Meet George Koulouris | Business Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with George Koulouris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi George, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe it’s our commitment to excellence and our regard for our customers. We learned from our father, who opened Grecian Gyro in 1982, who had the motto “the customer is king.” He knew that making sure guests have the best experience and the most delicious meal was key to our continued success. He made everything fresh; salads every day, hand-cutting potatoes before it was cool, and he created his own gyro sauce and dressing that folks went crazy for. We learned from him that success comes from delivering an excellent product and treating your customers like they’re guests in your home. This is why his little gyro shop was named Best of Atlanta by Creative Loafing and Atlanta Magazine and has been a dining destination since the 80s. This was our top priority when we began expanding the business in 2007– maintaining excellence and a great customer experience. We believe that’s the core of our success and for the growth of Grecian Gyro, Old Mulehouse, our chef-driven pub in historic downtown Jasper, and our newest venture, PRESSTO!, a premium burger concept that just opened in Snellville.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Grecian Gyro was founded by our father, Nick Koulouris, in a small 900 square-foot, hole-in-the-wall in Hapeville by the airport. It began as a one-man shop. Nick took his entire life savings to open the restaurant. He could only afford inventory for the first day — he got fresh produce from the farmers’ market, hand cut all the meat, potatoes and made the salads, sauce and dressing. He made $80 the first day and took that money to the market to buy the next day’s inventory and so forth. This started the tradition of doing everything by hand, in house, and super fresh. He soon built a loyal following of locals and airport employees, especially Delta. We have continued this tradition to this day.

My brother, Pano, and I grew up in the restaurant, literally. When we were in our 20s, we each had our own careers — I was working in event marketing and PR and Pano was in sales. We came across an opportunity to expand the business in our backyard of Tucker, GA. We decided if we were going to make the biggest mistakes of our lives, our 20s was the time to do it. We quit our day jobs, opened the second Grecian Gyro location, and joined the league of penniless entrepreneurs in 2007. The next year the economy collapsed and we had to learn how to operate in a completely different way. We became leaner and more nimble, and even though we were at the start of the worst recession of our lives, we came across the opportunity to open a third location in Forest Park. Opening and growing a business during a downturn was one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do, but it taught us great lessons about business and financial management. How to make a job a great place for folks to work, how to keep guests happy, and how to be creative. We made sure to never compromise in quality or our product, but rather found a way to make it accessible and affordable to folks. That has been the secret to our success and growth.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I often joke with folks that Atlanta is a great place to live but not a place you’d visit as a tourist. I’d make sure that our guest had a great experience and enjoy the city like the locals.

The itinerary would include a walk along the beltline with stops in the neighborhoods like Inman Park and Ponce City Market. One of the best things about Atlanta is the festivals every weekend when the weather is nice. We’d make sure to visit one of the many festivals in town. I’m a huge fan of live comedy, so I’d take them to Dad’s Garage for an improv show.

Monday Night Brewing for a beer on their patio, a walk around Waterworks Park (we have been sponsors and champions of this hidden gem for over a decade), and lunch in West Midtown at Taqueria de Sol would make the list too. If they’re in town for the weekend, we’d take a short road trip up to Jasper and take in the mountains and everything the town has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The person who has had the greatest impact on our business outside the family is my late mentor, Russ Young, who worked with the SBA Emerging Leaders program and Action Coach Atlanta. He changed us as business owners and has had a similar effect on dozens of small businesses in Atlanta.

Website: https://www.greciangyro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greciangyro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrecianGyro/