Greg Carey, Vice President, Operations, Rainforest Caf, Minneapolis, MN

RH Staff

GREG CAREY
Vice President, Operations, Rainforest Cafe, Minneapolis

Age: 44. Why he's rising: Driving force in development and pre-openings of eight-unit chain of huge restaurant-retail stores. Ladder climbing: General manager, Restaurants Unlimited; owner-operator, Smokehouse 1895; director of operations, Joseph Mathews Winery; director of operations, China Rose restaurant; general manager, Far West Services (coffee shop div.). Schooling: B.S., Business Administration, California State University (Fullerton). Wins praise for: Hugely talented operations executive who devised many of Rainforest's sophisticated systems. Mentor: Constantine Carey. "My father has been my mentor, my role model, and my life-long friend." First job in foodservice: Says he "grew up in the business"; father was a chef. What the future holds: Predicts Rainforest will be the "most significant restaurant-retail concept of its time."