26 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM mom-and-pop restaurants are a dying breed,” he says. A business entrepreneurship graduate from the University of Southern California, Greg worked on a deal that took several years to complete. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. “You don’t go into the restaurant industry because you think you’re going to make a lot of money,” Greg explains. “But what you do get is that sense of community that I had never really experienced before. When you’re part of this community, it is better than any financial gain I’ve ever received. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” From contractors and students {punchline} to venture capitalists and Little League teams, the Goose’s customer base is diverse and loyal. Patrons have celebrated milestones at the Goose, from their first baseball team win in the 1970s to their 40-year high school reunion. Stanford Business School hosts regular meetings at the Dutch Goose. For many years, Stanford University’s bus had a regular stop at the restaurant. “We are so fortunate, with 20 schools in a two-mile radius of us,” Greg points out. “We host a lot of reunions.” The Goose also features a trivia night on Thursdays and a chalk board where customers can write the name of a friend for whom they have bought a drink in advance. Greg is as local as it gets. He graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School and is raising his three young boys in his hometown with his wife Angela, a restaurant veteran herself. Naturally, they enjoy engaging with the community. “We’ve been going through T-ball and all the way up through Little League,” explains Greg. “We’ll sponsor a team, and then they’ll come in and have a team party.” Along with supporting local youth sports, the Dutch Goose helps provide hundreds of college sponsorships and mentoring programs through the Peninsula College Fund. When it comes to well-known customers, the Dutch Goose touts a long list that includes former Vice President Al Gore, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and the San Francisco Giants’ J.T. Snow. Greg cites former Stanford quarterback and Super Bowl champion Jim Plunkett as one of the restaurant’s most esteemed regulars. “Jim Plunkett is a staple at the Goose,” he says. “He is among the most humble guys I have ever met. His daughters were both bartenders at the Goose.” One of Greg’s most mem-
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