Survival Skills (Restaurants USA, September 2002) | National Restaurant Association

September 2002 issue

Survival Skills

Restaurants USA magazine's final issue was published in September 2002 but these archived articles remain available for our readers' convenience.

Restaurants USA, September 2002

Louisiana restaurateur hopes to eat the competition on “Survivor: Thailand.”
By Ira Apfel

September 18, 2002

National Restaurant Association member Clay Jordan likes to say that people visit his restaurant in Monroe, La., to see what he’ll do next. Now customers of Jordan’s Restaurant—and all of America—can watch Jordan’s every move on television. The 46-year-old Jordan is one of 16 cast members on CBS’s reality-television hit, “Survivor: Thailand,” which premieres Sept. 19.

Jordan, a self-proclaimed reality-television nut, has watched the “Survivor” series since its debut during summer 2000. On the show, 16 contestants compete for $1 million in a series of physical and mental challenges in a remote location and then vote each other off the show until there’s only one survivor left. This season, contestants “outwit, outplay and outlast” each other on Koh Tarutao, an island off the coast of Thailand.

“Anything that’s ‘true-story’ I just love,” says Jordan. “My grandparents had a ranch in west Texas, and I’d go there and build fires and camp and hunt.”

When Jordan saw an application for “Survivor” contestants on the Internet, he decided to enter. “I made a uniform out of leaves and made a videotape as my application,” he recalls. “I went out in my backyard holding a torch and said, ‘I’m tired of playing in this backyard. I want to do it for real.’ Next thing I knew, I was on the show.”

Participating in “Survivor” was an incredible experience, says Jordan, but it did have its drawbacks. He had to endure a long separation from Linda, his childhood sweetheart and wife of 26 years. “I was stuck on the island without my best friend,” he says. The time apart helped Jordan appreciate his wife more while giving Linda, who normally keeps the books at the 96-seat Jordan’s Restaurant, the opportunity to run the establishment.

Whether they win or lose, “Survivor” contestants become instant celebrities and Jordan is no different. Already people from as far as North Carolina and Idaho have asked for his autograph while dining at Jordan’s. “It’s definitely helped my business,” he says. “I promote it on our billboard outside the restaurant and Linda decorated the restaurant with pictures of all the cast members.”

Fame, family and food—not a bad life for the jovial Jordan. Born in Canyon, Texas, and raised in Levelland, Texas, he met Linda in junior high school and they dated throughout their time together at Levelland High. After graduation, Jordan attended junior college and intended to be a printer. But a newspaper advertisement changed everything.

“I saw an ad for an assistant manager of a Furr’s Cafeteria and it paid a lot of money,” says Jordan. “They hired me and one year later they made me manager.” At the time, Jordan was just 21 and the youngest unit manager in the company.

Jordan stayed in the restaurant business, eventually opening his own restaurant. His 24-hour operation features a breakfast bar, a lunch buffet and burgers, chicken-fried steak and T-bone steaks for dinner. “I just love this business because you can meet so many people,” he says. Clay and Linda’s two children, Andrew and Shanda, pitch in at the restaurant, too.

Jordan is a dual member of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. “CBS asks ‘Survivor’ cast members to list organizations that they’re proud of on the CBS ‘Survivor’ Web site, and I’m proud to be a part of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. It helps the restaurants in Louisiana. If you own a restaurant in Louisiana, you have a voice here,” he says.

Now that he is back in civilization, Jordan is contractually prohibited from revealing how he fared on the show or who the winner is. If it’s hard to wait until the season finale later this fall to learn who this year’s sole survivor is, imagine knowing the outcome and not being able to share it. “It is extremely difficult,” admits Jordan. “You’re so proud that you want to tell people how you did, but you can’t.” Tune in to CBS Thursday nights to see if Jordan survives.

Back to top

Ira Apfel is assistant editor at the National Restaurant Association.