Indeed, Mark Figetakis was vice-president of the Brown Derby chain before launching his own chain of namesake restaurants around 1965. The popular national chain of steak and seafood restaurants was headquartered in Akron, Ohio and eventually expanded to 25 full-service locations.
Apparently, each new Mark restaurant was assigned a number sequentially. The Mark 3 was in Akron; the one at the Sheffield Center was the Mark XI.
Here’s the first Lorain telephone book ad for the restaurant, which ran in the 1973 directory. As it notes, the chain already had outlets in Lorain, Cleveland, Parma, North Olmsted, Mentor, Youngstown, Akron and three in Pennsylvania.
There’s a good reason that Dennis has fond memories of The Mark. As he explained, "I worked there through high school, 1972-75."
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| Part of a Mark Restaurant menu currently for sale on Ebay |
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Thanks to Dennis Waite for his suggestion.Do you have a special or pleasant memory of eating (or possibly working) at one of the Mark Restaurants that you would like to share? Please be sure to post a comment!
The Mark had great food! I don't know what was in it but they had a drink called a "Slippery Deck" but it was strong and why I don't have any other memory. rae
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved to Lorain originally in late 1975, we lived behind the Sheffield Center. The Mark was the first restaurant we ever went to in Lorain and for several years I was a regular patron even after moving to Vermilion in 76 and then back to Lorain's west side in 78. They had a excellent and large salad bar, decent steaks and a great happy hour in the mid to late 70's. I don't think I ever had a Slippery Deck but I had many a Rusty Nail in their bar. I was sorry to see them go and even sorrier that that location can't continue to support a restaurant. Don Wozniak
ReplyDeleteMy brother's rehearsal dinner was at The Mark by the Sheffield Center. That was the first time I ate in a fancy restaurant. I think they also had one in the terminal at the Burke Lakefront Airport. Great place to eat dinner and watch the Wright Airlines Convairs come and go.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 70s I used to eat at The Mark in Sheffield Center. The used to have all the Prime Rib you could eat, I ate plenty of them, but they kept getting smaller as the night went on.
ReplyDeleteYou see the old Tiffany's Bar on West Erie burned?
$5,000 reward for W. Erie Ave. fire information
1 hour ago
On newsnet5.com Every time I click the story it won't open.
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-lorain/5000-reward-up-for-information-on-west-erie-avenue-fire
I've had nothing butt rouble with their site an dcleveland.com locks-up the PC
I believe The Mark is the restaurant I remember at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport around 1969-71. Can anyone confirm this or correct it? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes. There was a Mark Restaurant in the Burke Lakefront Airport on the second floor.
DeleteIt was at Burke, I'm sure. But was it a Brown Derby before it was The Mark?
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to take us to The Mark at Burke Lakefront Airport when I was a child. It was great food and the view was beautiful. I loved going there!
ReplyDeleteI remember the restaurant at Burke lakefront Airport in 1981 as being called Metin's
ReplyDeleteBy then, they had another name change.
DeleteI worked at the Metin's in Parma on Pearl Road in the early 80s as a busboy in high school.
ReplyDeleteIt was owned by a Greek man Metin Adin.
Metin Adin was an executive to Mark Figitakis . He was not Greek but Turkish. John A Papouras was one of owners of the Mark Restaurant in Lorain as a franchisee from 1977 through the time 80’s when new owners bought the mall and let all existing leases go.
DeleteI was a manager at the MARK II on pearl rd in parma.Any one wanting info can e-mail me.write tirakis@att.net.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I went to the Mark, I was a little girl with my parents. It must have been a special occasion because we usually didn't have the money for all five of us to go to really nice restaurants. I was amazed at the decor, and ambience. We were seated near a window and I loved watching the planes take off and land. I was allowed to order my own steak and tasted lobster for the first time. What a night! Great memory!
ReplyDeleteI went to the one in Mentor for special occasions. They had a huge kaleidoscope on the back wall. I remember it 40 years later as if it was yesterday!
ReplyDeleteI attended a local college and in one summer was the "hostess" at the front desk of the Mark Restaurant at the Burke airport. I lived with 3 other women in the Commodore Hotel and during the riots we passed by tanks on the street corner. One memorable experience was when Eugene McCarthy flew in and all the patrons ran outside to see him. When they came back in and their dinners were cold, the poor waitresses had to scramble to stop the whining!
ReplyDeleteAny info on the Mark Restaurant in Cleveland oh mid 70s
ReplyDeleteAnybody know what happened to Mark Figitakis?
DeleteMy parents took me to the Mark at Burke Lakefront Airport in January 1973, I wasn't quite 10 years old. It was the first time I saw plastic "steak markers" that indicated how done the steak was. Another table was having a huge party celebrating the Vietnam peace treaty which had been signed that week.
ReplyDeleteI worked at the Airport in 1980 or 81. I was an experienced server/bartender and had worked higher end restaurants in multiple states as I completed my education. I had just gotten married and moved back to Cleveland and took the job at the Burke Lakefront Restaurant as I pursued a job search in my field. I don't remember if it was still The Mark, or some other name. I believe I remember Adin, or an equally swarthy individual who was a GM or something higher. He was the biggest jerk I ever worked for (and that includes a rise to management and working with top executives at one firm where the CEO and 4 other senior executives were terminated AND prosecuted for sexual misconduct)! I did not stay long at that restaurant. They required us to save the remains of the loaves of bread FROM THE TABLES and made the beloved bread pudding with it! I was vocal to a new employee that they did not have to join the union, but if they did, they could not leave it. Adin (or whoever he was) did not like that. So my next Sunday shift, a Browns Game Day, he slowly sent all the waitresses home. The game ended the restaurant started to fill up and I was alone. After about an hour, I walked into the kitchen, handed him my book and said I quit. I got another waitress gig Wednesday at a Strang restaurant and about 3 weeks later got hired as an Analyst at one of the firms where I had interviewed. I continued waiting tables for 2 more years on a very part time basis at that Don Strang restaurant because I had a lot of fun working there. Don't get me wrong, they required impeccable service and attention to detail, but we had a really great crew. Regardless of my employment experience (if even was with The Mark brand) I have incredibly fond memories of The Mark as a customer, they were a terrific special place to go for dinner in high school for dances or proms.
ReplyDeleteMan do I remember that great place on Mahoning av. Youngstown Ohio as my mother was a waitress there for years.We would go there a lot,later in the evening time. I was browsing the menu posted here but I didn't see the great surf n turf on this menu.As far as I remember I think this was the Mark 5 v and the waitresses made a killing in tips which made mom an equal bread winner in the house,it was a glorious time it was mid to late 70s.Mom paid for the summer vacations at Geneva on the Lake.
ReplyDeleteWas amazed to see this I worked there a lot lived across the street in fact. My mom worked in kitchen I did whatever Gabe(mgr) told me to he was a great guy. There were times both cooks, gabe, were at my house shooting the breeze talk in shop. I probably worked with your mom there, all good people. For a kid it was a great place to work, Figatakis would stop there (he was the big guy) shout the breeze with everyone. I think he enjoyed coming there because of the people. Wish it was still there EXCELLENT food and EXCELLENT staff made it. Lots of history for me for sure.
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