Legendary Valley restaurateur Lee Cohn passes away at age 78

Lee Cohn, co-founder and leader of the Valley’s legendary hospitality group Big 4 Restaurants, passed away Friday morning at the age of 78. He had been battling pancreatic cancer since 2024.

‘‘He was my best friend, mentor, father, and favorite fishing partner,’’ his son Chris (pictured with his father) posted on social media. ‘‘After a courageous fight with pancreatic cancer he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and loved ones.’’

If there was a Mount Rushmore of Valley restaurateurs, Lee Cohn surely would be on it.

In the 1970s and ’80s, Cohn and his partners launched more than two dozen popular concepts – including Ed Debevic’s, Lunt Avenue Marble Club, Oscar Taylor’s, Steamers, and The American Grill – that were the cutting edge of Arizona’s dining scene.

Cohn also was famous for his ‘‘Standards of Excellence,’’ rules that all employees were expected to carry and adhere to. They included greeting every guest by name, delivering entrees in a certain number of minutes, and thanking guests after their meal.

Cohn received the first Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Arizona State University, his alma mater, in 1984.

More recently, he worked as an industry consultant and served on the board of directors of numerous companies, including the Morton’s Restaurant Group, Marie Callendar’s, and McCormick & Schmick’s.

Cohn also served on several community boards, including Valley Big Brothers and Sisters, the Phoenix Thunderbirds, Boys Hope-Girls Hope, the Phoenix Ballet, the Fiesta Bowl Committee, and the Young Presidents Organization.

‘‘I’ll do my best to carry on his legacy of loving his family and friends, living life to the fullest, having fun and always living in the moment,’’ Chris Cohn said.