The principals of Black Bear Diner West Inc. are George Sammut, Dave Doty, Robin Yoshimura and Chuck Riske.  Here are their profiles.

Shown here with "Betsy", the Black Bear Diner Truck, "Jump", the family dog, and a few Bear friends, the Sammut family is very active in the community and keeps Black Bear Diner involved in as many local fundraising and charitable events as possible.

George and Sandra reside in Gilroy, California, "The Garlic Capital of the World"!  With daughter Nicole and son Anthony, they enjoy the warm climate of the Santa Clara Valley and its proximity to the various nearby mountain ranges to the east, and Pacific Ocean coastline to the west.

While Sandra is a long time Parks and Recreational Supervisor for the City of Gilroy, George stays very active in the daily operations of the Diners.  Nicole is finishing college at California State University Monterey Bay, and at age 8, Anthony proudly attends St. Mary School in Gilroy.
 
 
 
 

The Doty family is shown here enjoying their favorite Colorado activity... SKIING!

Although this bear family lives in Colorado, the Doty’s are deep in the heart of Black Bear Diner.

David is busy on many levels with Black Bear Diners, as one of the owners of the franchisor company, as well as the operating owner of SunWest Restaurant Concepts, Inc., a major Black Bear Diner franchisee.

Hannelore is active in the community and very busy raising (driving!) three kids.  Andrew, a junior and Lauren, a sophomore, both attend Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, while Dominic is a 7th grader at All Souls Catholic School.

Family time usually means skiing together or cheering someone on at a soccer or volleyball game.  Vacations often find the Doty’s in California with “Bear” partner George Sammut and family.
 
 
 
 

Robin “Aloha Bear” Yoshimura with family and friends after dining at the Black Bear in Sparks, Nevada.  From left to right, Shawn, Skye, Sarah, Robin and Lillian Yoshimura, Darnell Fujisaki, Val and Marissa Ford, Riley and Derrick Fujisaki, fill up at the Bear before heading back to the slopes in Lake Tahoe.

Robin and Lillian reside in sunny Honolulu, Hawaii where they play host and hostess to all vacationing Bear family members.  Robin enjoys taking his Bear friends to the North Shore of the island to swim with the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (or “honu”) or throwing his ocean kayak off his seawall and paddling out from his marina to the open ocean.

As for Lillian, she is often in the kitchen whipping up the next banquet meal for friends and family.  Shawn is a freshman at New York University where he plays host to mom and dad on their visits to the Big Apple.  Sarah is a junior at Maryknoll High School and Skye is a seventh grader at St. Louis School, Robin’s alma mater.
 
 

The Riske family, shown here from left to right: Chuck, youngest son Kurt, daughter Robin, eldest son Whit, and Carolyn enjoying an evening together.

Chuck and Carolyn reside in Scottsdale, Arizona, “The West’s Most Western Town.”  Chuck is a long time restauranteur, who has devoted much of his time the past six years to Black Bear Diner and the development of the concept.  In addition to his partnership in Black Bear Diner West, he also serves as Vice President of Operations for SunWest Restaurant Concepts.

The Riske’s children are all grown.  Daughter, Robin, who recently married Mason Myers, resides in San Francisco, Ca. and works as Controller for Peets Coffee Company.  Oldest son, Whit, works as Project Manager for Snyder-Langston Construction Company in Orange County, Ca., while the youngest son, Kurt, resides in Scottsdale and works as a Manager for Black Bear Diner.

Carolyn is presently enjoying retirement after spending many years helping support the family as a Cytogenetic Technologist.  Carolyn still works part time at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.  The Riskes all enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, and golf.