David Theiss, owner of Butler Gourmet Meats, on June 12, 2023.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
What sticks out talking to Carson resident David Theiss about his decades-long run as a small business owner is his sense of commitment: his past commitment, ongoing commitment and future commitment.
“It’s kind of one of those things that just stuck,” he said of Butler Gourmet Meats. “I kind of stick to things. That’s just my personality.”
Still located in its original storefront at 1909 N. Carson St., Butler Gourmet Meats is celebrating 50 years of business June 28. Festivities will run 5 to 7 p.m. and will include “carnivorous” hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.
“It’s a momentous date,” Theiss said. “I think it’s pretty amazing. The more I think about it, there’s not a lot of places that last 50 years.”
Not a lot of local butcher shops, for that matter, Theiss pointed out. The 1981 Carson High graduate bought the business when he was 20 years old. Business founder, Robert Butler, had been a neighbor to Theiss and had opened the shop in 1973. Theiss went to work there as the “cleanup kid” when he was 12 years old. He worked a couple of hours a day, becoming what he described as “a very motivated person.”
“At 20 years old, you don’t get a lot of respect when you buy things,” he said of purchasing the business.
The 1970s and 1980s were different in terms of what customers wanted, Theiss said, but he was able to grow the business in the following decades to match customers’ evolving tastes and needs.
“Carson City was kind of different back then,” he recalled. “People bought in larger quantities in the ‘70s and ‘80s. We sold a lot more half-a-beef and half-a-hog and that type of thing because that’s kind of what they did. They bought a big thing, got a freezer and stuffed it in there. People nowadays, they buy maybe a week at a time at the very most.”
What Theiss said he loves most about his trade — creativity and customer service — drove him to experiment with new products. He said he has a theory of why he’s been in business so long: trying 10 new products a year even if only one sticks.
“It’s about a 10-to-1 ratio for new products and what sticks,” he said. “So after 40 years, I have 40 new products that stuck and make a lot of money that never existed before.”
Theiss said his top three sellers are specialty burgers, specialty sausages and “an incredible amount of steaks.” One of his new sausages, honey jalapeno, has been selling out at the Carson Famers Market. In the last decade, Theiss has also partnered with a company to offer Butler-brand spices and sauces.
“Another big part of our business is wild game processing,” he said.
The butcher shop processes about 500 animals a year, mostly big game. Theiss said that portion of the business keeps him busy through the fall and winter, not to mention demand from the holidays.
“I don’t have any slow months now,” he said.
Theiss said he’s been able to build a long-term customer base while also attracting new patrons.
“I like face-to-face, meeting people, talking to people,” he said. “The thing I do here the most, I like to complete people’s dreams.”
That means satisfying customers’ “unusual needs,” including unusual recipes, Theiss said.
“Customer service is crucial, especially nowadays,” he said. “People like good quality products. That’s what I make here. I concentrate on quality products. That’s what I’ve always been about. That’s the only thing I’ll sell — is quality. If I can’t get quality, I can’t sell it. That’s what this business was based on originally and I’ve continued all the way through.”
When asked what advice he’d impart to businesses just starting out, Theiss said people need to have passion for what they’re doing.
“Ever heard the saying ‘Do what you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life?’ It’s true,” he said.
When asked how many more years he wants to run the shop, Theiss, now 60, said, “until I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“There’s no number,” he said.
Regular business hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
For information, visit http://butlermeats.com.