Restaurateur Lawrence Frank His Emphasis On High Quality Set The Tone For An Industry.(A)

Byline: PRIME LOCATION: Frank put his prime rib restaurant on Los Angeles' La Cienega Blvd., now nicknamed restaurant row.

By Nancy Gondo

Investor's Business Daily

One day, when Lawrence Frank's business partner was frying up a batch of almonds, a mouse slipped off a pipe and fell into the cauldron. Frank (1887-1970) walked into the building and saw it happen.

Immediately, they carried the almonds outside. Frank asked, "Would you eat it if you knew?" His partner answered: "No. Would you?" Though the almonds wereexpensive, they quickly disposed of the batch. It was the right thing to do, Frank knew, because he believed in giving his customers the best quality products.

"This incident set the tone for the entire bakery, food manufacturing and restaurant business to come," said his son, Richard Frank, in "Lawry's Foods Inc.: A Blending of Dreams." " . . . We will continue to be guided by the highest principles of honesty and fairness that were the core of my father's philosophy."

With this focus on quality, hard work and an endless stream of new ideas, Frank started a number of businesses in the food industry, culminating with the1938 launch of Lawry's The Prime Rib. The restaurant, which now has three locations in the U.S., is still known today for serving high-quality prime rib.