Bob Barry joined The Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille as chief operating officer in 2007 as part of an investor group that purchased the then-11-unit casual-dining chain from its founders. In January, Barry was named president and chief executive of the Edgewater, Md.-based chain.
Mirroring the fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” The Greene Turtle has proven that steadfast progress can trump speedy growth. The concept, inspired by a bar in the Green Turtle area of the Bahamas, debuted in 1976 in Ocean City, Md., and has spread across the Mid-Atlantic. Today, an emphasis on quality fare has food contributing 70 percent of sales in new units. The Greene Turtle has 13 company-owned locations and 19 franchised units in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and around Washington, D.C., and is about to make a splash on New York’s Long Island.
HOMETOWN: Laurel, Md.
EDUCATION: B.A., Florida International University
EXPERIENCE: chief executive, BMCKJ LLC, a food manufacturing company; CEO, Bakery Resources Group — Ms. Desserts; chief operating officer, The Great Cookie Ltd.; director of marketing, Grace Culinary Systems, a division of W.R. Grace & Co.
PERSONAL: married, three children
HOBBIES: bow hunting, fishing, watching his kids play sports
What changes are underway at The Greene Turtle?
I hired a vice president of finance and administration a few months ago and just hired a vice president of marketing, so we’re definitely going through infrastructure changes and moving people around to support the growth that we are experiencing.
It’s a time when we have a lot of growth going on. We’re about to open our fourth unit this year. We are working with a large [Burger King] franchise group out of Long Island, and they will open their first store outside of Queens.
How is The Greene Turtle different from other casual-dining chains?
We are very flexible. We range in size from 5,500 square feet up to 12,000, and everything in between. Our typical wheelhouse is right around 7,000 square feet. We are not cookie cutter, and we’re not afraid of conversions as long as we can fit the elements and design into the shape. But we’re not afraid to go into several different shapes to make it work.
We have a mug club. We sell mugs for lifetime membership. Each store has about 1,000 mugs hanging on the wall. Members get discounted beverages, mug club parties, a lot of e-mail communications. There are people who will have mugs in every Greene Turtle.
TVs now are common [in restaurants], but we have TVs at every seat.
We also have a large amount of apparel sales and a freestanding apparel store at the beach in Ocean City. A few years ago, Greene Turtle was the most recognizable icon in the state of Maryland.
How has The Greene Turtle evolved?
We’ve developed over the last five years a strong emphasis on the food and the freshness of the food. We’re still a sports bar and restaurant, but with an emphasis on food and service. We have handmade crab cakes, freshly made chicken tenders; we’re really stepping it up a notch or two.
We want [our] fan base to come in and watch their sports team and to be a destination for the family to dine at. Our numbers show that in terms of the mix as far as food and beverage, food is increasing. It has increased by 15 percent in the last 20 months.
What did you learn from the Great Recession?
What it made us focus on was putting an emphasis on being great, not good. Average-to-good won’t make it anymore. You need great food, great service, great execution. …What we’re focusing on right now is really trying to get our managers focused on hiring the best. We’re encouraging the staff to create a fun atmosphere each and every time to give a great experience to the guest and trying every day to execute 100 percent.
What are the biggest challenges going forward?
The biggest challenge is industrywide — getting through these tough economic times that we’re having and getting the consumer to increase their spending habits. Right now, guest counts are down over the last five years, so the biggest challenge is getting through these tough economic times. We’ve managed to do that so far. And then, really finding “A” locations. Every restaurant company is looking for the “A” locations; no one is interested in “B”s or “C”s. You need to know the locations you pick are going to be a winner. … Finally, we’re still all caught in the value discounting now. Do we ever get away from that as an industry?
Contact Robin Lee Allen at robinlee.allen@penton.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @RobinLeeAllen.
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