Mark Gray

As president and COO, Mark oversees all aspects of business operations. He joined Bottleneck in June 2019 after his role as CEO of Barfly Ventures.

Background

His 24-year career in the restaurant industry began in the kitchen after attending culinary school at The Art Institute of Atlanta.

Soon after, Mark stepped into management roles at Brinker International, working at both On the Border and Chilis for many years. There, he worked his way from Executive Kitchen Manager to General Manager and eventually to Managing Partner. Mark later joined Yard House where he held a variety of management roles over nine years including, General Manager, Regional Manager, and Director of Operations.

Mark has opened over 30 restaurants in his career and is leading Bottleneck’s ongoing expansion. In addition to overseeing new initiatives and the strategic goals of the organization, Mark continues to support the restaurant industry as a board member for Live.Eat.Surf. restaurant group.

Outside of Work

Outside of work, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife of over 20 years and their three beautiful children.