Jeffrey Markus

jeffrey-markus
Image courtesy of Jeffrey Markus

Toronto restaurateur Jeffrey Markus is compelled to pursue entrepreneurship despite the toll it has taken on his mental health.

Markus started at his father’s international casino business in his teens. The pressure he placed on himself to succeed brought about unhealthy coping mechanisms that only exacerbated the depression he grappled with on a daily basis – challenges that would continue over the course of his various careers. His story is not atypical for entrepreneurs, but his willingness to share it openly is unusual.

Now, having operated one of Toronto’s most profitable restaurants for the past 15 years, Markus reflects on his non-linear and often painful path to success. After the constant travel and long hours put a strain on his first marriage, he left the casino industry and became a bar manager, eventually managing six downtown Toronto establishments.

Encouraged by this success, he started his own venture, which failed. Like many entrepreneurs, Markus took professional failure personally. He felt like his life had lost meaning – his entrepreneurial unravelling saw his mental health take a turn for the worse.

Markus’s unilateral determination, however, meant that he never gave up. Ironically, the same trait that made many of his earlier relationships suffer meant that he got help and started over – this time, with a more favourable outcome, even though Markus and his business partner eventually parted ways.

Jeffrey Markus’s third business is his most successful; Daddyo’s Pasta & Salad has become an institution.

Markus sees his journey as emblematic of the typical entrepreneurial experience: with the clarity of hindsight, he would do some things differently, but he has no regrets.