Two new locations are underway for The Greeks, a family-run restaurant that has served traditional Greek fare to the Wilmington area for more than a decade.
 
In addition to a forthcoming space in a new development underway at Leland Town Center, slated to open early next year, the restaurant recently announced it will also open a third local Greeks in the Ogden Market Place off Market Street. Yanni Papanikolaou, who operates The Greeks with his parents, George and Roula Papanikolaou, said the family has long eyed the shopping plaza as a potential location for another Greeks eatery.
 
“The way that area is growing, I expect good things from it,” he said.  
 
The 2,600-square-foot footprint will be refreshed to better match the atmosphere of the Oleander Drive location before it opens this fall.
 
“We don’t want to reinvent the wheel because the layout is good and it’s functional. But at the same time, we’re going to make it ours. We’re going to give it our own personality,” Yanni Papanikolaou said.
 
The new Ogden spot will seat about 70 people, making it slightly smaller than its Oleander Drive counterpart. Like the Leland location, the new Greeks in Ogden will offer the same menu served at the original restaurant, including the best-selling gyros, Greek salads and spanakopita.
 
Since The Greeks first opened downtown in 2011, the business has changed locations and opened new ventures. The eatery on Oleander Drive is currently the only one open, but the business’s experience growing the concept has informed a new franchising package released late last year.
 
Both of the new locations will be opened under the Greeks franchising model but operated by the Papanikolaou family. Once the businesses are established, Yanni Papanikolaou said the family will be open to selling the Leland and Ogden restaurants to interested franchisees.
 
The family is currently discussing other franchising opportunities, and Yanni Papanikolaou listed Raleigh as a location where these discussions are progressing successfully. To ensure the quality of franchised eateries is on par with the original restaurant, the Papanikolaou family will work directly with the owners of each new venture for the first six months. This is particularly true in Wilmington, Yanni Papanikolaou noted, due to the family’s appreciation for the customers who have long supported The Greeks.

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