Columbus chef reaches Grill Master Legend status for cooking 1 million steaks at LongHorn
Gayle Dudley, a grill master at the LongHorn Steakhouse in Columbus, was honored with a surprise ceremony to celebrate her grilling 1 million steaks for the restaurant.
Dudley has been working at LongHorn for approximately 25 years.
LongHorn executives presented Dudley with a $5,000 check, a special chef coat and other commemorative items.
“I was taken aback,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “To be named a Grill Master Legend means a lot to me. What made me happiest is that I had the opportunity to share it with my mother and see how proud she was.”
Since the incentive program started three years ago, Dudley is one of 15 Grill Master Legends among thousands of grill masters at the Orlando, Florida-based restaurant chain’s more than 540 locations in 42 states, LongHorn spokeswoman Jessica Dinon told the L-E.
Dudley explained what she likes most about her job.
“I love the people,” she said. “I love my coworkers. I love my guests too because, at the end of the day, when they tell me they enjoyed that steak, that gives me the most joy in the world.”
Robert Swigonski, managing partner of the LongHorn in Columbus, called Dudley “extremely dedicated and loyal.”
“She is passionate about what she does every day and will not send out a steak if it is not cooked perfectly,” he told the L-E in an email. “She cares about her guests and understands how important her role on our team is and the impact it has on our guests.”
Swigonski also described Dudley as a “great team player.”
“She is always willing to help everyone,” he said. “… To know that you can count on someone and know they’ll be here when you need them is such a good feeling.”
All of which helps the restaurant be successful, Swigonski said.
“Due to her efforts, along with our other grill masters, we hit high marks for our steak grilling accuracy,” he said. “She does a great job in helping us create loyal guests through the quality of the food that she prepares.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2022 at 5:03 AM.
