Hobee's What's New

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Taber Food Services, Inc., will be opening a new Hobee’s Restaurant in Los Gatos! Situated at the highly visible corner of Highway 9 and University Avenue, the site was a Bakers Square for many years prior to abruptly closing in April. We are currently targeting a November opening.

For years, vibrant Los Gatos has been tops on our location "wish list". In fact, the very site we are moving into has long been on our radar, with locals frequently suggesting it as an ideal spot. Los Gatos will be the first new Hobee's to open since Hobee's Pruneyard in 1999. The restaurant will bring the chain total to nine restaurants. All are located within Silicon Valley.

Check back to this page for updates on our exciting new venture!

HOBEE'S PRESIDENT RUNS WITH THE ULTRAMARATHON MAN

Dean Karnazes has been called the greatest athlete on the planet. His legendary feats of endurance - like running 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states - have been well-chronicled in magazines and his own best-selling books. On August 23, Karnazes appeared at Books Inc. in Mountain View to speak about his latest literary effort, 50/50, a diary of his months of daily marathons across the US. When the talk ended, Karnazes and six other running enthusiasts - including yours truly - ran a 10k along El Camino Real to the Books Inc. in Town and Country Village. Prior to speaking, Karnazes joined our group for breakfast at, natch, Hobee's Stanford. The time spent with this running icon, who graciously answered everyone's questions (and we had lots!), was truly inspiring. Plus, Karnazes seemed very impressed with his first Hobee's experience. To top it all off, several people at the beginning of the event thought that I was the Ultramarathon Man. Best...day...ever!

Dean or Ed? (Don't bring me down, people!)

SJ BIZ JOURNAL INCLUDES HOBEE'S ON LIST OF TOP FAMILY BUSINESSES

The Silicon Valley Business Journal recently included Taber Food Services, Inc., in its list of top family-owned businesses. TFS, which owns all of the Hobee's locations except for Cupertino, came in at number 25 in revenue. Its rank for number of employees by a family business was even higher: Its 225 employees placed the company an impressive fourth on the list.

THIS JUST IN: WE'RE STILL AWESOME!

We're pleased to report a couple more recent accolades: Hobee's won the Best Breakfast title (along with Joanie's) in the annual Palo Alto Weekly Readers' Poll for the 16th year in a row and Taber Food Services, Inc. was named one of Silicon Valley's largest family-owned companies. Thanks for voting and thanks for being a part of our family!

Congratulations also to Hobee's Mountain View, winner of the "Mountain View Voice" Readers Poll in the Best Breakfast category for the 16th consecutive year! Stop in to give your kudos to the hard-working MV crew!

DID HOBEE’S HELP SAVE SILICON VALLEY?

Sarah Lacy's new book Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good traces the emergence of online communities and social networks as part of a second dotcom boom in Silicon Valley, or a “Web 2.0”. In its June 11, 2008 edition, The Silicon Valley Metro featured an excerpt from Once You’re Lucky. According to The Metro, the book “explains the PayPal Mafia, the importance of Hobee’s to the tech economy, and how Silicon Valley got saved”.

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So, how does Hobee’s figure so prominently in recent high tech history? Lacy says it’s because all roads to Web 2.0 lead to PayPal and the idea for that company was launched during a fateful meeting at Hobee’s Stanford. Plus, she points out that Hobee’s locations “dot all the geeky corners of the fifty-mile stretch between San Francisco and San Jose. If you are an engineer and you live in the area, you’ve been to Hobee’s.” Finally, Lacy profiles our favorite tech titan who is such a regular that we inducted him into our Customer Hall of Fame. (He ate his way in fair and square!)

We’re thrilled to know that Hobee’s is part of a cultural phenomenon! We can’t wait to see what next great idea is hatched over coffeecake!

HOBEE'S SUMMERTIME SPECIAL MAKES DINNER A WINNER!

