ADAM GRECO
By Leah Espineda
Some are born to be artists or entertainers,
while others are born to be doctors, lawyers or
some other profession.
Adam Greco, however, was not only born to be in the restaurant business but he was also born into the business. Adam’s father came to Toronto from Italy in 1952. Already an owner of ice cream parlors and small pizzerias back in Italy, he brought his restaurant expertise to Canada where he became a successful restaurateur in the 60s'& 70's owning a chain of 7 Italian restaurants in Toronto called "Mario's". His father created one of the first Italian Dining Rooms in Toronto. Adam’s young mind awakened into the restaurant setting. At the age of 12, he began to learn the intricacies of the restaurant business. He started his way up from being a dishwasher, busboy, and waiter to becoming a manager. At the age of 21, he had his first taste at managing a pub with a 40-seat capacity, called ‘Lion’s Den”, frequented by famous personalities such as Alice Cooper and Diane Christie. When his father gave up the restaurant business after many years, for a while, Adam felt that he was destined for something else, so he changed directions. He had a short stint as a financial planner for one of the finance companies in Toronto. It was exciting for him to be wearing a ‘suit and tie’ and to have his own office, but he knew he had no passion for what he was doing. That time, he met Carole Ann who came to Canada, as Adam says with no qualms, with only a suitcase in her hand and $6 dollars in her pocket. They met at a travel agency, where Carol used to work and Adam was then a York University student. They dated for a while and got married. Carol inspired him to go back to where his passion was--the restaurant business. He did go back and held managerial roles in places like Mother Tuckers, TK's Place for Ribs and Miller's Country Fair.
Adam is one who is not afraid to take different paths and try new things, so he changed directions again and went from restaurants to the hotel industry. He worked for well-known chains such as the Holiday Inn, Ramada Plaza, and Delta Chelsea as the Director of Catering. He soon became recognized for his ability to specialize in the sales, marketing, and service in the social market, more specifically in the wedding market. He was recognized for building the wedding market by taking hotels from as low as 4 weddings per year to 140 weddings per year. In Toronto, Adam was known as the ‘Wedding Guru’ with over 1000 weddings under his belt. Hotels sought his expertise primarily based on this ability to grow their business and increase revenues. At the Delta Chelsea, they were able to grow their banquet & catering revenues from 3.2 million to 8 million in only 4 years. He attributes his success to his deep passion for what he does.
He also believes in being honest and caring for other peoples’ needs. He added that people should not be afraid to try new things. For him it is more a failure if you do not try. He adheres to the fact that life is a series of failures and achievements.
With over 20 years of experience in the hotel industry handling a very high profile and challenging position, Adam felt that it was time to move on and do things on his own. Once again, he has changed directions and joined the British Pub industry in honor of her Scottish-born wife, Carole Ann. This time Adam wants to build success for himself and his family. They felt that if others can do it, so can they. His wife, who he has been married to for 26 years, is his biggest inspiration in this major change. They are now the proud owners of ‘Lionheart British Pub and Restaurant’. They chose the name ‘Lionheart’ after a ‘name the pub’ contest held last May. ‘Lionheart’ was chosen out of 100 entries as it was the name of famous king in England (Richard I, the Lionheart, 1157-1199) and the pub is essentially British. Quite a coincidence, I would say, that his first stint as a pub manager was with ‘Lion’s Den’. What’s more interesting is that a ‘lionheart’ is a person with exceptional courage and bravery, and Adam perfectly suits this description. With courage and bravery, he has ventured into this business, daring to be different by putting many innovative ideas in Lionheart and that is Adam. He likes to be different and he is not afraid to take risks. The pub is classy, very homey and cozy. You feel right at home with the warm welcome and smiles from Adam himself and his staff. Lionheart British Pub boasts of amenities such as a wireless internet at selected tables that guests can use for free. They can surf the net, check their email or call all over the world using ‘Skype’. This allows users to call anywhere in the world to other skype users free of charge. They will install a webcam soon so guests can hook up with other pubs anywhere and chat with each other. Their first web hook up will be with a pub in Nova Scotia. This should be pretty amazing, not to mention that you will be doing this while you’re having a drink in your hand and enjoying your food at the same time. Another novelty in the pub is the TV sets located in the washrooms that play British and Scottish comedy. So while powdering your nose, you get to watch a bit of TV comedy in there. Where else can you find that?
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