Yard House earns national award

The Yard House was selected to receive this year’s Hot Concepts! -- an

award bestowed by Nation’s Restaurant News, a leading trade publication

for the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Steele Platt and Steve Reynolds, founders of the Yard House, and

partners Harald Herrmann and Chef Carlito Jocson, will accept the award

May 19 in Chicago during the National Restaurant Show.

Yard House restaurants are in Costa Mesa, Long Beach, Irvine and

Rancho Mirage, with plans to open a fifth restaurant in Downtown San

Diego at 4th Street and Broadway in December.

Nation’s Restaurant News editorial staff, along with six senior

executives from top hospitality organizations, select restaurants that

meet criteria that include strong concept definition, an entrepreneurial

spirit, strong consumer appeal and a sound financial position determined

by a credit check.

A restaurant must be present in at least three markets or operate five

stores, and cannot be more than 5 years old to qualify for the award.

The Yard House was one of five restaurants selected nationally to

receive the award.

The restaurant’s name was derived from the colonial tradition of

serving 36-inch-high glasses of beer to weary stagecoach drivers.