So, I assume you know by now how fantastic Hobee's is for dinner, right? (Oh, come on Mr. Super Veggie Scramble, expand your horizons a little!) Even if you're a daytime regular, check out our fantastic Summertime Special: Buy an item off our Dinner Special Entree menu and get a one trip soup or salad OR a dessert absolutely free! Good luck choosing just one from the following list::

Chicken Kahala
A tender chicken breast grilled to perfection and topped with our special tropical salsa. Served with mashed potatoes and Spring mix tossed with our chef's own Mango-Kiwi Vinaigrette. ($11.95)

Aloha Chicken Sandwich
Grilled chicken breast drenched in our Pineapple Teriyaki sauce, and topped with grilled pineapple. Served on our amazing Ciabatta bread with Jack cheese and sliced tomato. WOW! Served with tri-color chips. ($10.95)

Bangok Curry
Basmati rice topped with grilled tofu, seven seasonal veggies and bean sprouts sautéed in our tantalizing Red Thai Curry sauce. Add chicken - $2.00 Add Salmon - $3.00 ($10.95)

Island Tilapia Salad
Coconut crusted Tilapia grilled and served over the freshest pring mix. Tossed with cherry tomatoes, edamame, pineapple and our Hobee-made Mango-Kiwi Vinaigrette. ($10.95)

Zesty Salmon Cakes
Entrée-sized salmon cakes topped with a zesty medley of capers, mixed olives, artichoke hearts and a splash of white wine, lemon juice and butter. Served with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. ($12.95)

Backyard Slider Sampler
Mini turkey burgers loaded with gourmet toppings. Includes: Buffalo Bleu cheese, Avocado with Chipotle Tomatillo sauce and Mixed Olives with Feta. Served with tri-color chips. These are tasty tidbits! ($10.95)

In addition to the above items and our extensive regular menu, we're also featuring Pesto Flatbread as a starter and tropical sorbets for dessert. See you for dinner soon!

THE CRAZY CAPTION CONTEST RETURNS TO HOBEE'S!

The latest edition of our Crazy Caption Contest should inspire lots of creativity among our loyal patrons. Our very own Juan Vargas from the Corporate Office gamely agreed to be the face of our summer campaign. Juan didn't disappoint as he mugged for our camera with his co-star, a huge piece of blueberry coffeecake. While the coffeecake was a bit of a diva (melting butter, fruit garnish slipping off the plate), Juan was a total pro. Below is the result of his grueling photo shoot.

Join the fun and come up with your own Crazy Caption by July 31!

The Achievement Awards have been held every year since 1994.

Over 200 employees, family members and VIPs came out to the Mexican Heritage Plaza to cheer on winners and runners up from every location at the 15th Annual Achievement Awards. The evening started with a brilliant short film and video courtesy of Jose Valencia and starring Gabriel Pardo, Rey Jimenez, Rob Diaz, Daniel Martinez and Sergio Gutierrez. (Check it out on YouTube and Facebook!) Special thanks to Juan Vargas, Carlos Ibanes, Jose Abalos, Arnulfo Alba and Michelle Lopez for their assistance. Here’s a list of winners for 2007:

Outstanding Host – (Tie) Maria Barajas (Montague Expressway) and Eduardo Rodriguez (Palo Alto)
Outstanding Manager – Jose Abalos (Redwood Shores / Stanford)
Rookie of the Year – Ignacio Morales (Stanford)
Outstanding Kitchen Crewmember – Jose Uriostegui (Cupertino / Sunnyvale)
Customers’ Choice Award – Elena Perez (Sunnyvale)
Length of Service Awards (5 Years) – Raphael De Oliveira and Claudio Morales (Stanford); Alejandra Gutierrez, Amado Lopez and Ruben Hernandez (Mountain View); Aurora Romero (Montague Expressway); Eduardo Rodriguez and Juan Virrueta (Palo Alto); Nancy Tulich (Redwood Shores); Elia Briones, Gonzalo Ortega, Jose Tadeo and Salvador Vazquez (Sunnyvale)
Length of Service Awards (10 Years) – Costa Hurtado (Montague Expressway); Guadalupe Tapia (Sunnyvale); and Cecilia Reyes (Stanford)

Elena Perez from Sunnyvale was a winner for the second straight year in the Customers' Choice category.

