Georgetown University
The Heart and Soul of Dining: Robert Giaimo [Georgetown Magazine]
by Hope Katz Gibbs
Georgetown Magazine
Fall 1997
ROBERT GIAIMO (B’73) WAS JUST A freshman at Georgetown when hunger got the best of him. His craving for hot food during 2 a.m. study sessions led him to open his first restaurant, a Blimpie’s sub shop franchise, at 19 years old. More than 25 years later, the founder of the Silver Diner restaurant chain has 10 restaurants that create a 1950’s dining atmosphere, including jukeboxes and milkshakes. Giaimo hopes to extend his chain to every main street in America. Thanks to a 1996 cash infusion from George Naddaff—the multimillionaire franchising whiz who helped turn Boston Chicken (now Boston Market) into a national chain—Giaimo may get his wish. After one meal at the Silver Diner, Naddaff invested $16.2 million.
Back on His Feet: Tony Mazlish [Georgetown Magazine]
by Hope Katz Gibbs
Georgetown Magazine
Fall 1996
TONY MAZLISH (G ’81) DIDN’T SET OUT to be in the back business. Quite literally, he fell into it. During a move in 1986, he leapt from the bed of a Ryder truck with a boxed television set in his arms. “I heard something snap,” says Mazlish, 31. “It didn’t really hurt at first. It started as a twinge, but the pain kept getting worse and worse. Within six months I had gone to several doctors, but none of them could really help me.” Finding little consolation within medical community, Mazlish became intrigued by the idea of a store that catered to back pain sufferers. He started researching similar stores across the nation. “No one was doing it the way I would do it,” he said.