Exclusive: McGuire Moorman Lambert enters catering business with purchase of Word of Mouth

Austin restaurant lovers have eaten oysters from McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality at Clark’s, smoked meats at Lamberts, vermicelli bowls at Elizabeth Street Cafe and steaks at Jeffrey’s.

But they’ve almost certainly never had cuisine and service from the prolific and stylish group at their own homes or at a friend’s wedding. That will likely change in the months and years ahead.

One of the city’s most identifiable operators has moved into the catering space with the purchase of Word of Mouth Catering, another majorly significant name in the Austin hospitality scene.

Leslie Moore has sold his esteemed 38-year-old brand that at one point was catering about 100 weddings a year, ending a hospitality career in Austin that dates back to Moore Burger and the Westwood Country Club in the early 1970s.

MML, which operates 15 restaurants in Austin, along with restaurants in New Orleans, Aspen and a forthcoming one (Clark's) in Houston, is rebranding the business as Word of Mouth Fine Catering, with an official relaunch slated for the fall. Prospective clients can inquire about bookings at wordofmouthcatering.com.

Though the Austin-grown business that opened its first restaurant, Lamberts, in 2006 has dabbled in catering, working events like the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas and Texas Longhorn football games, and servicing ad hoc parties for regulars and friends, the move represents the company’s first foray into full-service, full-time catering.

Word of Mouth Fine Catering will service private social gatherings, corporate events, weddings, and more, with options ranging from passed apps to plated dinners. Clients can tailor menus to include offerings inspired by MML’s dozen-plus restaurants, with the option to rent branded service items like Lamberts Mill Scale Smoker and Jeffrey’s Martini Cart.

From 2020: Meet the man behind the party: Word of Mouth Catering’s Leslie Moore

With the purchase of Word of Mouth, MML extends its reach in an Austin hospitality scene that it has helped define in the 21st century.The company pays meticulous care to design at every level and delivers fully defined and easy-to-communicate concepts that have stood the test of time. McGuire takes specific pride in the fact that MML has never closed or sold a restaurant in its 17-year history, but he doesn’t take time to step back and admire the impact his company has had on his hometown.“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve built,” McGuire told the American-Statesman. “There’s new challenges everyday. I try not to marvel at it too much. We’re in the thick of it. We’re not sitting on our laurels. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to figure out how to run, and try and keep the restaurants good as the scene in Austin continues to improve.”

Moore, who partnered on Word of Mouth with Rebecca Wallace Ford in 1990, says he is happy to be winding down a long career in an unpredictable business that rides the waves of the economy. The Corpus Christi native sold the business 22 years ago before buying it back in 2008 and says had MML not been interested in purchasing the business, he likely would have just shuttered one of Austin’s longest-running catering operations.

“They have such a team of people and are curating everything from food to music,” Moore said. “I really admire what they’ve done in Austin and having that relationship with Lou.”

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Lou is Lou Lambert, the namesake of MML’s first restaurant, who worked as the chef at Word of Mouth in the late 90s before starting Liberty Catering on South Congress Avenue. MML co-founder Larry McGuire worked for Lambert at Liberty Catering and Liberty Pie and would form his own business relationship with Moore when MML’s Elizabeth Street Cafe opened in 2011 in the Moore-owned bungalow on South First Street. McGuire said he's looking forward to building on Moore’s legacy, and Word of Mouth Fine Catering has retained all Moore’s employees.

“That was my big thing. We started talking last summer and as we started getting a little more serious, I kept saying that I need to know that my people are gonna be OK,” Moore said.

The landlord-tenant relationship between Moore and MML will expand beyond Word of Mouth Fine Catering, as MML next year will move its baking operations under the banner of Swedish Hill into the commercial kitchen space Moore owns in Southeast Austin. The current Swedish Hill will close, likely for several years, at the beginning of next year for the development of an MML hotel and mixed-use development titled Sixth and Blanco, and operate as a to-go deli in a small space nearby before returning as one of the hotel’s cornerstone tenants.

More restaurant news: Beloved Austin restaurant Mr. Natural on South Lamar closes after 20 years due to slow sales

Moore, who says he may look to sell his wedding venue Winfield Inn in Kyle next, plans to direct his focus on his and wife Magdalena's real estate holdings. And, while there are some things he may miss, stepping away from the vicissitudes of the hospitality business was not a hard choice at 73 for one of Austin’s hospitality stalwarts who knows he has more than paid his dues.

“I think I’m just gonna miss the people,” Moore said. “I have so many great customers, and my staff, of course. Just being a part of people’s special occasions and being a part of community functions and not-for-profit groups and arts groups. I think I’m gonna miss the activity of it. But I think I’ll quickly get over it.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: MML buys Word of Mouth Catering; Swedish Hill to temporarily close