-80s, he was responsible for the kitchen renovation and introduction of an American menu at the newly purchased 1789 Restaurant.
In 2008 Tom Meyer was named Foodservice Leader of the Year by Foodservice Monthly. I first met Tom in 1994 while working as food writer for the Times Community Newspapers in Northern Virginia as he was transitioning from corporate chef to the vice president who would guide the expansion of Clyde’s going forward. Tom has always amazed me in the way he carries a laid-back unassuming demeanor on the outside, but can get uncommonly excited about an antique apple, an heirloom tomato or a machine that grinds and extracts water from garbage that comes back to the kitchen – leaving a lighter, drier easier to handle garbage footprint. And then he can name a dozen songs for me where food is the theme (a favorite passion of mine). Tom Meyer is a renaissance restaurateur.
You have to go to the early 1990s for the leadership role Clyde’s and Tom Meyer took in going to local farmers for produce. I attended then one of their annual trips to the farm, where any employee could go on a tour of farms that Clyde’s had developed relationships with or were in the process of doing so. He spent considerable time convincing farmers that this could be a win-win for them and Clyde’s. Often that meant he would make a deal to buy an entire crop of a special tomato or a pepper, so the risk would be minimized for the farmer. It’s a current trend among “popular” restaurants … Tom and Clyde’s took it on as the right thing to do without all the cameras and press.
Meyer said he "is thrilled and honored to be named President of Clyde’s Restaurant Group. It’s the only job I’ve ever wanted. It’s one of the nation’s great small companies, with a proud history of serving its customers, employees and purveyors. It's a great honor to take the helm and have the opportunity to build on its 46 years of success. I want to continue to maintain and grow the company in the spirit of its founders, Stuart Davidson and John Laytham.”
“The promotion is well-deserved by Tom, as his responsibilities have increased substantially over the years,” said John Laytham. His promotion puts in place a long-term succession plan for the company.”
Clyde’s Restaurant Group is one of the nation’s most successful, privately held restaurant companies, with 2009 sales of $105 million. In 1963, the original Clyde’s opened in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC. Today CRG is made up of 13 properties in Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland, and the District of Columbia - Clyde’s of Georgetown, Clyde’s of Columbia, Clyde’s of Tysons Corner, Clyde’s of Reston, Clyde’s at Mark Center, Clyde’s of Chevy Chase, Clyde's of Gallery Place, Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm, Tower Oaks Lodge, The Tomato Palace, The Tombs, 1789 Restaurant and Old Ebbitt Grill.
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