Ground Control is operated by Lanny P. Lancarte, II -
a Chef, an entrepreneur, and a RESTAURAnTEUR. 

HaRNESS the power of experience and knowledge for your venture. In the crowded streets of the food service industry, Ground Control provides reliable insights into the food and beverage business. From food costs to menu design and brand differentiation, Ground Control will provide guidance and get your concept off the ground, OR help your current business REACH GREATER HEIGHTS. with A literal LIFETIME of experience SPENT in the restaurant and food service industry, grouND control consultants make launchING AND RUNNING YOUR CONCEPT a breeze.

The name Ground Control is a nod to David Bowie's astronaut alter ego, Major Tom and to the glam, boundary-pushing spirit of the Ziggy Stardust era that followed him. "Major Lanny" is the exploratory side of that same instinct: the willingness to launch something entirely new, build the mission from scratch, and see it through to touchdown.

Lanny is the great-grandson of Joe T. Garcia and Jessie "Mamasuez" Garcia, who opened Joe T. Garcia's in 1935 and the only classically trained chef in the family since Mamasuez herself.

ABOUT LANNY P. LANCARTE II

Whether you're seeking pedigree, a plan or a process, Lanny possesses it all. 

Chef, restaurateur, and fourth-generation hospitality operator, Lanny P. Lancarte II leads Ground Control Hospitality out of Fort Worth, Texas.

Lanny holds principal roles across his family restaurant entities - Joe T. Garcia's and Esperanza's, and works outside the family businesses at his very own Righteous Foods while not working as a concept developer and brand strategist for hospitality groups, real estate developers, hotels, and founders bringing new concepts to life.

Lanny has been a familiar face on the food scene since getting his start at Joe T. Garcia’s as a child, from which he set his sails toward a solo journey with his first restaurant, Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana. His menus at Alta Cocina were a vibrant work of art, changing with the seasons, giving Lanny’s diners innovations that were well before their times and resulted in one of the most targeted culinary destinations in North Texas.

Lanny graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas majoring in Nutrition. During his youth Lanny took advantage of a number of culinary study tours to Mexico, working with and learning from luminaries like Diana Kennedy and Rick Bayless.

Eventually returning to the birthplace of his culinary beginnings, Lanny opened his first dining room deep within the patio gardens at his family’s landmark Mexican restaurant, Joe T. Garcia’s on Fort Worth’s historic North Side. (Creating a “pop up restaurant” before pop ups were even in our vocabulary)

Lanny took up a healthy and active lifestyle as seriously as his cooking, which led him to open Righteous Foods. His travels and journeys have provided insight to feed his creativity, with exposure and experience while exploring cuisines around the world and bringing the first all natural all day healthful cafe to Fort Worth in 2014 that still flourishes today.

By 2020, Lancarte had been working on a ghost kitchen concept for two years to provide an upscale dining experience delivered to your home. It was quickly launched out of Righteous Foods before he moved Eat Fajitas along with El Pollo Tocayo and Pizza Zapasta to a brick and mortar called Fantasma Kitchens.

While working day to day in his restaurants, Lanny has peeled back the onion of restaurant operations, creating bespoke - yet scalable and transferable standards, processes, and procedures to create efficient, profitable businesses.

Lanny’s heritage, his innate talent, his good nature, and his dedication to excellence and creativity continue to command rave reviews.  The most desired distinction, however, is simply knowing he’s met or exceeded the expectations of his many patrons or partners.

Strategic Advisory

• Concept development & brand strategy

• Financial modeling & pro forma development

• Vendor & contract negotiation

• Brand extension & licensing guidance

Full Service Buildout

• BOH — menu development, recipe books, costing sheets, training, procedural docs

• FOH — beverage programs, cocktail development, service guidelines, staff training

• Back office — accounting, software implementation, HR, employee handbooks

GET YOUR CONCEPT OFF THE GROUND.

Restaurants are infamous for their failure rates. When you engage an expert in the restaurant field like Ground Control, you won’t end up a statistic. Contact us today to begin your path to success.