Con Giannoulis

Con (or Gus) immigrated to Canada from Greece at the age of 17, with no family by his side, twenty-six dollars in his pocket, and owing $1,000 to his father for his boat ticket and travelling expenses to Canada. Fending for himself, he was a self-starter having to learn to speak English and support himself and his family back home. He started at the bottom in the restaurant business but through his hard work and initiative he rose to the position of executive Chef and subsequently owning his own restaurants. Driven by integrity and passion, he has always strived to achieve more, learn more, and experience more. Con’s success is that he trusts his instincts, will jump in with two feet and deals with the outcomes as they arise. 

Con is known to lead by example by often rolling up his sleeves to get the job done. In relationships with his team, his suppliers and his guests, people know where they stand, and his handshake can be trusted.

Caesar’s Story

In the early 1970’s, Con was among four young Greek immigrants, all small restaurant owners, who decided to purchase an empty print shop among the vacant houses and empty lots that characterized 4th Avenue SW at the time. It would turn out to be a visionary decision – considering the restaurant industry’s notorious failure rate, being your own landlord is certainly one way to manage your own destiny. On April 26, 1972, they opened Caesar’s Steak House; a 180-seat dining room and 70-seat lounge. 

Featuring exceptionally prepared Alberta beef and professional service – including table-side presentation and the “home of the Caesar cocktail” – Caesar’s was soon jam packed with businessmen, closing deals over Emperor size 3 oz. martini lunches and dinners fuelled with bottles of red wine. Caesar’s was called “the second Petroleum Club” as a lot of deals were being made.  The saying still goes that if you want a barometer on how the Calgary economy is doing, stop by Caesar’s at lunch.

Caesar’s has thrived over 5 decades – and through numerous recessions including the great bust of the 1980’s – by remaining true to our classic foundation and maintaining our standards, where many businesses failed.

In 1985, Calgary’s economic outlook improved enough that we opened our second location in Willow Park Village, offering a dinner experience to our downtown lunchtime guests who resided in the communities in Calgary’s burgeoning south.  This location received a McKinley Burkhart designed makeover in 2012, delivering a sophisticated, urban, international feel while remaining faithful to the Caesar’s steakhouse vibe.

Con, now in his early 80’s (the other 3 owners are no longer part of the business), with his daughter Connie and son-in law Gerry (partners as of 2005) lead this award-winning establishment, staying true to our vision of unrelenting quality and professional service. Since 2016, they have continuously enhanced and maintained the aesthetics of the downtown location and improved the offerings at both locations.

Con’s support of the Alberta beef industry through its suppliers predates the opening of Caesar’s Steak House.  His relationship with our beef supplier began when he was Executive Chef at another steakhouse in the late ‘60’s, and he replaced that restaurant’s supplier at the time to the one with whom we have been working with at Caesar’s ever since. Furthermore, in 2003, he stood firm when our culinary raison d'être – Alberta beef – came under fire due to an outbreak of mad cow disease in the province. Con remembers when the CBC asked him what he was going to do about it, and he said, “Well, I’m doing nothing about it because the suppliers have supplied me beef since the day we opened.  I trust them and, if it goes through their inspections, then that means there is no panic.” Our standards have always required that ALL beef coming through our doors is Alberta Beef, Alberta Beef that is cooked on our open flame grill – on display in the middle of the dining room – an open concept kitchen well before its time.

Connie Giannoulis-Stuart & Gerry Stuart

“Don’t plan on working in the restaurant industry, go get another career!’ was Con’s advice to a then teenage Connie and her younger siblings. Therefore, Connie completed her education at the University of Calgary before embarking on a 25-year career in Calgary’s energy industry.  Focusing on finance, operations and business development, Connie was known for her entrepreneurial skills, leading high performing teams and delivering results. She thrived on collaborating and innovating with the creative minds of the energy industry.  

Connie’s vision for Caesar’s to remain relevant in the Calgary market while respecting the foundation that was created by her father.  She became involved in the ownership of both locations in 2005, and spearheaded developments at Willow Park coinciding with the 2012 renovation.  After many discussions on when she was finally going to get involved in the restaurant, Con convinced Connie to become fully immersed in 2016. Connie now shares her vision, innovation, stewardship and passion for food, wine, architecture, and design at Caesar’s.

Gerry joined the Caesar’s team in 2004 after a successful fashion retail management career with another iconic Alberta family business. Known for earning his client’s trust, possessing a keen focus on customer service, and developing teamwork (and an appreciation for wine). He is as comfortable talking about the true “rare gems” on our Wine List or differentiating our cuts of steak as he is counselling out of town guests about the must-see attractions on a visit to Calgary. Encouraging our staff to provide a “WOW” experience is Gerry’s mantra.

The first husband and wife to successfully complete the International Sommelier Guild Diploma together in 2005, they seemed destined to work in the restaurant business at some point. Vacation plans for these two often involve visiting wine regions and many of the producers found on our Wine List.