Supportive Organization Award – Campbell Kiwanis Club
Hobee’s Hero – Ranulfo Alba (Pruneyard / Sunnyvale)
Highest Annual Sales Awards – Montague (2 Meal Periods) and Pruneyard (3 Meal Periods)
Secret Shopper Award – Stanford
Customer Hall of Fame Induction – Peggy Amstutz (Pruneyard); Alex Barna (Mountain View); and Donna Baker and Lenore Forfang (Sunnyvale)
Length of Service Awards (15 Years) – Sergio Carlos and Avedon Ortiz (Stanford)
Length of Service Awards (20 Years) – Antonio Amaya (Mountain View) and Daniel Chijate (Stanford)
Outstanding Kitchen Manager – Javier Bracamontes (Pruneyard)
Outstanding Server – Giovanni Mata (Montague Expressway)
Outstanding General Manager – Felipe Zarate (Pruneyard)
Paul Taber Commitment to Excellence Award – Gabriel Virrueta, Palo Alto
$ 500 Raffle Grand Prize – Sona Amatya, Stanford

Congratulations to all of this year's winners and finalists!

STARS OF CYCLING VISIT HOBEE'S STANFORD

BMC

Members of Team BMC signed posters for all of our young customers during a recent "Kids Eat Free" night.

On January 9, Hobee’s Stanford hosted the entire BMC Cycling Team for dinner. Sixteen very hungry athletes showed up on that Wednesday, a "Kids Eat Free" night, to enjoy a hosted meal, meet our customers and sign autographs. Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kisimoto was also in attendance.

The BMC Racing Team is a mixture of neo pros and riders with professional experience. Lead by American veteran Scott Moninger, the most successful active racer in the U.S. to date, and Swiss rider Alexander Moos, the team is likely to make a noticeable first impression when they participate in next month's Amgen Tour of California. The Tour is an eight-day US cycling event starting in Palo Alto on Sunday February 17, 2008. Teams from around the world will be coming to California for the largest, international professional cycling race in the United States. Hobee's will be participating in several promotions in connection with the event.

FACEBOOKERS: JOIN THE I LOVE HOBEE'S GROUP!

Those of you pokers and superpokers on the networking site Facebook now have a new must join Group: I Love Hobee's! Formed in early October, the site is just getting off the ground with some background text and photos. However, we plan to introduce discussion topics and even offer Facebook only promotional offers. Check us out and add our group to your profile!

MOONLIGHT RUN TEAM TEARS IT UP IN THE PALO ALTO BAYLANDS

For the first time in several years, Hobee's put together a team of runners for the Palo Alto Weekly's popular "Moonlight Run". Because it was cloudy on the evening of September 28, runners coped with a darker than usual course. Nevertheless, all participants enjoyed the experience of striding under the harvest moon. The finish line offered many delicious treats including Hobee's coffeecake. In fact, the Moonlight Run is one of our largest donations of the year. We donate about 2,000 pieces of coffeecake to the event.

Congratulations to this year's finishers: Melissa Talbot (Montague), Juan Vargas and Edward Fike (Corporate) ran the 10K; Carlos Ibanes (Corporate) and Jose Abalos completed the 5K run; and Maribel Jimenez walked the 5K course.

BEST BREAKFAST / BRUNCH AWARDS: CHERISHED REPEATS IN TWO LOCAL PAPERS

We're pleased to announce that several of Hobee's most impressive streaks continue: For the seventeenth consecutive year, Hobee's was named "Best Breakfast" (as part of the Hall of Fame) by the Palo Alto Weekly readers. We also took the Best Brunch title for the fourteenth straight time. Meanwhile, next door in Mountain View, readers of the Mountain View Voice say that we have the Best Breakfast / Brunch in MV for the fifteenth time in a row! Thanks to all our fans who voted for us. We're running out of wall space for our plaques; it's a wonderful problem to have!

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ACAI: THIS SUPER FRUIT WILL SUPER FREAK YOU OUT!

