Stephen Starr

Stephen Starr, owner of STARR Restaurants, began working in the restaurant industry at the age of 21 when he opened his first club in an Old City diner, Grand Mom Minnie's, which served food during the day and comedy at night. Next he opened Stars, a cabaret/restaurant that featured acts who were just starting out such as Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Belzer and Pat Benatar. Continuing to promote live entertainment, Starr opened a larger venue, the Ripley Music Hall, which showcased new talent such as U2, The Eurythmics, Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen, who were still very small at the time. Eventually he began The Concert Company to bring large-scale stadium acts to Philadelphia. Starr was responsible for memorable shows including: Madonna, Lionel Ritchie, George Michael and others. In 1990, when Electric Factory Concerts bought him out, he used the profit to open several new venues including: Shake, Burger and Roll, a kitschy diner; The Bank, a trendy dance club which later became District Nightclub; and Cafe Republic, a Russian-themed caviar and vodka bar.