As a boy growing up in Hamtramck, Myron Grosz remembers when a local Kiwanis club purchased Chicago Cub uniforms for his baseball team.
‘It was the full uniform, not just the t-shirt,? he said, recalling the pride with which he wore that uniform to a fifth grade Halloween party. ‘At age 53, I still remember that some guy from that Kiwanis club forked over money to give a uniform to a kid he didn’t even know.?
Grosz now has a track record of giving himself, having become a successful area businessman, and he doesn’t mind the raised eyebrows when people learn of his career path.
‘I went from my mother’s catering business to being a trained chef to running a Burger King franchise,? said Grosz with a chuckle.
Grosz is coming up on the 20th anniversary of his ownership of the Burger King restaurant on Dixie Highway in Independence Township. He must reapply for the franchise in February.
He still exercises his culinary skills, however, primarily for charitable purposes in the Clarkston area and beyond.
Grosz began working for his mother’s catering business at age 15. He completed the culinary arts program at Schoolcraft College, then attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
With those credentials, Grosz continued to help with the family catering business, but he was also recruited to take over the food service at DeLaSalle Collegiate High School in Detroit.
There he met a business partner with whom he first attempted to secure a McDonald’s franchise. When that attempt was unsuccessful, the partners gained the Burger King franchise, which was then down the road in Waterford.
The early years were a challenge, Grosz said, with the first location being what the parent company admitted was a ‘bad location.? Part of the deal, however, was the brand new Clarkston restaurant, which turned out to be more profitable.
Grosz laughs about early attempts to expand to another location on M-59.
‘We were taking our profits here and paying for our losses there,? he said.
Grosz had not intended to be a full-time franchise owner, but a combination of events (including medical problems for his partner and the wind down of his mother’s catering business) led to just that.
The business is successful because of a great location and a great staff, he said, with managers and employees who stay longer than the average fast-food restaurant staff.
‘I take about 5 to 10 percent of the credit,? he said. ‘The place almost runs without me. The real heroes in any business are the hourly workers.?
Grosz sets the direction, however, and that includes a strong emphasis on service. He has little patience with business experts who spend most of their time with graphs and charts.
‘You have to be a people person, because you’re constantly dealing with your customers,? he said. ‘People give you their business.?
His efficient restaurant allows Grosz to be involved in several side ventures, including regular opportunities to demonstrate his culinary skills for good causes. He has staged several in-home catered dinners to benefit groups such as the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis clubs andsocieties promoting the prevention and cure of cancer and leukemia.
Such groups call on Grosz to serve top notch food and wine for parties of eight to 10 people. Such small parties allow him to be creative and artistic.
‘I have a great time doing stuff like that,? he said, especially when they give him the freedom to develop the menu. ‘It’s like putting me in a candy store. It gives me a chance to play.?
Grosz has also donated his restaurant’s space for special events such as a dinner for the disabled sponsored by the Kaleidoscope Foundation of Davisburg. He knows ‘giving back to the community? sounds like a cliche, but he can’t help using that phrase to describe his motivation.
For his own personal enrichment ? and investment ? Grosz uses both his formal training and personal research as a wine collector.
‘It’s gone real well,? he said, and even ‘bad? investments don’t go to waste. ‘If I can’t sell it at a profit, I get to drink it. Where’s the loss??
Grosz also took a class in glass blowing through the Detroit Institute of Arts, expressing a fascination in an art one cannot touch while creating it.
‘It takes about 10 years before you get decent,? he said. ‘I don’t want to tell you how I was after 24 hours of class.?
In addition to all the above, certain childhood memories also motivate Grosz to be a regular sponsor of youth teams through Independence Township Parks and Recreation.
‘What’s different these days is that I make sure to support both boys and girls teams,? he said.