Stocks are down. Unemployment’s up.
Is anything good happening?
How about a family that came to the United States, worked hard, and now is throwing a party to celebrate 35 years of success?
That true saga can be found in downtown Kirkland, where George’s restaurant will mark those 35 years with a celebration for family and friends beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 at the business at 108 Kirkland Ave. There’ll be drink specials, the introduction of a new line of T-shirts and souvenir key chains.
But that the party is occurring at all is somewhat improbable, considering Kirkland’s history of businesses coming and going, of storefronts filling and emptying.
It’s probably even more improbable if anyone takes a close look at George’s, which features Formica countertops, plastic upholstery, and non-trendy woodgrain paneling.
Yet that’s all part of exactly what’s allowed George’s to endure, said Pete Mangouras, who now runs the business he took over from his father, along with friend and now-partner from boyhood, Derek MacKenzie.
“It’s nothing fancy,” said Pete. “The booths up front are my dad’s.”
And while they’ve been refinished over the years, they’ve faithfully kept the same red-leatherette upholstery and plastic countertops that were part of the original 1976 decor.
“We wanted to stick with something more comfortable,” he added. “It’s like a diner.”
For the Mangouras family, the journey to Kirkland started in Greece, then led to British Columbia, and next to a job for George at Athens Pizza, now the Acropolis, on Central Way.
“He always wanted to open a business,” said his son, and he found a suitable site at what was then a doughnut shop on Kirkland Avenue, opening “George’s Place” where it still stands on Aug. 15, 1976. The party date was picked partly to provide for the Aug. 27 festivities.
By 1979, there was a Mangouras house on Rose Hill, and the family settled into becoming a part of the Kirkland community, with George and his wife, Froni, joined by their three children, Pete, John and Athina.
“My mom had a really good culinary knowledge,” said Pete. “My dad was a quick learner.”
They also quickly recognized that Kirkland had a vast need for good breakfasts, and so George’s found its niche.
“We all grew up in the restaurant,” said Pete. “I just liked working with my dad. I just learned to do what he did.”
In 2007, Pete and MacKenzie took over the business. George died in 2008.
Over the years, the space has expanded, with a bar and more eating space added to the east of the original George’s. Seating has moved to 122 from what Pete remembers as 76 in the early years, although it’s expected hundreds more will accommodated in stand-up-only spacing during the Aug. 27 event.
And after decades of doing breakfasts and lunches, George’s now offers dinners.
The town also has changed, Pete adds, which is good for business.
“I’ve seen the town grow up a lot. Google brings in people. The Heathman (hotel) brings in people. Sure, we see a lot of new faces,” he said.
Yet even Pete acknowledges that he doesn’t precisely know the secret of George’s success.
“It’s consistent recipes, all hard work,” he said. “Family is important. It’s a combination of a lot of things. We care about the community.”
None of that completely explains why George’s still exists, he adds, noting how another restaurant is opening on Lake Street to replace one that failed.
“I’d like to say mom-and-pops do well, but that’s not true,” he said. “You just don’t know what it takes.”
There is, of course, the food, with a lot of Greek specialities, handed down through the family.
If any one thing characterizes George’s, however, says Pete, it’s probably the bacon and eggs, at $8.50 for a Thursday special and $9.99 the rest of the week.
“We go through very much bacon,” said Pete. “The smell of bacon is usually in the air down at George’s.”
