Alvis found the answer. It came from a virus expert “who was up north somewhere.”
“She said, ‘David, what you have is years,” Alvis said. “Because we had enough staying power, we rode it out. Then, it was announced a $227 million hospital was going to be built the norovirus.’ She said, ‘It’s not you, it’s not your food, it’s not next door to us. The whole city is coming toward where my your employees. It could be anyone. It’s in the air.’”
Problem known. Solution needed.
“She said, ‘Go get you Clorox bleach and do a 10-to-1 formula. You spray down everything – your walls, everything you touch. Do your bathroom every hour on the hour, and your problem will go away.’ She knew exactly what she was talking about. The problem went away.”
But not before rumors began to spread.
“This world we live in, with social media, a couple of people say something …”
But those “couple of people” were quickly outnumbered by supporters, thanks to the reputation Alvis and his restaurants had built.
“Everybody jumped in and said, ‘You’ve got to understand, he’s got the cleanest restaurant is. Here we are seven years later, and we’re just booming in Texarkana.”
ESTABLISHING THE CULTURE
Mark Mize had not been Silver Star’s director of operations very long when he first saw how Alvis treats his employees.
Mize and Alvis were meeting at one of the restaurants when two new female servers mentioned their cowboy boots – part of their required dress – were uncomfortable. They said they bought them at a “cheap” store.
“David said, ‘That’s not the way we do things here,’” Mize recalled. “Go to Topps Western World, tell them I sent you, and they’re going to get you a pair of boots.”
“He often buys servers boots,” Mize said. “That was so odd to me. At many restaurants, servers have to buy extra uniforms.
– David Alvis
restaurant. The cleanest staff. The cleanest kitchens.’ Suppliers eat
Here he is buying them shoes. It was just the most amazing thing.”
at my restaurant all the time, because they say, ‘He has the absolutely cleanest restaurant anywhere. The front of the house and the back of the house.’”
Today, Silver Star Cantina continues to thrive.
It was a different kind of obstacle – the lack of instant success – that threatened another of Alvis’ restaurants: Silver Star Smokehouse in Texarkana, which opened in 2015.
“We lost a lot of money the first two
25
years Alvis has been in the restaurant business
Based on stories told by several people interviewed for this story, there’s no telling how much money Alvis has spent helping his workers. That help h a s i n c l u d e d everything from tires to tuition.
“One girl came up to me one day,” Alvis said.
“She was hot and sweaty and had her two little girls with her. She said, ‘David, can I borrow some money to buy a tire? I had a blowout on I-20.’ She said she needed $25. I said, ‘What kind of tire are you going to buy for $25?’ She said, ‘I’m going to get a used tire.’ I said, ‘No, you go up here to Gateway (Tire and Service Center) and get you a new tire. In fact, you go up here and get you four new tires.’ She said, ‘No, I can’t afford that.’ I said, ‘You know what? I can. We’re not going to drive up and down the road anymore with those precious little girls on some bad tires.’”
Years later, one of those “precious little girls” went to work for Alvis.
Alvis said that during the two-year pandemic, “There was never a day I was short employees. I may be the only restauranteur in the country who can say that.”
He believes that’s because of the culture he has established. Treat your employees well, and you will get that treatment back “tenfold.”
Tammi and Darren Montgomery were a witness to Alvis’ work culture. Their daughter, Staci, was an employee.
“(It’s) an environment where you, as a parent, are not worried about their safety,” Darren said. “No one is going to talk ugly to them. They’re going to be treated with respect and dignity, which I think is the main thing any parent would want when their child is going to go to work.”
Heather Kreamer, now a real estate agent, went to work for Alvis when she was 16 years old. Five years later, her father – a friend of Alvis’ – died. Alvis stepped in and stepped up. So much so that Kreamer asked Alvis to give her away on her wedding day.
“Even ‘til this day, David will say, ‘I’m proud of you, or you’re doing awesome! You’re doing great!’” Kreamer said. “He’s always been a big encourager. That was something I lost in my life when I lost my dad. For someone to be excited for me, or be proud of me, or encourage me, is something that’s special to me.” ABOUT THOSE BOOTS AND SHORTS
Alvis is big on consistency, and not just when it comes to food. If you dine at a Silver Star restaurant, you are almost certain to be served by an attractive, college-aged female. During the summer, the wait staff is required to wear shorts – some would say “short” shorts – and cowboy boots.
“Somebody said, ‘They’re trying to be sexy,’” Alvis remembered. “That was never the concept. The concept was to be fun. You were seeing that a lot in the college towns – the boots and the shorts and (during winter) the boots and the jeans. All it was ever generated from was to be fun.”
Early on, one server’s parents didn’t take too kindly to their daughter walking around in shorts and boots in front of hungry strangers.
“Her parents said, ‘Absolutely not,’” Alvis remembered. “Then they ate with us twice, and they went, ‘Oh, I get it. All they were trying to do was be fun. You need to call David and go get your job back!’ They didn’t understand it. The boots and shorts and boots and jeans just came out of trying to be fun.” NO TIME TO SLOW DOWN
This is Alvis’ silver anniversary – his 25th year in the restaurant business. Alvis has celebrated by working harder than ever. He’s bought two restaurants. The former Cork and Barrel – between Bossier and Benton – is now Silver Star North. Monjuni’s on Youree Drive in Shreveport will keep the same name and Italian menu.
Alvis has also bought Silver Star Ranch, a catering service.
That makes nine businesses Alvis owns.
“We’ve got a good five years we’re going to stay on the gas pretty hard,” said Alvis, who has been married to Laura 16 years. “There will be a lot more coming, I promise. My little girl (Ava) has five more years until she graduates high school, so we’re going to stay on the gas pretty hard the next five years.”
“Stay on the gas.” Alvis’ success always comes back to cars.
