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Mark Tormey was born in 1953 in West Point, New York the oldest of five children. He is the son of a colonel in the U. S. Army. Most of his adolescent years were spent in Washington D. C., where he got his first experience in a series of small places, working as a dishwasher, busboy and as a waiter.
Mark Tormey attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he studied Hotel and Restaurant Administration, interning in such diverse properties as Tavern on the Green in New York City and Heritage House in Mendocino, California.
He arrived in Chicago in 1977 and for two years worked at The Hyatt Regency Chicago as a restaurant manager. In 1979 he moved on to Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as an Assistant General Manager at Jonathan Livingston Seafood. In 1982, he became General Manager of the Pump Room. He became a partner at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in 1984. Throughout the 1980's, he headed up Lettuce Entertain You Management Division, opening successfully, the Chicago P. J. Clarke's, Jim McMahon's Restaurant and The Club at the Wrigley Building.
In 1991, Mark and Rich Melman opened the first Maggiano's Little Italy, a Southern Italian Family Style Restaurant that became an instant success. In 1992 and 1994, Lettuce Entertain You, under Tormey's direction, opened two more Maggiano's. In 1995, Lettuce Entertain You sold the concept to Brinker International. After the concept was sold, Mark headed up the Maggiano’s brand as President for 15 years. Mark oversaw 39 stores, increasing sales to 330 million dollars. Today, Maggiano's Little Italy is still a Brinker International concept operating in locations from coast to coast.
In 2005, Mark came back to Lettuce Entertain You and developed a new concept, Di Pescara, in the esteemed Northbrook Court Mall. Di Pescara, named after a fishing village on the Adriatic coast, features fresh seafood, homemade Italian and prime steaks.
Mark resides in Chicago with his wife and two sons. In his free time, he likes to play golf, swim and jog. For Mark, it is the inherent challenge to be better each and every day that motivates him. The restaurant business provides him with just that opportunity. | 