In the 50 years since Night Hawk Frozen Foods began selling frozen dinners, a lot has changed. But Scott Logan, Night Hawk chief operating officer said his company's meals have not.

"Part of our brand is the fact that we have been consistent over the last 50 years," Scott said. "We haven't really changed a lot."

Night Hawk Frozen Foods, which employs about 45 people, creates 15 different kinds of meals under the Night Hawk name as well as a variety of meals under the H-E-B label.

The business, which delivers frozen meals to Wal-Marts, H-E-Bs, Super Targets and other grocery stores throughout Texas from its facility at 100 Night Hawk Lane in Buda, traces its beginnings to the Night Hawk Steak House in Austin.

Scott said the restaurant responded to the popularity of its steaks by expanding into Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. At its peak, seven Night Hawk Steak Houses were open in Texas. In 1964 the company added a frozen foods division to allow customers to prepare the popular steaks in the comfort of their own homes. Following in the tradition of the steakhouses, Night Hawk Frozen Foods' most popular items are its beef products like the Steak 'n Taters and Steak 'n Mac dinners, Scott said.

Night Hawk's meals typically sell for about $2.44 at H-E-B stores.

In 1989, when Scott's father-in-law bought the frozen food division, it split off from the steakhouses and became its own company. The company opened its 30,000-square-foot facility in Buda in 1993.

Back then the city's population hovered near 2,000 residents—about one-fifth of the current population—and much of the economic development the region has seen in the past decade had yet to occur.

"When this plant was opened, there was nothing here," Scott said. "There was no church, no Bradford Village. Those were cow pastures. So we've certainly seen the growth out here."

The only remaining steakhouse that can be traced back to the Night Hawk Steak Houses is the Frisco on Burnet Road in Austin, Scott said.

Although Logan and his wife, Leanne, the CEO of the company, have watched many of the steak houses close their doors, the frozen food business is booming in Buda.

Last year the company updated its packaging to help it stand out in the frozen food aisles. That strategy worked, Scott said, and people have been buying Night Hawk products in greater numbers since the updated packaging hit shelves.

The company is celebrating its 50th year in business this year, and in July, Night Hawk won a Governor's Small Business Award.

Ann Miller, executive director of the Buda Economic Development Corp., said she nominated Night Hawk for the award because of the company's 50-year milestone and its "commitment to employing and serving Texans."

"We're really happy to have them here in Buda," Miller said. "It's a recognizable name, but people don't realize they're here in Buda."

Scott said the company has ventured outside of beef in the past with mixed results. Adding poultry to its product offerings a few years ago did not produce significant returns, so Scott said Night Hawk will most likely stick with the beef products that made it successful in the first place.

"What the market is telling us is focus on beef," Scott said. "Be a good beef producer, and you'll win. That's what's happening."



Turkeys Tackling Hunger

Leanne Logan, Night Hawk Frozen Foods CEO, said the company makes giving back to the community a priority. This year Night Hawk will be the title sponsor of the Hays County Food Bank's Turkeys Tackling Hunger promotion, which aims to collect food for low-income families throughout the fall and winter. The promotion began in October and runs through December.

Last year Turkeys Tackling Hunger provided food for 3,000 Hays County families, which is equivalent to almost 12,000 individuals.