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TBO Features THG!

Tampa Bay Online (TBO) did a feature on our restaurants in their news section and we wanted to share the article with you below:

WESLEY CHAPEL – Locals looking for authentic Greek gyros, souvlakia and baklava don’t have to drive to Tarpon Springs anymore.

The Hungry Greek restaurant opened in January along a stretch of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard that is being widened.

Despite the road work, and although there isn’t a name on the strip mall where the restaurant is located, owner George Constantinou, 28, says business has been even better than he expected in the growing area between state roads 54 and 56.

“We’ve been busy since we opened,” Constantinou said. “Everybody talks about us. They must be saying the right things.”

On a recent weekday, a lunch crowd started to gather shortly before noon. Until close to 2 p.m., a steady stream of patrons ate inside the 1,500-square-foot restaurant, while a few people elected to dine at outside tables.

Constantinou smiled at the gathering.

Maybe that’s a family trait.

Constantinou’s father, Dino, moved to upstate New York from Cyprus at 15. His uncles ran diners, and Dino Constantinou has never worked anywhere but a restaurant – just like his son.

Dino Constantinou eventually moved to Florida and owned the Farmer Boy Restaurant in Clearwater with brother Chris for almost 30 years. He helped create the Farmer Boy Greek Dressing that is sold in Publix, Sweetbay and other supermarkets in seven states.

He opened the first Hungry Greek location on Race Track Road in the Westchase area of Tampa more than three years ago, where his daughter Vicki Constantinou helps run the business.

“We started the Hungry Greek concept,” Dino Constantinou said. “It’s easy to operate. Everything is fresh and healthy and made to order. The volume is so big that nothing gets old. We get good quality foods. It costs us more, but our customers see” the value.

The customers also see the owners.

“This is the business I know,” Dino Constantinou said. “It’s happy work, and you have to be there to watch it. If not, you’re not going to last. It’s rewarding. We love the people. The customers are coming because we’re there and we pay personal attention to them and they love that. We’re very well-known for that.

“The satisfaction is that the people leave and they’re happy with the food and they send in their friends and neighbors. We give them good food, and a lot of it.”

The recipes used at The Hungry Greek, which serves beer and wine, are similar to those followed by Dino Constantinou’s mother.

Besides gyros and other pita-wrapped items, there is spinach pie, fried grouper, dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with beef, rice, tomato and herbs), baked mousaka (a lasagna-type dish featuring eggplant, potatoes, ground beef and bechemel sauce) and an array of salads.

“It’s very authentic,” Dino Constantinou said. “You cannot get in any other restaurant the same flavor that we have in our dishes.”

George Constantinou said Pasco County’s lack of authentic Greek places, coupled with The Hungry Greek’s relaxed atmosphere, will mean success for the eatery.

“I just like our concept,” he said. “It’s fresh and it’s fast, but it’s definitely not fast food. It’s a place you could take your girlfriend on the weekend.”

His father hopes others also like the concept, and not just from a customer’s point of view. By next year, he hopes to be able to offer franchise opportunities, about which he already has fielded inquiries.

“I get e-mail and calls all the time,” Dino Constantinou said. “A lot of people seem like they’re interested.”

THE HUNGRY GREEK

The Hungry Greek restaurant is at 2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., north of State Road 56. For information, call (813) 345-8526 or visit www.thehungrygreek.com.

You can view the entire article HERE.