Comment from TCA: This article provides important context on the closure of the Greene Turtle in Towson. We encourage our members to try out the many amazing restaurants and bars in our wonderful community!
Geo Concepcion calls himself a turnaround CEO.
In 2019, he was 34 when The Greene Turtle hired him to modernize a longtime Maryland sports bar brand struggling with closures and declining sales.
Among Concepcion’s most ambitious undertakings was a $4 million flagship project in downtown Towson that would eventually include a second-floor sportsbook gambling facility. Along with a new branch in Canton, the Towson restaurant was hoped to be a game changer for the Greene Turtle, making the most of Maryland’s recent legalization of sports betting.
Six years later, the Greene Turtle is on the verge of closing the Towson bar amid declining revenue and a public backlash to its “Thirsty Thursday” promotions.
During a liquor board hearing this past week, Concepcion called the Towson restaurant “the most expensive and shortest-lived project in the Greene Turtle’s 50-year history.” At the same hearing, the liquor board issued the spot a $1,000 fine and suspended its liquor license Thursdays in October.
Concepcion, who previously worked as chief operating officer of Famous Dave’s, has characterized the problems at Towson as an isolated affair for The Greene Turtle, a byproduct of declining foot traffic in the area and hostility from competitors.
But the Greene Turtle’s issues appear to go beyond its Thirsty Thursday promotions in Towson. The company, which is headquartered in Canton and has 19 locations in Maryland, closed a branch in Westminster late last month, while another franchise in Harford Mall shuttered earlier this year. Both faced low sales, Concepcion said.
The company is facing a lawsuit over unpaid rent from its landlord in White Marsh for a location that closed in 2023, with a trial scheduled for this month. Concepcion said the Greene Turtle is negotiating with the White Marsh mall to settle its lease termination.
Earlier this year, the Towson location’s landlord, MFI Realty, filed liens against The Greene Turtle and its parent company, ITA Group Holdings, totaling more than $100,000. Concepcion said MFI had imposed various financial penalties in the wake of the Greene Turtle’s Thirsty Thursday promotions and accused the landlord of “piling on” to the company’s misfortunes. A representative for the commercial real estate brokerage firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read full article: The Greene Turtle’s problems go beyond Thirsty Thursday in Towson – The Baltimore Banner
