Steve Pappas, who helped expand The Greene Turtle from an Ocean City sports bar into a regional restaurant chain, died Wednesday, October 28, according to The Baltimore Sun.
The Greene Turtle originally opened in Ocean City, Maryland, in 1976 as an English-style pub. Pappas and his college friend Tommy Dickerson purchased the restaurant in 1981 and helped transform it into a sports bar concept that eventually expanded throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
The business opened a second location in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood in 1986, followed by a third in Laurel in 1990. The company began franchising in 2002 and grew to approximately 30 locations across the region by 2010.
The Greene Turtle currently operates a location in Olney and previously had a restaurant in Germantown.
According to The Baltimore Sun, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, who had known Pappas for approximately 50 years, described his death as a significant loss to the community and remembered him for his personality, generosity, and contributions to Ocean City.
