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. It is a leading restaurant company in Canada as well as the largest and fastest growing Greek Cuisine restaurant franchise in North America.

History

Mr. Greek began in 1988 when George Raios purchased a small restaurant on Danforth Avenue

Danforth Avenue

Danforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct as a continuation of Bloor Street and continues through East York until intersecting with Kingston Road in Scarborough...

, in the heart of Toronto’s Greektown. A few important upgrades were made, including menu changes to eliminate MSG

Monosodium glutamate

Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids....

 and trans fats, and a renovation.

In Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, the restaurant's affordable prices and generous plate sizes helped give it notoriety; a feat, considering its flagship location is on a street renowned for its many restaurants.

In 1992, a decision was made to venture outside of the relatively 'safer 'confines of Greektown and open a second Mr. Greek location, in the east end of the city in Scarborough

Scarborough, Ontario

Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...

. The success of the Scarborough location was pivotal as it expanded the restaurant's customer base while raising the confidence of management. Spurred by success, and responding to the growing popularity of Mediterranean cuisine, Mr. Greek began franchising

Franchising

Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....

 in 1993. 1997 saw further innovation from Mr. Greek. 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 franchise credits its core values of Quality, Competence, Integrity for the success it has had in the Canadian hospitality industry.

Menu

The Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of southern Italy, Crete and much of the rest of Greece in the 1960s....

 is the oldest and healthiest diet in the world. The Mediterranean diet which demands the use of fresh ingredients, emphasizes the use of olive oil when food is fire-grilled. No MSG or tenderizers are used in any of their recipes, and the oil used is trans fat free.

Mr. Greek has been recognized a number of times as one of Toronto's best Greek restaurant including a first place ranking by the Toronto Sun. and "Favourite Family Restaurant”, as voted by their guests.

Expansion plans

Mr.Greek is now expanding throughout the Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...

 region and has identified several areas of future development.
Brantford, Cambridge

Cambridge, Ontario

Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...

, Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

, Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

, Kitchener

Kitchener, Ontario

The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...

-Waterloo

Waterloo, Ontario

Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Barrie

Barrie

Barrie may refer to:* Barrie, city in Ontario, Canada* Barrie , Canadian federal electoral district* Barrie , provincial electoral district* Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford, former Canadian electoral district...

, Markham

Markham, Ontario

Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...

, Mississauga, Toronto (Downtown)

Downtown Toronto

Downtown Toronto is the central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west...

, Toronto (West)

Toronto West

Toronto West was a federal electoral district in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1925...

, Toronto (East)

Toronto East

Toronto East was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the city of Toronto in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867.East Toronto initially consisted of St. Lawrence, St. Davids and...

, Georgetown

Georgetown, Ontario

Georgetown is a community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton. It is situated on the Credit River, located approximately 60 km west of Toronto making it part of the Greater Toronto Area...

, Kingston

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

, London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, Peterborough

Peterborough, Ontario

Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...

, St. Catherines, Stouffville

Stouffville, Ontario

Stouffville is the primary urban area within the Town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It is centred at the intersection of Main Street, Mill Street and Market Street.-History:...

, Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach, Ontario

Wasaga Beach is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is a popular four-season tourist destination situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern end of Georgian Bay approximately two hours north of Toronto, and abuts, to the west, the town of Collingwood...

, Windsor

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

.

Helios Foundation

Local community groups, school and charities have benefited from their support through donations and sponsorships.

Helios actively supports charities of all types, with a special emphasis on children’s charities. Fundraising for Helios occurs 365 days a year, with at least three major initiatives per year.