Gregg's Restaurants & Taverns

Gregg's Restaurants & Taverns is a privately held regional casual-dining chain based in Warwick, Rhode Island. The business began in 1972, when Edmund Fuller acquired a restaurant in receivership in Warwick and converted it into the first Gregg's location. The Gregg's name was inherited from the previous operator rather than created as part of a new corporate launch. Fuller initially developed the restaurant around a New York-deli-inspired concept, using deli sandwiches and related menu cues as a foundation. The operation later broadened into a more substantial American restaurant offering that included dinner plates, soups, baked goods, and desserts. The chain expanded gradually within Rhode Island rather than pursuing a national rollout. A second location opened in East Providence in 1979, followed by a Providence restaurant in 1985 and a North Kingstown location in 1993. This produced a compact four-restaurant network concentrated in the state. To support consistency and volume across the locations, Gregg's established a commissary in Pawtucket. The facility produces or supports production of desserts, soups, dressings, and other items used in the restaurants, giving the company a centralized food-production capability while retaining a local restaurant identity. Gregg's is associated with American casual dining and a menu that combines sandwiches, burgers, entrees, seafood and other familiar restaurant fare with a prominent dessert program. Its desserts are an important part of the brand's identity, and the company has maintained a reputation for large, indulgent cakes and other bakery products. From the early 2000s through 2016, new and renovated restaurants incorporated dedicated bar areas marketed as tavern sections. These spaces were physically separated from the main dining rooms and extended the concept beyond a conventional family restaurant. The company also played an indirect role in restaurant-technology development. In the early 1980s, Edmund Fuller and his brother Bill Fuller developed POSitouch, a touchscreen point-of-sale system. Gregg's restaurants served as early testing environments for the system, which was intended to replace handwritten tickets and improve the tracking of orders, inventory, and sales. Bill Fuller subsequently established Restaurant Data Concepts, Inc. to commercialize the technology. By the late 1980s, POSitouch had been adopted by restaurants elsewhere in New England, while the Warwick Gregg's location continued to function as a testing site for later updates into the 2000s. Edmund Fuller retired from the restaurant business in 2008 and transferred ownership and management responsibilities to business associate Bob Bacon. Fuller died in January 2021 at age 86. Gregg's remains a locally focused Rhode Island chain rather than an international or publicly traded brand. Its present-day identity rests on a combination of neighborhood restaurants, American cuisine, separated tavern spaces, centralized commissary production, and a longstanding dessert specialty.

Gregg's Restaurants & Taverns traces its origins to 1972, when Edmund Fuller acquired a restaurant in receivership in Warwick, Rhode Island. Rather than discarding the existing identity, Fuller retained the Gregg's name and reshaped the operation into a restaurant influenced initially by the New York deli tradition. Deli sandwiches and related offerings formed part of the early concept, but the menu developed into a broader American casual-dining format with more substantial dinner choices and a prominent dessert business. The company's growth was measured and geographically concentrated. Gregg's opened a restaurant in East Providence in 1979, expanded to Providence in 1985, and added North Kingstown in 1993. The resulting group of four restaurants remained focused on Rhode Island communities. As the business expanded, Gregg's established a commissary in Pawtucket to support the locations. The commissary produces desserts, soups, dressings, and other food components, allowing the restaurants to share production resources and maintain consistency across the chain. An important technical development associated with Gregg's emerged in the early 1980s. Edmund Fuller and his brother Bill Fuller created POSitouch, a touchscreen point-of-sale system designed to replace handwritten restaurant tickets and improve operational records. Gregg's restaurants were used to test the system in actual service conditions. Bill Fuller later founded Restaurant Data Concepts, Inc. to sell the technology to other restaurants. By the late 1980s, POSitouch had reached restaurants throughout New England, and the Warwick Gregg's site continued to serve as a testing location for updates into the 2000s. The restaurant format evolved again from the early 2000s through 2016, when new or renovated locations added dedicated bar spaces identified as tavern sections. These areas were separated from the main dining rooms, creating a distinct adult-oriented component while preserving the broader casual restaurant format. The change explains the inclusion of “Taverns” in the brand's current name and reflects Gregg's effort to accommodate both dining and beverage occasions. Fuller retired in 2008 and transferred ownership and management responsibilities to business associate Bob Bacon. Fuller died in January 2021 at the age of 86. Gregg's remains a privately held, Rhode Island-centered chain. Its history is defined by gradual local expansion, centralized commissary production, a durable dessert specialization, and the use of its own restaurants as a laboratory for restaurant-management technology.

