Mr. Greek

MR. GREEK Restaurants Inc.
Family
Industry Restaurants (casual dining)
Founded 1988
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario
Number of locations
 21 (5-Mediterranean Bar + Grill locations, 16-Express)
Key people
 George Raios (President & CEO)
Website http://www.mrgreek.com

Mr. Greek is a mediterranean restaurant chain with locations throughout Ontario, Canada. There are two different franchise concepts used by Mr. Greek; Mediterranean Grill and Express.[1] It is one of the largest Greek Cuisine restaurant establishments in North America.[2]

History

Mr. Greek began in 1988 when George Raios purchased a small restaurant on Danforth Avenue, in the heart of Toronto’s Greektown. Following that the restaurant focused on eliminating MSG and trans fats from its ingredients.

Helping the franchise grow early on were its below average prices and the fact that its first location continued to do well despite being on a street renowned for its many restaurants.[3][4]

In 1992, the company decided to add a second location in the east end of the city in Scarborough (was risky at the time because up until that point the only location was in Greek town). The success of the Scarborough location was pivotal since it expanded the restaurant's customer base while also raising the confidence of management. In response to the growing popularity of Mediterranean cuisine, Mr. Greek began franchising in 1993. The more hurried lifestyles of the ‘90’s led to the launching of Mr. Greek Express – a smaller version of the restaurants, offering an abridged menu, counter service, and takeout – using the slogan Great food for the new generation on the go.

The Mediterranean Diet is among the oldest and healthiest diets in the world.[5] The Mediterranean diet which demands the use of fresh ingredients, emphasizes the use of olive oil when food is fire-grilled. Doesn't contain MSG or tenderizers and the oil used is trans fat free.

Mr. Greek was voted Toronto's best Greek restaurant a number of times by the Toronto Sun.[6]

Expansion plans

Mr. Greek has plans to expand throughout the Southern Ontario region and has identified several areas of future development. Brantford, Cambridge, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie, Markham, Mississauga, Toronto (Downtown), Toronto (West), Toronto (East), Georgetown, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Wasaga Beach, Windsor.

Helios Foundation

Supports local community groups, school and charities through donations and sponsorships.[7]

Helios supports various types of charities, with an emphasis on children’s charities. Fundraising for Helios occurs 365 days a year, with at least three major initiatives annually.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ask Mr. Franchise - George Raios (video)". 2010-03-23.
  2. ↑ "Mr. Greek Says OPA! To Health". November 6, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Richmond Hill Restaurants". 2011.
  4. ↑ "Metro - Food and drink the order of the day on diverse danforth". March 23, 2010.
  5. ↑ "The World's Healthiest Cuisine?". Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  6. ↑ "Mr.Greek". 2009-11-26.
  7. ↑ "Adopt-A-Wish Sponsor: MR. GREEK" (PDF). 2009-08-07.
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