Don Callender
Encyclopedia
Don Callender was an American restaurateur
and co-founder of the Marie Callender's
chain of restaurants and Babe's Bar-B-Que & Brewery barbecue
restaurant in Rancho Mirage, California
.
In 1948, Callender and his mother Marie turned her home-based pie baking business into a wholesale
baking operation. He would later be credited as the first restaurateur to offer franchise
operations, with the first Marie Callender's franchisee opening in Orange, California
, in 1964.
Callender remained active in the restaurant business even after selling the chain in the late 1980s.
His final restaurant project was to be a second, gigantic 21,000 square foot (1950 square meter) Babe's in Indio, California
. Health issues forced Callender out of the project who instead leased the building to the Kaiser Restaurant Group, a local restaurant management group. It opened the day after Callender died as Jackalope Ranch, an eclectic Southwestern
-themed barbecue. He died in Corona del Mar, California.
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
and co-founder of the Marie Callender's
Marie Callender's
Marie Callender’s is a restaurant chain with 74 locations in seven western states. One East Side Mario’s restaurant also is part of the chain, a remnant of the period when the chain owned the ESM concept, purchased from Pepsico....
chain of restaurants and Babe's Bar-B-Que & Brewery barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
restaurant in Rancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage, California
Rancho Mirage is a resort city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal population can exceed 20,000. In between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the eight cities of the Coachella...
.
In 1948, Callender and his mother Marie turned her home-based pie baking business into a wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
baking operation. He would later be credited as the first restaurateur to offer franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
operations, with the first Marie Callender's franchisee opening in Orange, California
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
, in 1964.
Callender remained active in the restaurant business even after selling the chain in the late 1980s.
His final restaurant project was to be a second, gigantic 21,000 square foot (1950 square meter) Babe's in Indio, California
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
. Health issues forced Callender out of the project who instead leased the building to the Kaiser Restaurant Group, a local restaurant management group. It opened the day after Callender died as Jackalope Ranch, an eclectic Southwestern
Cuisine of the Southwestern United States
The Cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern United States. It is also known to be very popular in the west coast state of California...
-themed barbecue. He died in Corona del Mar, California.