Mr. Greek

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. In the last 20 years it has become one of the largest and commonest Greek Cuisine restaurant establishments in North America.
History
Mr. Greek began in 1988 when George Raios purchased a small restaurant on Danforth Avenue, in the heart of Toronto’s Greektown. Following that the restaurant focused on eliminating MSG and trans fats from its ingredients.
Helping the franchise grow early on were its below average prices and the fact that its first location continued to do well despite being on a street renowned for its many restaurants.
In 1992, the company decided to add a second location in the east end of the city in Scarborough, which was risky at the time because until that point their only location was in Greektown. That made it the first multi-location Greek restaurant in greater Toronto.
Floga named for the olympic torch
Floga first opened in 2019 with a theme 'to showcase Greek gastronomy' The name comes from the Greek word for 'flame' - inspired by the olympic torch which company founder George Raios carried in the 2010 winter olympics. Companies in Qatar, Dubai and Saudi Arabia have also shown interest.
About a year later two new Mr. Greek restaurants opened in the United Arab Emirates. The Mediterranean diet which demands the use of fresh ingredients, emphasizes the use of olive oil when food is fire-grilled. Doesn't contain MSG or tenderizers and the oil used is trans fat free.
Awards
Mr. Greek was voted Toronto's best Greek restaurant by the Toronto Sun for 22 consecutive years.
Fast casual restaurant segment
The segment which Mr. Greek operates in, has overtaken the full-service segment in market share. As the Financial Post put it "At licensed fast-casual restaurant chains such as Mr. Greek, patrons typically dine inside, a practice that drives up the average dining cheque". For the month of may total sales in that segment were $24 billion versus $22 billion.
Expansion is underway in other parts of Southern Ontario including Brantford, Cambridge, Guelph, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie, Markham, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Stouffville, Wasaga Beach and Windsor.
Helios Foundation
Supports local community groups, school and charities through donations and sponsorships.
Helios supports various types of charities, with an emphasis on children’s charities. Fundraising for Helios occurs 365 days a year, with at least three major initiatives annually.

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