The place was so much better when it was aggie owned. Now it's just another crappy chain.

Still better than pos chipotle

probably because chipotle is kicking freebirds as.

Chipotle still sucks in comparison

money, most likely.

What's your complaint? I'd love a Freebirds closer to where I live.

Freebirds was started in California and owned by non aggies

Illegal Pete's dominates both.

chipotle>freebirds in every way possible

People that order quesodillas or a taco salad at freebirds piss me off

Ha, I disconnected his Culligan reverse osmosis system when he was moving. I was talking to his wife while I was working and asked why they were moving. She told me they just sold their business and were moving back to CA. I inquired as to what business it was and she told me Freebirds. Anyway, Pierre came in later and talked to me for a while and was really nice, told me the history of Freebirds and gave me a bunch of free burrito coupons. He never really said why but it probably had something to do with wanting to move back to California and they probably got a really nice offer for it.

So what is the history of Freebirds then?

ummm yeaaa chipotle is better than freebirds

Does anyone here run their own business? From personal experience, I can tell you that it wears you down after a while. I've been doing it for about eighteen years, and when my old friends from my banking days ask me what it's like, I tell them its like running a dairy, but I don't have to get up as early.

If someone made me a decent offer, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

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Freebirds was started in California and owned by non aggies

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The original Freebirds was and is in California, but was only the same in name compared to the Freebirds as we know it in College Station. At least as I understood it from friends that actually went there to compare. That is up until if was franchised out and the franchise took over the original as well.

Pierre nor his partner in the original were Aggies. I was told that College Station was picked through some market survey of successability, though that may have just been employee rumor. No idea why Pierre sold out, I assume the money was too much to refuse.

Maybe if Racer X is lurking around out there still he can help shed some light on the subject.

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I was told that College Station was picked through some market survey of successability, though that may have just been employee rumor.

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they werent very successful in the mid 90s. not sure what flipped the switch for them, but they really took off around 95-96.

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they werent very successful in the mid 90s. not sure what flipped the switch for them, but they really took off around 95-96.

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It was the "Save the Bird, Eat a Monster" campaign that turned it around.

He sold because he got an assload of money for it. Pierre personally gave out bonuses to some of the salaried employees and let's just say they weren't small.

The original in Santa Barbara is different but I wouldn't call it drastically so. Mark gets a lot of free press now that Tavistock owns the rest of them - when they do a chainwide promo they have to specify it doesn't apply to the SB store.

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Illegal Pete's dominates both.

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dam right!

Racer worked for him for a long time. So did I.

Most of your posts are correct. Mark Orfela opened the first one in Cali. Pierre and Mark were college friends...still friends to this day last I heard. They came to TX and after a long evaluation came to BCS. Mark owned the Northgate store, and after a while decided to move back to Cali. Pierre, currently acting as the GM, bought the store and the rights to open more anywhere except Cali.

Texas Avenue opened in '97. You guys know the rest from here.

Basically, he had a few offers to sell in the early days but Pierre at heart was an entrepreneur. He wanted to grow it internally, and although he never said this to me personally (sorry Pierre if you read this), I always got the impression it became less fun for him as it grew larger. I left after the South Congress (Austin store #4) opening which was store #12 if my count is correct. He sold in summer 2007 to Tavistock out of Cali. I assume at that point he was just ready for a new challenge.

There are about 4-6 major management players still there from the original days, or I guess I should say "pre-sale" days. Most are project managers, district mgrs, or store managers. I think most of the decision-making now come out of Cali.

And NoAC worked at the Northgate store for a long time, although he has yet to reveal his true identity to me .

I recently tried Chipotle again. Still not impressed. At All.

Chipotle sucks so much.

Used to work at the Freebird's on Northgate. Took a trip to Baton Rouge and found "Izzo's Illegal Burritos." Different owners, but identical in nearly every way. Check it out if you're ever that way - although you have to drive right past two Hooter's stacked with SEC talent.

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And NoAC worked at the Northgate store for a long time, although he has yet to reveal his true identity to me.

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I worked at the Texas Ave store with you MM98 back in '97 and then for you at the Shepherd Plaza location for you when it first opened.

Personally, I think The 'bird has been a little better lately than after the sale.

They went back to the original, or something very similar, BBQ sauce.

The meat has been better lately.

The portions on the burrito are still too damned small compared to pre-buyout, but they are always accomodating when I asked for a little bit more of stuff.

I've honestly never noticed a difference in quality. Just all the new items and some name changes. I just don't think anyone is ever satisfied. I remember the Managers at the Texas Avenue shop *****ing about how bad the quality of steak had gone down from what they used when they first opened on Northgate. Yet no one else really seemed to notice. I think nostalgia gets in the way sometime. Things were always better back in the day....

The whole BBQ issue wasn't really Freebirds fault. From what I was told Kraft changed their recipe which is the base ingredient used.

Catch, give me a hint and where are you now?

And your "nostalgic" comment is spot on. If you listen to older folks, according the them every customer got burritos bigger than a 3-liter soda bottle for $3.99 in the mid-90s.

[This message has been edited by mm98 (edited 3/31/2011 8:51a).]

Hehe i used to work for you mm and probably know Catch...

I remember you gonzo. How is the misses? Ya'll left Houston a while back, right?

Mark, Jason D. I knew who you were but don't know if we ever actually met. I did a year or two under barry at northgate around 2000 and then another year with jon k at rock prairie.

I've actually been mainly hanging out with a lot of freebirds people over the past few years here in dallas but they're stealing Tree away and moving her to cali

I was in Santa Barbara when the Freebirds did the worlds largest burrito in 90 or 91. The order process was very different. Unless you knew exactly what you wanted and asked right at the beginning, they made them all the same way. At the time there was a competing burrito shop which was more popular with the UCSB crowd.

Gonzox, you have a twin brother by any chance?

Jason, good for Tree! She was always a hard worker. Glad she is getting an opportunity. Tell those who knew me I said hello and hope all is well...Tree, Jamie, Rob and whoever else runs in that circle. Do you ever run into Alex F?

She's had her own store for about two years now in arlington. She's wanted to get out of dallas for a while now so this is a huge opportunity for her but my god its been a slow sappy week (she leaves tomorrow morning) and I'm going to miss the **** out of her.

Don't know alex but ill pass along word to those that do.

What are you up to these days?

I'm assuming you knew christos. He got married in the fall. Absolutely perfect couple. They went with a spy theme for their engagement photos with classic clothes and tommy guns.

Updates from Tree

Alex is a teacher in Arlington

Jamie is some sort of supervisor in Houston

Rob is in charge of special events.