LIFE

Owners marvel at 40 years of Greene Turtle power

Hannah Carroll
hcarroll2@dmg.gannett.com
The current faces of the original Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City — operations manager Shawn Sturgis, Stephen Pappas, Greene Turtle founder Steve Pappas, Jason Pappas, and Leo the 10-month-old labradoodle.

In 1976, college buddies Steve Pappas and Tommy Dickerson headed to Ocean City in search of summer jobs.

Finding work was easy, but keeping it was not.

By midsummer, the pair had already been fired three times.

"Only one of those times was our fault," Pappas said, recalling the rambunctious summer. "OK, well, maybe two of them."

Newly unemployed, the young men went out on a beer run. They noticed a new bar being built and asked the owners for a job.

Once again, Pappas and Dickerson found work. But this time, things were different.

It's been 40 years and the two still have ties with the bar, but they no longer work the door and stack crates of beer.

They own the place, along with 48 other locations under its iconic name, the Greene Turtle.

"We knew the minute we started working here that it was special, that is was our future," Pappas said.

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From peanuts to riches

In its early days, the Greene Turtle — named after a bar in Florida the original owners had liked — was an English-style pub, filled with backgammon and dart boards, hundreds of books and slow burning candles.

There was no kitchen or bar food, just a big barrel of peanuts in the middle of the room.

Word of its sophisticated charm spread quickly, and the Greene Turtle became a popular Ocean City hangout.

Business was great — each night, the line to get in wrapped around the block — but it wasn't what the original owners had in mind. They desired a small, intimate place where everyone knew each other. Not the wild, crazy hot spot the Greene Turtle was becoming.

When they decided to sell the place, Dickerson suggested he and Pappas buy it. Since they were "busboy broke," he said, Pappas' father agreed to help and took out a second mortgage to fund the purchase.

"We had no doubt in our minds that it was a good idea," said Pappas. "We knew we could make it work. We knew what the Greene Turtle was capable of."

When they took over in 1980, they transformed the place into a sports bar.

Both Pappas and Dickerson had been star athletes at then-Salisbury State University, and they wanted their new business to reflect their passions.

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They encouraged friends, old classmates and teammates to visit the bar, and quickly turned it into a locals' spot by day and a packed dance hall by night, offering live entertainment and drink specials.

Taking it to the next level 

Within a few years, Dickerson and Pappas had paid off their debt, and began entertaining the idea of expanding with a new location across the Bay Bridge to supplement Ocean City's slow offseason.

In 1986, with the help of another college buddy, Billy Packo, they opened a Greene Turtle in Fells Point.

"That's when we discovered the power of food and what it could do for our business," he said. "It was long after that we unveiled a menu in Ocean City."

Following success in Baltimore, Pappas and Dickerson opened a third location in Laurel in 1990, with the help of Mike Sandford. Additional Greene Turtle locations popped up in 1999, in Edgewater and West Ocean City.

The men decided to take things to the next level in 2002, and franchise, excluding the Ocean City, Fells Point and West Ocean City locations. Pappas and Dickerson's business decision resulted in nearly 50 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic area, and by 2010, the Green Turtle was recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as the fastest-growing sports bar franchise in the nation.

Pappas now operates the original location — although his sons Stephen and Jason are slowly absorbing responsibilities, while Dickerson runs the show in West Ocean City and Packo handles Fells Point.

"The original Turtle cannot be duplicated," Pappas said. "But we send all of the franchisees to 'turtle school' to teach them our ways."

Trust in the turtle 

Pappas and Dickerson knew the Turtle could be big someday, but they never fathomed just how big.

They credit their 40 years of success to filling a niche with each location they opened, having good food and an ongoing commitment to their customers and their communities.

But it was the logo, he said, that really made the whole thing soar.

"The turtle icon made it all possible," he said. "We put it on everything, from T-shirts to mugs to sweat pants to shot glasses, and we sold the crap out of it. That's how we got our name out there, and it was so easy."

Each year, the Greene Turtle lends its support to charitable causes and fundraisers. Frequent beneficiaries of its support include the American Cancer Society, the local humane society and youth recreation programs. Each location also offers the "Funds for Friends" program, where a portion of the day’s earnings support a local cause.

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"Tommy and I always said if we made it, we would never forget where we came from, and believe me, we did not come from money," he said, smiling. "We have always given back. And we always will."

While there are a number of Greene Turtle locations now, there are no exact replicas of the original on 116th Street. Pappas said most of its magic comes from the fact that it has had many of same employees for decades.

"Our employees are our family," he said. “Our success has always belonged to the turtle, but the turtle would be nothing without our employees.”

On Twitter @hcarroll_1 and Facebook at Facebook.com/byhannahcarroll

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Cajun Pasta at The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
Hog Hammers Feast at The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
Hog Hammers Feast at The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
Cajun Pasta at The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.
The Greene Turtle on 116th Street in Ocean City.

The Orginial Greene Turtle

Where: 11601 Coastal Hwy, Ocean City

When: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily

Call: 410-723-2120

Visit: thegreeneturtle.com

Greene Turtle West OC

Where: 9616 Stephen Decatur Hwy, Ocean City

When: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily 

Call: 410-213-1500

Visit: thegreeneturtle.com

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