by Megan Venable
Meet Mike Connor. He’s a Fountain City native, married to his high school sweetheart, Carol and a grandfather of seven. He also knows his way around the kitchen.
His love of the restaurant life started when he, along with several of his Lambda Chi brothers, were hired to wait tables at the Jolly Ox in Knoxville. Work at the eatery proved to be a match for Connor, and upon graduation from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville he moved over to the business side of the industry starting with his next restaurant, Steak and Ale. He quickly moved up in management positions with the company and his interest in dining concepts expanded.
As his career progressed, Connor joined with the Regas family to open Grady’s Goodtimes. After several years, the chain was sold to Brinker International, and though he stayed on for another couple of years he ultimately went out on his own and created the Chop House.
Connor’s Chop House features fine dining and family fare in a warm, cozy setting. Guests to the restaurant experience the restaurateur’s foundational beliefs of integrity, uncompromising standards and consistency in their products and service. He was so encouraged by his success with Chop House that he expanded into Connor Concepts and opened a new brand of eatery called Connor’s Steak & Seafood using the same unfailing standards as before. “We try to change the menu each year,” Connor says, “but we don’t put anything on the menu that hasn’t been tested many times.”
Both Connor’s Chop House and Steak & Seafood has realized much success in its many stores across the southeast with restaurants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio as well as Tennessee. Currently, Connor serves as the founder and chair of Connor Concepts, Inc. He spends a few days in the office a week to keep tabs on things, but loves visiting his stores and hopes to get to each of his properties about once a month. “We are successful because of the culture,” Connor says. “I like to manage by wandering around and talking to teams. I like to pat people on their backs.”
Despite his prowess at the business side of the restaurant industry, Connor claims that he likes the food side of his work more. “I do all the cooking at home,” he laughs, “Carol would prefer it that way.” The couple will soon observe their golden anniversary, and although they have no firm plans for a celebration, they do intend to move into a new house soon on the lake off Northshore. The Connors claim to spend a bit more time favoring the Florida stores this time of year, and plan to be in Sarasota soon for the 20th annual Dick Vitale Gala to raise funds for the V Foundation’s Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund.
Little did Connor know when he started waiting tables at the Jolly Ox with his fraternity brothers as a student at UT, he would find great success in the restaurant industry. When asked if he thought he could still hold his own earning tips as a server, Connor is emphatic: “I can expedite food, but there’s not a chance I could wait tables anymore.”