Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> July 15, 2002
BOB SPIVAK, President and Chief Executive Officer, is also a founding
Director of Grill Concepts, Inc., a company that was originally formed
in 1988 and became publicly held in 1995. Grill Concepts, Inc.,
currently operates 15 Daily Grill restaurants throughout Southern and
Northern California, Washington, DC, and Chicago. In addition, there are
four The Grill on the Alley restaurants in Beverly Hills, San Jose,
Chicago and Hollywood. Mr. Spivak, a 40-year veteran of the restaurant
and food industry, comes from a family that ran restaurants in Los
Angeles from 1946 to 1972. He began his career working in the family-
owned chain of Smokey Joe's barbecue restaurants. After college, he
managed several of the family's operations, including the landmark
Redwood House in the Los Angeles Civic Center. He left the family
business to manage the food operations at the Fedco discount department
stores, and along with the owners of Fedco Foods he developed the much
copied Soup N' Such restaurant chain. In the early 1980s, Mr. Spivak
formed a partnership with Michael Weinstock and Dick Shapiro to open the
highly successful Beverly Hills restaurant, The Grill on the Alley, a
traditional American grill with the by-words, 'Quality Without
Compromise.' The Grill was inducted into the Fine Dining Hall of Fame by
Nation's Restaurant News in 1995. Considered one of Los Angeles' 'power
spots,' The Grill is the upscale model for the Daily Grill, a concept
based on the high quality food and service at a price point that reaches
a far wider audience. Mr. Spivak is a Director Emeritus of the
California Restaurant Association and is also Chairman of the Board of
Advisors for the Collins School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. In
September 2000 he received the 'Spirit of Life' award from the City of
Hope. This is the most prestigious award given by the City of Hope. Profile
Concepts and what has gone on over the past year or so?
Mr. Spivak: The most exciting thing is that we announced last
