Beef Jerky Outlet:
Exquisite Quality and Taste Combined
By Terry Card
Quality and taste defines the difference between jerky purchased at the Beef Jerky Outlet and regular pre-packaged jerky available elsewhere.
When people wonder why anyone would bother going to a specialty store to purchase jerky rather than just pick it up while buying gas or shopping for groceries – it comes back to the quality – and the taste – of the jerky sold at the Beef Jerky Outlet on The Strand. The Strand is in itself the premier high quality street in Galveston, so it is appropriate the Beef Jerky Outlet selected The Strand for its location.
The Outlet opened for business on April 4, 2014. The negative impact of Hurricane Ike had a shuddering effect on the advertising firm that had occupied the space before the flood waters rose to the ceiling. Renovation took four to six months. Because everything had to be replaced, the electrical circuits, plumbing, lighting, the walls and the floor, all went into the trash bin.
The replacement resulted in a warm, inviting, and airy outlet that caters to every imaginable taste when it comes to jerky. The shop carries over two hundred different varieties ranging from smoked, to Fire, and Sweet Cherry Moonshine. For those with more exotic tastes, discerning jerky lovers may choose from elk, bison, kangaroo, ostrich, pheasant, and many others.
Stumped as to what to choose? Free samples allow the buyer to try the jerky prior to making a purchasing decision. This is a great opportunity to try something different. That being said, their traditional beef jerky is fantastic.
Many of the shops are franchises, but this shop is an independent business owned by Cypress, Texas partners. The plant where all the jerky is prepared is located in Seymour, Tennessee. The Company headquarters is located in Dundee Michigan.
The company philosophy and practice is to use only the finest cut of meat required for the lean properties desired in making jerky. The meat is cut where raised. For beef, the finest lean meat is the Eye of Round bottom cut, which provides a little more fat and therefore more flavor than cheaper cuts.
In 2014, when the Galveston outlet opened, there were only twelve locations. Today, there are more than one hundred outlets, with another ninety-six in the planning stages.
Locally, the manager of the Galveston and League City stores, Amy Gonzales, uses Facebook and a sandwich board to provide advertising. The company chose Galveston because it is a tourist destination.
The Strand, at the heart of the downtown, is a magnet for tourists from the cruise ships, general visitors, as well as local residents. Local residents make up thirty percent of the customer base with the other seventy percent comprised of tourists. The cruise ship passengers account for a healthy fifty percent of the tourist customers. Most of the advertising for these customers is by word of mouth. Some cruise customers also take business cards to pass on to their friends who in turn receive a discount on their purchases with the card.
Amy will soon be taking on a new store, which is relocating from Tomball to The Woodlands. She is a hard working millennial who loves her job. Born in Houston, she and her mother, when she was just six years old, moved in with her grandparents in Wimberley, Texas, after her step-father died. After graduating from high school in Wimberley four years ago, she applied for a job with The Beef Jerky outlet when it opened here, and is on her way to managing three outlets. If a second outlet opens in Galveston, the company will be looking at a Seawall location. The alternative to Galveston is to open an outlet in Kemah. In either case, it is likely that she will manage either new outlet in addition to her current stores.
She has found it is not all work and no play. As she says, she loves her job, but she loves her customers even more. She recounted one memorable experience in which she claims that she was emasculated by a three year old boy. In the shop, two of the many different items they carry are worm suckers and dried worms in a box. The little boy, upon discovering these, did not believe that anyone would eat them, but he challenged Amy, saying that if she ate one, he would eat one at the same time. She was horrified but she could not back down with a store full of gleeful and very interested observers. So, they both popped a worm in their mouths and chewed. She swore with a twinkle in her eye, it wasn’t all that bad. Armed with his newly purchased box of worms and other goodies, the boy and his mother happily exited the shop, leaving behind a delighted group of customers.
In addition to the over 200 varieties of jerky available and the exotic offerings, the store consistently runs specials on different sized bags, ranging from four-ounce to eight-ounce to sixteen-ounce, and specials on snack-paks, which contain many different varieties of jerky. There are also specials on their exotic sticks including the very popular kangaroo and wild boar.
The most popular of all the beef jerky brands are the prime rib, roasted garlic, and honey jalapeno.
The quality and taste make a visit to the Galveston Beef Jerky Outlet at 2309 Strand a winning experience.
The store is open Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-9pm, and Sunday 11am-6pm. For more info go to their website, their Facebook page, or call (409)974-4218.
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