Thanasi’s Greek Restaurant sold after 41 years in business

Thanasi's Olympus Greek Restaurant in Windsor, Ont. (Source: Thanasi's Olympus Greek Restaurant/Facebook)

After 41 years of serving up authentic Greek dishes, Thanasi’s Olympus Greek Restaurant is closing its doors.

The Greek restaurant on Tecumseh Road East has been sold and will be converting into an Indian restaurant at the end of May.

“It's not often that someone is able to retire at the top of their game - Thanasi's is a victim of our own success. We have never been busier, and that's the problem,” owner Nick Pontikis said in a Facebook post announcing the news.

Pontikis said the food at his restaurant has been consistently delicious because the same people have been “lovingly preparing it” in the kitchen for decades.

“We have kitchen workers and floor staff that have been with us since the beginning, and they are just as heartbroken as me in saying goodbye, but it was inevitable,” he said.

It was always Pontikis plan to retire after 40 years, but he didn’t want COVID to be seen as the reason, and tells AM800 News he made the decision to sell after being approached with an offer for the space.

"I started when I was 24 and I'm now 65, we're getting tired," he told AM800. "The main thing that convinced me to close is that my kitchen is getting as old as me."

While he said it’s time to say goodbye, it was a difficult decision and the announcement was made with a heavy heart and there have been many tears as restaurant regulars learn of the sale.

“Over 41 years we have served three generations of Windsorites, but now is the time to say ‘farewell,’” he said.

Pontikis said now is the time to visit Thanasi’s if you had plans to and to use up any gift cards as the restaurant will be closing at the end of May.

- With files from AM800's Rusty Thomson