• 2021

  Edmund Fuller died

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  The founder died in January 2021 at the age of 86.

• 2014

  Presidential visit to Providence restaurant

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  President Barack Obama visited the Providence location and purchased a Death by Chocolate cake.

• 2008

  Edmund Fuller retired

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  Fuller retired and transferred ownership and management responsibilities to business associate Bob Bacon.

• 1993

  North Kingstown location opened

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  Gregg's opened its fourth reported restaurant in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

• 1985

  Providence location opened

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  The chain added a Providence restaurant, extending its presence in the state's largest city.

• 1979

  East Providence location opened

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  Gregg's expanded beyond its original Warwick location with a restaurant in East Providence.

• 1972

  First Gregg's restaurant established in Warwick

  [1]Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org

  Edmund Fuller acquired a restaurant in receivership in Warwick, Rhode Island, and converted it into the first Gregg's restaurant while retaining the site's existing name.

A locally rooted Rhode Island casual restaurant chain combining American comfort food, a substantial dessert and bakery program, and separate tavern-style bar areas.

• Restaurant meals · 1972

  American casual-dining menu

  Gregg's developed from a New York-deli-inspired beginning into a broader American restaurant concept. Its menu is associated with deli sandwiches, dinner entrees, soups, and other familiar casual-dining dishes served across its Rhode Island restaurants.

• Desserts and bakery

  House-produced desserts

  Desserts are a central part of Gregg's identity. The company's Pawtucket commissary produces desserts and related bakery items for the restaurant network, supporting a consistent dessert offering and allowing the brand to emphasize cakes and other indulgent specialties.

• Signature dessert

  Death by Chocolate cake

  Death by Chocolate is a signature Gregg's dessert offering and one of the brand's most recognizable products. Its public profile was reinforced when Barack Obama purchased the cake during his 2014 visit to the Providence restaurant.

• Bar and beverage service · 2000

  Tavern sections

  Beginning in the early 2000s and continuing through 2016, new and renovated locations added dedicated bar areas branded as tavern sections. These spaces were physically separated from the primary dining rooms and broadened the occasions for which customers could visit Gregg's.

• 2008

  Ownership and management transitionOther

  Background

  Founder Edmund Fuller retired after decades of involvement with the restaurant business.

  Action taken

  Ownership and management responsibilities were transferred to business associate Bob Bacon.

  Aftermath

  Gregg's continued as a privately held regional chain under new ownership and management responsibility.

  Source

• 2000

  Introduced dedicated tavern areasStrategy

  Background

  Gregg's was adapting its restaurant format to accommodate both dining and bar occasions.

  Action taken

  New and renovated restaurants began incorporating physically separate bar spaces branded as tavern sections.

  Aftermath

  The tavern format became part of the chain's identity and was implemented through 2016.

  Source

• 1980

  Adopted early touchscreen point-of-sale testingStrategy

  Background

  Handwritten restaurant tickets limited operational tracking as the business developed.

  Action taken

  Edmund and Bill Fuller developed and tested POSitouch in Gregg's restaurants to improve order handling, inventory tracking, and sales records.

  Aftermath

  The system was later commercialized by Restaurant Data Concepts and adopted by restaurants across New England, while Gregg's continued as a test environment.

  Source

• 1972

  Retained the Gregg's name while repositioning the acquired restaurantStrategy

  Background

  Edmund Fuller acquired a restaurant in receivership in Warwick and inherited the site's existing Gregg's name.

  Action taken

  He kept the name but developed the operation around a New York-deli motif before broadening the menu into American dinner and dessert offerings.

  Aftermath

  The retained name became the basis of a Rhode Island restaurant chain that later expanded to three additional locations.

  Source

1. 1Gregg's Restaurants & Tavernsen.wikipedia.org