I own The Soda Jerk Diner, which is a classic 1950s-style diner, and Simply Greek, our Greek restaurant here in the community. What we try to do in both places is pretty simple. We want to provide great food and great service for our local community.

I grew up in the restaurant business. My father immigrated from Greece, and like a lot of Greek families who came to America, he got into restaurants. So I was raised in it. For a long time, I thought I’d go in a different direction. I went to college, graduated, worked in finance for years, and even spent some time in Manhattan. That was the plan when I was younger—corporate life, banking, that whole world. I love New York, but in the end, it just wasn’t for me. The restaurants pulled me back. It felt like where I was supposed to be.

A big turning point in my journey was opening Simply Greek. We opened the doors one month before the pandemic. I don’t think anyone ever expects to live through something like that, let alone run two restaurants while it’s happening. Every day felt different. You never knew what was coming. It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life, and I know everyone in the industry would say the same.

What got us through it was the community. People here weren’t going to let us fail. They were excited to finally have a Greek restaurant in the area, and they showed up for us in a huge way. During the height of everything, we were doing nonstop takeout. Cars were lined up, and we were bringing food out and dropping it into people’s trunks. It was incredible to see. You felt loved, honestly. Word spread fast, and people kept coming back. That’s what helped us survive that time.

The hardest stretch we’ve faced since I started working full time was during COVID. Every business dealt with restrictions, and we were no different. We had to remove seating for a while and completely rethink the flow of how customers came in and out. We shifted to more of a grab-and-go setup and made sure people felt comfortable walking through our doors. It wasn’t easy, but we adapted, and people kept coming back. In a lot of ways, that period made us stronger.

When a problem shows up, deal with it and move on. Don’t let it sit in your head and get bigger than it is. And don’t get too high or too low. If something goes great, enjoy it, but don’t get carried away. If something goes wrong, don’t let it crush you. Keep your head straight, keep moving forward, and things will fall into place over time. That mindset is a big part of why I choose this life instead of being a tiny piece in a big corporation.

As far as a quote or a mantra, I don’t really have one I repeat all the time. You’d think being Greek I’d have a whole philosophy for everything, but nothing specific sticks out from growing up. What I will say is that in Greek culture, the restaurant business is a big part of how many families got their start in America. I was the first in my family to graduate college, and now you see Greek families where the kids are lawyers or doctors or work in all kinds of fields, but restaurants were really the foundation for a lot of people when they first arrived.

We support the Lower Dauphin and Hershey high schools whenever we can. The students are here all the time, and we love being part of that environment. We also take part in community events, whether it’s donating gift cards or helping out in other ways. Cocoa Packs is another big one for us as well.

On my days off, I love spending time with my family. I like to stay active, too, and I play basketball a couple of days a week. I’m tall, so people assume I’m decent at it, and I did play in high school, so I still try to keep up.