- Rich Melman
Infobox Celebrity
name = Rich Melman
imagesize = 200px
caption = Wildfire Grill
birth_date =
birth_place =United States flagicon|USA
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Chairman of the Board
salary =
networth =
signature quote =
spouse = Martha
website = [http://www.leye.com/company/rich.htm Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises]
footnotes =
children = Molly, R.J., & JerrodRich Melman is a the founder of
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises , a privately-heldrestaurant company with more than 70 venues"Let Us Now Praise R.J. Grunts: How Rich Melman and his Lettuce Entertain You empire set the scene for Chicago's culinary revolution," "Chicago Reader ",April 14 ,2006 ] . Melman serves as Chairman of the Board of LEYE.cite web |author= Cebrzynski, Gregg |url= http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_5_34/ai_59227913 |title= Richard Melman -chief executive officer ofLettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc |publisher= Nation's Restaurant News |year= 2000 |month= January |accessdate=2007-02-02 ] He creates restaurant concepts. As such he is a corporate executive who sees himself as anartist . ]In 1971, Melman and Jerry A. Orzoff founded R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park in
Chicago . Melman and Orzoff continued their partnership, developing a number of restaurants, until Orzoff died in 1981. Melman continued his philosophy of "partnership" and now has 37 working partners.Early life
Melman grew up in
Chicago . As a child, he sold ice cream and peanuts atChicago beaches and even sold eggs door to door. He unsuccessfully attended three different colleges"The Man With the Golden Touch," "Inc. Magazine ", October 1988] . At 14, he started working for the family restaurant business. After his father rebuffed his inquiries to buy into the partnership, he struck out on his own. Persistence led him to Orzoff, who was the first businessperson to take him seriously.cite web |author= Sheridan, Margaret |url= http://www.rimag.com/archives/2000/10b/interface-melman.asp|title= Richard Melman on Savoring Peace of Mind |publisher= Restaurant & Institutions Magazine |year=2000 |accessdate=2007-02-02 ]Lettuce Entertain You
By 1988, Lettuce Entertain You encompassed 27 restaurants and yielded approximately $90 million ] . Some of their best-known restaurants include
Ed Debevic's , Wildfire Grill, Shaw's Crab House, and Big Bowl. On January 1, 2000, he passed the title and duties of chief executive to Steve Ottmann. ] In 2003, Kevin Brown assumed the CEO role.cite web |author= Carpenter, Dave |url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13957408/|title= Restaurateur sees salad days ahead |publisher= MSNBC.com (Associated Press story also published on CBSNews.com) |date=2006-07-20 |accessdate=2007-02-02 ] The separate consulting business has servedMcDonald's Corp. , Chart House andPopeyes Chicken & Biscuits . In fact, it was instrumental in the development of Popeye's Cajun Kitchen. ]Family
He is the father of two sons and a daughter all in their 20's. ] His children are Molly, R.J., Jerrod, who all work in the company, and his wife is Martha. ]
External links
* [http://www.leye.com/company/rich.htm Rich Melman]
References
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