Restaurateur Mark Maguire is operational manager of rise n°1 and owner of Maguire’s restaurant in Dallas. A 20-year veteran of the food industry, Maguire has had a long and interesting career that has afforded him the opportunity to wear many hats.
Prior to launching his first restaurant, Maguire cultivated one of his most rewarding career connections: his long-standing relationship with Walt Disney World. Working for Disney, Maguire learned the importance of catering to customer comfort and the signature attention to detail that marks his establishments. His tenure with the company earned him international recognition in the hospitality industry.
After a successful launch of Disney’s Pleasure Island facility in Florida, Disney executives tapped Maguire to oversee the grand opening of EuroDisney outside Paris. Following the opening, Maguire remained in Paris as operations manager for FestivalDisney, where he coordinated efforts to maintain Disney’s exacting standards of hospitality and guest service. While living in “The City of Light,” Maguire gained an appreciation for French culture, cuisine, and the Europeans’ leisurely enjoyment of fine food and wine.
He then returned to the states to help Carlson Restaurants Worldwide launch its first specialty concept, The Front Row Sports Grille, at the Ballpark in Arlington. After two years with Carlson, Maguire joined Unique Restaurant Concepts as managing partner for Max's Grille, a 250-seat chef-driven restaurant located in the Disney community of Celebration, Florida.
After launching over 25 restaurants for various companies, Maguire then decided to venture out on his own to open Maguire’s in 1999. Born of his desire to create a relaxed, inviting restaurant with a diverse menu, void of fuss or snobbery, for people who simply enjoy food, Maguire’s is still consistently recognized as one of the top restaurants in Dallas.
Its accolades include being voted one of the “Top 100 Restaurants in Dallas” by Guidelive.com,
“Best Upscale Casual Restaurant in Dallas” by MSN’s Best of City Search, “Best Brunch in Dallas” by MSN’s Best of City Search, and “Best Wait Staff” by the Dallas Observer.
A leader in the Dallas restaurant community, Maguire is past president of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, vice president of the Texas Restaurant Association, and sits on the board of Phil Romano's Hunger Busters Foundation, which feeds the homeless. Maguire has received numerous awards for his philanthropic work and leadership in the restaurant industry throughout his career, including being named Dallas Restaurateur of the Year by the Texas Restaurant Association. In addition to launching rise n°1, he is also currently working on several consulting jobs, including a boutique resort development on Royal Island in the Bahamas.
Maguire’s prior connection to Paris, coupled with his own “no attitude, just great food” concept of what makes a restaurant successful, were a fortuitous match for Hedda Gioia Dowd’s vision of a salon de soufflé and wine bar called rise n°1. As always, Maguire was ready to “rise” to the occasion and looks forward to opening more rise n°1 locations in the near future.
