__________________________________________________________________________________ Fearless
Restaurants
What does it mean to be fearless ? To never be afraid of failure , as Sydney Grims , Director of Business Development at Fearless Restaurants ( Fearless ), suggests to Food Chain .
Reflecting on her family ’ s restaurant business , she candidly reveals : “ We have grown very organically . There have been restaurants that have succeeded , and we have celebrated that success .
“ But there have also been restaurants that have failed . That is just part of the natural lifecycle of the restaurant world .” Fearless has been in business , navigating the highs and lows of the hospitality sector , for 40 years . The group , which comprises 12 locations , became Fearless in name when Sydney joined in 2016 , but it ’ s been fearless in nature since its inception .
Sydney ’ s father , Marty Grims , was just 25 years old when he opened his first restaurant . He had just graduated from Cornell University ’ s School of Hotel Administration , and he burned with a passion for hospitality . Though inspired by his studies , he was hungry
Diners from all over visit to enjoy contemporary American cuisine for more . Opening Taquet in 1985 proved to be the start of an illustrious career . As the plaudits poured in , Marty would go on to be featured on the cover of the New York Times ’ food and wine section . Heroes of haute cuisine lauded him for bringing a taste of France to Philadelphia .
Expanding operations
Over the years , more success followed as Marty opened a diverse string of restaurants – all of which became a hit with the public and critics alike . This included La Fourchette in Wayne and Taquet and Bravo Bistro in Radnor , among others .
In 2003 , he expanded operations further by purchasing the 400-foot-tall mast ship , Moshulu , from Dorrance Hamilton , heiress to Campbell Soup . Just six years later , Marty took over Widas Hotel in Long Beach Island , converting it into the hip boutique hotel Daddy O Restaurant Hotel and White Dog Cafe ( University City ). It ’ s quite clear that Marty was building a legacy . Sydney recognized this . Before joining her father ’ s business , she was Director of Hospitality at MacAndrews & Forbes in New York City for billionaire
foodchainmagazine . com 129