We are so proud to share that GW Fins’ Owner, Gary Wollerman, was recently inducted into the Distinguished Restaurants of North America’s Hall of Fame.

Established in 1993, the DiRoNA Hall of Fame has named 64 previous restaurateurs to this esteemed list including legendary New Orleans restaurateurs Leah Chase and Ruth Fertel. Gary is only the seventh New Orleans Restaurateur to receive this distinction.

Candidates qualify by having at least 25 years of dedicated service, making significant contributions to the dining industry and their local community.

Gary has served the New Orleans community in a variety of ways, including creating several programs with the specific goal of increasing literacy, self-esteem, and overall education for New Orleans’ youth.

He had Little Free Libraries produced and placed outside New Orleans Police Department precincts to forge a positive relationship between New Orleans’ youth and local police officers and established the “Fins Wings For Fins’ Kids” Foundation, where 100% of the proceeds from every order of one of GW Fins’ signature appetizers, Fins Wings, would benefit local youth educational organizations.

Our guests can attest to the fact that Gary is omnipresent at GW Fins, welcoming them, serving food and recommending wines. He promotes from within, creating a work culture that is highly professional, and many of our staff have worked at GW Fins for more than a decade.

His attention to detail begins with serving guests the most pristine seafood from the Gulf and around the globe. He personally extols his passionate attitude on both staff and guests to ensure that each guest has the ultimate dining experience.

Gary was inducted into the DiRoNA Hall of Fame at a dinner held at GW Fins, which was attended by several other Hall of Fame inductees from the United States, Canada and Mexico. The award was presented to him by Scott and Kelly Breard, DiRoNA Executive Directors.