Mesquite, NV-

Local restaurant and classic social favorite Chicago Greek hit a big mark this month, as they hit the “Big 5” as in 5 years in business. The restaurant located at 355 W. Mesquite Blvd #B30, has become one of the favorites for authentic cultural cuisine and experience. The restaurant opened on March 1, 2017, and has ever since been building “connections”.

“That is what the dining business is all about, making connections,” said Tassos Spentzos, co-owner of Chicago Greek.

The local eatery is full of surprises from the traditional interior decorating, to the authentic Chicago and Greek menu, to the social feel of “family”. It is literally a “Mom and Pop” kitchen. In fact, the co-owners Tassos and Laura are nicknamed “Pop” and “Mom” by several of the regulars.

“People come back all the time,” said Laura Andrews. “They have told us it has the comfort of home. They love the connections they make here.”

“Pop” Tassos immigrated to the United States from Greece when he was 10 years old and immediately started working in the restaurant business field as he worked for his family who had a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois.

“I have been doing this for 40 years,” said Pop. “I started working with 7 siblings and other family members.”

He laughed as he said the number of siblings he had. “It was easier to cover the restaurant that way,” joked Pop.

Even though Tassos and Laura were both from Chicago, they did not meet in Chicago, but here in Mesquite.

“We were both working as poker dealers at Eureka,” said Laura (Mom).

Mom related how she had been a poker dealer for years and even a dealer for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. She found Eureka was paying better and was a better job so she ended up in Mesquite.

“And I noticed she had said she was from Illinois and I thought anybody from Illinois is good,” said Pop.

Meanwhile, Pop traveled through on way to California and loved it here, moving to Mesquite shortly after that trip. It was then that they started together on this journey of life and a business venture that would become Chicago Greek.

Pop does the cooking while Mom does the paperwork, kitchen work, cleaning, and finances. “We work good together,” said Mom.

They have set a goal of keeping the business going as is. “We have happy customers and we are happy so why not keep it going the same,” said Pop.

The one difference is they want to go back to longer hours, but unfortunately, they have come across the hardship of not enough help and not enough people wanting to work. They are currently open Monday-Wednesday from 10:30 am until 5:00 pm and Thursday-Saturday from 10:30 am until 7:00 pm.

“We stress cleanliness and fresh here,” said Mom.

“We clean every day and rotate all the food almost daily,” added Pop. “We ge3t deliveries 4 times a week, including the real deal from Chicago for the Chicago dogs, buns, and pickles.”

Both Mom and Pop talked about how they have been a huge hit with tourists and have seen many tourists come back every time they are in town. “From Northern Utah, Europeans, and all over we get tourists coming in due to word of mouth,” said Mom. “They are always hearing about this amazing food and fun place.”

Part of the social aspect is the fact they do not have a full-time waiting staff but rely on all workers to help out with customer service. They also have a family-oriented setting as we do not serve alcohol and also pay respect to our military and first responders with a 10% discount for being heroes and their hard work.

The restaurant has become such an ideal example of an excellent dining experience that they carry 4.7-5.0 star ratings on such sites as Google, Menupix, Restaurant Guru, and MapQuest.

When asked about his success and how to gain such success, Pop Tassos replied that the one thing he learned is customer service.

“The Customer is always right especially when he is wrong,” said Pop.

I have learned from complaints on the cooking and have come to customize my own recipes which have become huge hits with our customer base. Of course, he did say that this quote didn’t pertain to a customer who paid for water and taking soda pop or (something similar), but he still reminded that good customer service is a huge part of success.

“We appreciate all of our customers and thank everyone for supporting us, especially our regulars,” said Mom.

Chicago Greek continues to serve their delectable and delicious cuisine from Chicago and Greece and hopes to for many years to come. For more information pertaining to the top restaurant, you may contact them by phone at (702) 613-5017 or visit them during business hours.

As a side note, Greece Independence Day is on March 25th.