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Steaking Out the Profits

Annual cook-off draws hungry visitors to Hico.

by Bruce Wright

Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the May 2008 issue of Texas Rising.

Five years ago, when Steve Morgan came down from Dallas to attend the first annual steak cook-off in Hico, Texas, he “saw how alive Hico is.” Today, keeping it that way is his job as president of the Hico Economic Development Corporation – and chairman of the cook-off.

On May 17, 2008, Morgan presided over the “Fifth Annual Texas Steak Cook-off, Beef Symposium and Tourist Trap,” an event that brings about 6,000 guests and competitors each year to Hico (pronounced HIGH-co), a town of 1,349 on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country. The cook-off, a celebration of Texas beef and the ribeye steak, offers visitors food, music and fun while giving local retailers a welcome boost in revenue.

The 2008 cook-off consists of three tiers of competition. One is for celebrity chefs (“anybody who’s been published, or made it to Food Network, or whatever,” says Morgan); another is for professional cooks; and, in the third and largest contest, backyard cooks compete for cash prizes of up to $2,500. Entry to the festival is free; a rib-eye dinner costs $25—and you get to pick your cook.

“As the afternoon progresses, you can go around and watch the shows put on by the cooks, and when it comes time for dinner, whichever one you like will cook your steak for you,” says Morgan. “Each [participant] agrees to cook at least 50 steaks for the public.” Your ticket also gives you a chance at raffle items that, in 2008, include a John Deere Gator utility vehicle and a high-end charcoal grill.

The cook-off is held in Hico’s historic downtown area. “Holding it downtown really boosts our retailers’ business,” says Morgan. “There are major bumps in our retail sales tax collections during that part of the year.”

The cook-off brings the community together, too, with local volunteers, school administration staff and students and city employees working side by side to make it a success.

The festival has seen a few rough spots in its history. “In the second year, it was 107 degrees here. That was a bit of a problem,” Morgan says. In all, it has been a significant positive for the Hill Country town.

Putting Down Stakes

Hico’s former Mayor Stan Bundy launched the event after attending a massively successful steak cook-off in Magnolia, Arkansas, that draws some 40,000 visitors annually.

“He saw the state of Arkansas doing a marvelous economic incentive program with their steak cook-off in Magnolia,” Morgan says. “He decided Hico needed that and put it together as a tourism and economic initiative to try to promote business and bring people into Hico from all around us.”

Hico’s event has already drawn new businesses to town, Morgan says.

“Prior to the cook-off initiative, there were a few retailers downtown, and a whole lot of vacant storefronts,” he says, noting that the downtown area is lively again, including several new businesses whose owners discovered the area the same way he did, by attending the festival. “When we talk with some of the merchants that have moved here, they say they have come to Hico because it’s alive and there’s lots of things going on, including the cook-off.”

Paying for Dinner

The event’s costs, from tent and table rentals to paying for live bands and sound systems, can run from $60,000 to more than $80,000, Morgan says. The event has only one paid employee, usually an intern marketing student from Tarleton State University who receives minimum wage.

The sale of around 2,500 tickets, ranging in price from $20 for early-bird tickets, to $25 for those purchased at the event, covers most of the event’s costs. The rest comes from partnerships and sponsorships with H-E-B Grocery and other partners. Sponsorships range from $500 up to $35,000, but Morgan says no one has ever purchased at that level.

At this point, the biggest hurdle Morgan sees is the need for additional lodging for festival attendees. The town’s one motel is always booked. “We’ve also got about six bed-and-breakfasts, and they’ll be full,” he says. “They have a waiting list for the cook-off. We need a hotel.” TR