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Costas Yiannouris knows everything there is to know about chasing one’s dreams, which led him on a winding path to Salisbury long ago to open The Greek Pita Place.
Having grown up in Cyprus, a small island country located in the Mediterranean Sea, Costas was always surrounded by rich, vibrant foods, and his entrepreneurial spirit yearned for more. Together, Cyprus and the mainland of Greece share a common ethnicity, heritage, language and religion.
Following his time spent in the Cypriot military, he moved to the United States in his early 20s to chase the American dream. Now 74, Costas claims he’s still chasing it to this day, even as his son Andreas has taken the lead.
According to Andreas, as an immigrant, his father jumped around from Florida to Ohio to New York to New Jersey before, finally, ending up in the big, bustling city of Baltimore. There, he opened his very own pizzeria, Mr. Hub’s, in the late 1970s.
“Ever since I could remember, that’s all he did — just work, work, work,” Andreas said of his father’s drive to provide for his family.
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Tragedy struck the Yiannouris family years later when the shopping center where the pizzeria was located caught fire and burned down. With his livelihood reduced to a pile of ashes, Costas was left with nothing.
Within a year, however, he moved his family to Salisbury, where he then opened The Greek Pita Place, located at 800 S. Salisbury Blvd.
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“I had never heard of Wicomico County,” son Andreas said of what became his family’s new home. “It was very slow. Being a teenager in Baltimore, everything’s so fast. It was a culture shock.”
As a young man in his late teens and early 20s looking to have fun, Andreas was not always involved with the family business. It came to a point in his life where his father said to him, “Either you take the business, or it’s gone.”
The Greek restaurant, now owned by Andreas Yiannouris, has been serving the public fresh, flavorful, ethnic dishes since 1996.
Although Costas retired nearly five years ago, he still makes a valiant effort to stop by his restaurant from time to time. He still likes to get his hands dirty, Andreas said of his father, whom his staff calls “Gus.”
Salisbury has grown, along with its restaurant scene
Salisbury has grown immensely through the years, Andreas said, and in many ways.
“Between different restaurants opening and different ethnicities moving here, (Salisbury’s) culture is definitely catching up to where bigger cities are,” Andreas said. “It’s a great thing. You can’t have growth if you stay stagnant. It gets boring.”
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According to the 40-year-old, very few customers are hesitant to try any items feaured on the menu. Lamb, he said, may be the only delicacy some patrons find intimidating. Yet, they’re still willing to give it a taste.
“There was one guy who came in, had never been here before, and was so excited about it. He was taking pictures, saying he was going to put this place all over the internet,” staff member Berkeley Manning, 35, said. “It’s cool to see that.”
Andreas believes it’s important for customers to see their food being prepared.
“We try to stay on our toes,” he said. “We do our best to put out the best product we can and hope the customers enjoy their visit.”
Fan-favorite Grecian street-food dishes that keep customers coming back for more include the restaurant’s chicken souvlaki and falafel sandwiches, both wrapped in warm pita bread, and Andreas’ very own creation – feta fries.
“I wanted to do a variation of a poutine, so I came up with feta fries,” Andreas said of the dish, which contains fresh, hand-cut fries layered with crumbled feta cheese, creamy Greek sauce and Mediterranean oregano.
Zest for creamy Greek sauce leads to new venture
Patrons go crazy over the restaurant’s creamy Greek sauce, the owner said.
“I don’t know how many times people comment on social media, asking, ‘Where’s the recipe? Where’s the recipe?’ ” he said.
The ever-growing enthusiasm has led Andreas to devise an exciting new business plan — bottle and sell his family’s famous creamy Greek sauce.
Right now, he and his staff are patiently waiting for labels to be printed before they can begin the bottling process. He believes they will be able to start selling the sauce in about two months.
“This gives customers a chance to make a salad for the family at home. If they like our dressing, they can get a bottle for their fridge,” Andreas said.
All in all, the Greek restaurant has developed a huge regular customer base which, Andreas said, is amazing. Most of his customers have been coming to the eatery for years.
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“New customers, everyday customers – I like them all,” said Herbert Campbell, 30, one cook who admits to putting his own fun twists on dishes.
“Their kids grew up here,” Andreas said.
Sometimes, regular customers who pop in for a bite will bring along their children. It’s not abnormal to see children running around the restaurant, he said. From time to time, Andreas will even bring out nerf guns, which, during most hours, he safely stows away in the back, to incite a nerf war with the kids.
“You’ve got to run with the kids, see if you can keep up with them,” he said with a laugh.
Many of his older customers are fascinated by the Greek culture, said Andreas, and will make it a point to ask questions as they order. As he answers, Andreas will point out the old photos that dot his restaurant’s walls, all of which highlight the Yiannouris family’s rich Grecian history.
Andreas believes food has the unique ability to bring all people — friends, family and strangers — together.
“It’s always good to sit down, break bread, and catch up on what life has thrown your way.”
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
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