By Rich Laden, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Sep. 17--Ted Turner has more identities than a secret agent.
Media mogul. Professional sports franchise owner. Billionaire. Philanthropist. Rancher. And Jane Fonda's ex-husband to boot.
Now he's a restaurateur.
Perhaps best known as the founder of CNN, Turner visited Colorado Springs on Tuesday for the opening of his 13th Ted's Montana Grill -- a fast-growing, nationwide chain of casual restaurants he co-owns. They specialize in bison, a wide-ranging menu of steroid-free food and a Western saloon atmosphere.
'I love the restaurant business,' Turner said. 'It's a lot like the media business. When your product is news, information and entertainment, you've got to get people to watch. When you've got a restaurant, you want to have good food and good service so people will come see you time and time again. That's what we're trying to do here.'
His latest restaurant, at The Shops at Briargate southeast of Colorado Highway 83 and Briargate Parkway, doesn't open until Thursday. Tuesday was a test run for restaurant employees who served friends, family and anybody else who happened to wander in.
When they did, there was Turner -- casually dressed in a navy blue suit and blue shirt with no tie and sporting a personality as wide open as one of the 14 ranches he owns in Colorado, Montana and elsewhere. That's where he raises 37,000 bison for his restaurants. He's the single-largest bison owner in the world with 37,000.
'Hi, that's a cute baby,' Turner said to a young mother who approached him with her son. 'Did you enjoy your meal?'
The only people more surprised to see Turner might have been those on the city's southwest side. After spending the night at The Broadmoor hotel, Turner said he rented a bike Tuesday morning, rode to the base of Seven Falls and climbed the attraction's 224 steps.
'Then I climbed back down,' he said. 'Not bad for 64. Most of the old geezers didn't try it. I was talking to them, saying, 'you can make it.''
Turner and business partner George McKerrow Jr., a veteran restaurateur, launched Ted's Montana Grill in 2002. They have two restaurants in Denver and might consider a second in the Springs, McKerrow said.
'It's a beautiful place,' Turner said of the Springs. He's been here once before and stayed at The Broadmoor; he remembers, he said, because he saw a picture of himself and Fonda at the hotel.
Ironically, there was a previous Montana's Grill in Colorado Springs, but it wasn't connected with Turner. It's now out of business.
McKerrow, who named the chain, said there's more to a restaurant than a celebrity's moniker out front, however. Then again, 'does it help?' McKerrow said of Turner's name. 'Absolutely.'
But Turner a restaurateur? Why not, he said.
His media empire and sports franchises merged with AOL Time Warner in 1996. He had a reduced role with the media giant and retired from the company this year, although he remains on its board.
Turner took a huge financial hit in recent years when the value of his AOL Time Warner's holdings dropped to about $1.4 billion from $10 billion, according to a story earlier this year in Fortune magazine.
'The stock went down so much that I really didn't feel like I could afford to retire, so I had to get another job at 63 and start another career,' he said.
Everyone should have such career problems, of course. Then again, what's it like to be Ted Turner?
'It's not bad most of the time,' he said.
In any case, Turner says, restaurants are now a passion.
'Ninety-five percent of all new restaurants fail,' Turner said. 'It's tough. Anybody with a little space and a little bit of money that knows how to cook can start a restaurant, right? ... So, you've got to be really terrific. You've got to have great atmosphere, great food and you've got to have great service and you've got to stay on top of it everyday.'
Still, doesn't he miss his media and sports empire?
'At first it was very hard,' Turner said. 'But you get used to things. You can't live in the past, you've got to live in the present and the future. And, I'm always looking ahead. I'm really enjoying doing something different after 50 years in the media business.'
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(c) 2003, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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