Ted Turner plans to open four new restaurants in Atlanta

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Posted 2:30PM on Thursday, January 10, 2002

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ted Turner, in town to promote his new restaurant venture, had a reminder for those who might wonder whether bison burgers will be a hit. ``Remember, cable TV was small one time, too,'' said Turner, the founder of CNN and vice chairman of AOL Time Warner. Bison is the featured menu item of Ted's Montana Grill, which will open next week in Columbus. ``Look out, McDonald's,'' Turner said Tuesday, shortly before cutting the ribbon at the restaurant. The downtown restaurant is the first of what Turner and his partner, George McKerrow Jr., hope will become a national chain. They plan to open three more in Columbus, four in Atlanta and three in Denver this year before taking the chain nationwide. McKerrow, founder of Atlanta-based LongHorn Steakhouse restaurant chain and an Ohio State University graduate, approached Turner last spring with the idea for the restaurant. ``I started with three bison 27 years ago,'' said Turner, who is considered the nation's largest bison rancher and owns 1.7 million acres of ranch land across several states. ``Now I have 30,000 and there are 300,000 head in the country. Supply exceeds demand. Hopefully this will help get demand up to supply.'' Turner and McKerrow praise buffalo as a lean alternative to beef, though all 23 of the restaurant's burgers will be available in beef or bison.