Athens Café & Grill adds dining area
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It’s 10:30 a.m., and Tomas Hajdik, the owner of Athens Café & Grill in Islamorada, is hurriedly wiping down the tables in the colorful new seating section of the restaurant, preparing for his hectic lunch rush.
“I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for 15 to 20 years as everything from a dishwasher to a bartender to a manager, and I do all of that here,” he jokes. “I wash dishes, cook, and wait tables — whatever needs to be done.”
A popular mainstay for quick, fresh food with a Mediterranean twist for over six years, Athens is known for its menu items like gyros, falafel, hummus, souvlaki, freshly made soups and, of course, baklava at reasonable prices.
Sandwiches and wraps range from $6 for a gyro pita doused in refreshing tzatziki to $8 for a grilled 6-ounce ribeye steak on rustic bread, while salads include Mediterranean couscous or a Greek salad complete with feta cheese, Kalamata olives and pepperoncini for $8.
However, the small restaurant only allowed seating for around 10 people and did a great percentage of its business as carry-out or delivery.
A month ago, Hajdik finally decided to act on his four-year desire to expand, making Athens over twice its original size with an area that provides 16 additional seats. The new décor is simple, yet welcoming with bright green and orange walls, a bamboo-framed entryway, drop lights and greenery.
“We had people that were being referred to us because of our reputation for good quality and fresh food, but once they got here, there wouldn’t be anywhere to sit,” he said. “They would come in, look around and leave.”
With the added space, Athens now has more of a family-style restaurant feel, and Hajdik said that he hopes that this expansion will also help to build up his dinner business as well.
“People love our specialty on the dinner menu — Greek-style rack of lamb.”
He is also considering the addition of a breakfast menu with made-to-order items, high-end coffees and fresh squeezed juices.
“Once I find the help,” he said. “Then, I’ll be able to do breakfast. That’s one of the greatest challenges.”
Although he hasn’t seen an increase in business so far, his regulars are responding positively to the expanded area. Hajdik said that he enjoys watching them slowly start to migrate from the small carry-out area to the new tables.
“We haven’t really advertised, and the economy is a difficult situation,” he explained. “I’m just getting ready for season.”
Surprisingly, Hajdik is not Greek, but Czech. Athens was already established as a Greek restaurant when he bought it six years ago.
“People were used to it, and there’s not another restaurant in this area that does this type of food,” he said. “We decided to carry on the tradition, so we learned how to do it. Now, even the Greeks like it, so we must be doing something right.”
