President and Managing Partner

Grant brings over 28 years of experience in the restaurant industry. He literally grew up in the hospitality industry. His late father, Don, was a Hyatt regional vice-president based out of Chicago’s largest hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Grant lived and worked in that hotel for much of his early life. He received his BS degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and received his MBA from Duke University.

Many herald Grant as the only one in the country that can make a celebrity restaurant work. Under Grant’s leadership, Harry Caray’s Restaurants have grown from one to four locations in the Chicagoland area since first opening in 1987. Harry Caray’s, an Italian Steakhouse celebrating the accomplishments of sports announcer Harry Caray, has been voted best steakhouse in Chicago, best sports restaurant in the country, and has won the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence every year since 1989. Harry’s has been consistently ranked by Restaurants and Institutions Magazine among the top 100 independent restaurants in the country and has placed Harry Caray’s Restaurant Group as one of the Top 75 Multiconcept Operators in the Country.

Through his efforts over the years, Harry Caray’s has become the most known Chicago restaurant in the world appearing on more television and radio stations and in more newspapers than any other restaurant in Chicago. It has been written about in every major paper in the country; been on the Tonight Show, Nightline, Peter Jennings‚ World News Tonight, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, Time Magazine, and People Magazine; and has been on more local newscasts than any other restaurant in Chicago. Grant’s most notable promotion was the purchase and later destruction of the infamous Cubs foul ball. The event was credited with bringing the Today Show to Chicago for the first time in two decades, as well as holding every position in ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 stories, the top 4 positions in MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and making the front page of the New York Times, USA Today and Los Angeles Times. The event garnered so much press that Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed declared that she had not seen anyone doing anything bigger in her forty year career.

Grant also works tirelessly on behalf of many civic and charitable organizations at the local and state level. Grant serves as Chairman of the Illinois Tourism Alliance, Past Chairman of Chicago’s Gateway Green Committee, Past Chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association, Executive Committee Member of the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, Past Chairman of the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, Board Member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the River North Association, Quantum Learning and the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and serves on the steering committee for the Radio Hall of Fame.

5 Questions with Grant DePorter

Who does Harry Caray's President Grant DePorter admire in the business world? Did he ever anticipate the amount of publicity from the Foul Ball Toast? If he could cast anyone to play bartender Frankie O in a movie, who would it be? See all these answers or more in Comcast's "5 Questions wiht Grant DePorter" at Comcast SportsNet.