[1] After working as a server on a cruise ship, Peter got his start in the United States as a waiter at Brooklyn's famous Peter Luger Steak House from 1971 to 1973, followed by stints at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel as food and beverage manager, and later at Regines in New York, also as food and beverage manager.
In 1979, Peter was joined by Karl Zartler, who was his partner in the creation and operation of Vienna 79, a sixty-five seat fine dining restaurant located on 79th Street on New York's Upper East Side.
The restaurant is located in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District and "focuses on authentic representations of classic Austrian and Continental European cuisine".
Now adults, Nicholas and Elisabeth run the day-to-day operations at Grunauer, which is located in Kansas City's historic Freight House.
Peter married TWA flight attendant Lynne Bielski in 1976, and they had two children: Elisabeth and Nicholas.