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For the past several years, Hobee's has been a proud purveyor of Acai, a "super fruit" harvested in the rainforests of the Amazon. Acai is a dark purple berry rich in antioxidants and Omega fats. It's a healthy way to gain a natural energy boost and it tastes amazing (think blueberry and cocoa).

Formerly just an Energy Blend option, Acai is now part of our tropical special summer promotion: "The Acai Rio Bowl". Through the end of August (and possibly beyond if you love it as much as we do!), the Rio Bowl is available for $ 7.75. Enjoy a generous portion of frozen Acai topped with Hobee's famous granola and fresh banana slices. Taste for yourself the healthy treat that Brazilians have elevated to a national obsession!

HOBEE'S HELPS THE FAMILY GIVING TREE'S BACKPACK DRIVE FOR KIDS

For the second consecutive year, Hobee's was a proud sponsor of the Family Giving Tree's Back to School Backpack Drive. (Visit http://www.familygivingtree.org for more information.) This program operates much like The Family Giving Tree's Holiday Program, where wish cards are located at Bay Area businesses and schools. Host companies, groups, organizations or schools display colorful posters attractively decorated with cards listing needed school supplies. Individuals have two ways to participate: take a card and shop for a new backpack and fill it with recommended school supplies or provide funds either by mail, phone, or online and we will purchase the items. FGT collects and sorts the backpacks, and distributes them to low-income students via teachers and social service agencies.

Hobee's customers and crew were quite generous and turned in 79 amply filled backpacks.
Thanks to all those who helped this vital cause!

If you're reading this, chances are that you or someone you care about would love something from Hobee's on their next occasion for celebration. End of the work week? A new episode of 24? Calling in sick to work when you're really pretty OK? All great reasons to celebrate. Make it even better with a Hobee's gift card!

As you undoubtedly know, we have lots of terrific employees at Hobee's. We're so fortunate to have so many workers who stay with us for over a decade! Every year, we throw a huge awards ceremony called The Hobee's Achievement Awards, which honors our best and brightest.

This year, we decided that a year was a long time to wait to recognize our superstars. So we introduced our Hobee's Star Crewmember of the month program. We're very pleased with the response to the program (we receive dozens of nominations each month) and hope you will see your favorite Hobee's employee listed soon!

HOBEE'S GENERAL COUNSEL, EDWARD FIKE,
PROMOTED TO PRESIDENT

Marathoner Ed Fike won't be able to run from all of his new responsibilities!

The following is excerpted from a letter written by Peter Taber which announces a promotion and a transition (not to be confused with retirement!):

Dear Hobee’s Crewmembers,

I am writing to let you know about a change in our corporate office structure at Taber Food Services, Inc. Ed Fike, currently Vice President and General Counsel, will become President of the company effective October 7, 2005.

Ed has enjoyed a successful 15 year career with Hobee’s. As an attorney and a member of the California State Bar, he has significantly helped our company with legal matters, in addition to handling human resources and our award-winning community relations program. Ed worked hard to grow our company and negotiated the deals to open Montague, Sunnyvale, Redwood Shores and Pruneyard. He has served 4 terms as President of the Silicon Valley Restaurant Association and was twice cited as one of the area’s top young business leaders by the “Silicon Valley Business Journal”. I hope you will join me in congratulating Ed on this well deserved promotion.

As for me, I will be moving to the position of Chairman of the Board. This means that I will still be a part of Hobee’s, yet my duties will not be as “day to day” as they were. My responsibilities will include on-going financial and numbers analysis, assistance with promotions and marketing, on-going menu development, new food ideas, consultation, overseeing the Board of Directors, etc.

It has been my great pleasure serving our company as chief executive for the past 2 decades, but the time has come for TFS to move forward with new leadership. I am confident that Ed, along with Vice President and Area Manager Camille Chijate, will continue the outstanding Hobee’s Tradition we have created throughout the past 31 years.

As always, I will be available to you for any questions or comments you may have. Be the best!

If you have any Hobee's-related items you'd like to share, call our customer comment line at (800) HOBEES6, extension 2, or send an e-mail to: efike@hobees.com