The Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce will hold its Annual Meeting and Spindletop Award Presentation Tuesday, Oct. 12, at the Beaumont Civic Center. The Spindletop Award was created in 1999 to recognize larger area organizations for outstanding corporate/organizational citizenship. This year’s recipient is Jason’s Deli, the chamber recently announced.
Jason’s was founded in Beaumont in 1976 by Joe Tortorice Jr. (1949–2019) and his wife Shelley. It was named for Tortorice's eldest son, Jay. The original Jason's Deli location is still in operation at its original location at 112 Gateway St.
The chain started franchising in 1988, with the first franchised store opened in Tucson, Arizona. Currently there are 250 locations in 28 states. As of August 2008, Jason's Deli ranked No. 1 in annual sales in QSR Magazine's Top Ten list of restaurant groups with under 300 locations. The parent company, Deli Management Inc., owns the majority of the deli restaurants. In 2019, Joe Tortorice died after a 19-month battle with cancer. He was 70.
Jason's Deli has won numerous awards including 2021 10Best Readers' Choice Award - Best Fast Casual Restaurant USA Today, 2020 10Best Readers' Choice Award - Best Fast Casual Restaurant USA Today, 2019 America’s Top 50 Fast-Food Restaurants QSR, 2019 Excellence in Foodservice Award for Fast Casuals United Fresh Produce Association, 2019 Franchising@WORK Awards - Best Culture Franchise Business Review, 2019 Top Restaurant Chains in America TripAdvisor, 2008 Nation's Restaurant News Golden Chain Award, and Restaurants & Institutions’ 2007 and 2006 Consumers’ Choice in Chains Gold Award in the sandwich segment.
“They designed their community partners program to meet the needs of our community partners as well as everyone they serve. They support their employees being active in their local communities, supporting community projects and contributing to the company’s programs,” said Beaumont Chamber President and CEO Bill Allen.
Their Community Partners Program (CPP) was established in 2003 as a year-round program of services for local schools and 501(c)3 houses of worship.
According to the chamber, “In times of community hardship and disasters, local delis have the freedom and privilege to host fundraisers. They also make food donations to their choice of local causes.”
Communities gather at Jason’s Deli restaurants for fundraisers in support of local schools, churches, college clubs or other 501(c)3 nonprofits, he added.
More detailed information on the Oct. 12 Annual Meeting will be available soon and found at bmtcoc.org.
