When Nick and Laura Cowlen decided to roll out the city’s first Greek food truck in 2010, there were only five local food trucks (now there are over 100). Go! Gyro! Go! became an instant hit, eventually earning a nod from The Daily Meal as the best food truck in Missouri. After selling the truck to a valued employee, they broadened their culinary sights: Orzo Mediterranean Grill is slated to open in February at 11627 Olive.
How and when did you decide to start a food truck?
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Nick: I was converting houses and apartments, until I got sidelined by the recession. In 2010, I got distracted by a new show called The Great Food Truck Race. I thought I could bring something new and exciting to St. Louis, but didn’t want to be tied to the expense of a brick and mortar.
How many food trucks were in St. Louis at that time?
Nick: Five or so. Cha Cha Chow, Papa Tom’s Hot Dogs, Sarah’s Cake Stop, Pi, Seoul Taco… Laura: Four months later, when our truck finally hit the road, there were seventeen. Now it’s over a hundred. The day we started Go! Gyro! Go! was a Food Truck Friday. We got absolutely killed, but the customers were receptive.
People simply love gyros.
Nick (smiling): We found that out. I love shish kabobs and wanted them to be a big part of the menu mix so I prepped like 600 of them that day. We sold 40. Everybody wanted gyros. I didn’t have enough [meat] cones or the rotisseries to cook them. We gave up on shish kabobs, but ended up selling a ton of Greek salads, 40% of sales at one location.
At food fairs and festivals, people wait in long lines for gyros. Why is that?
Nick: Besides being a great walk around item, my guess is that people like them but don’t seek them out that often. When people go to a Greek restaurant, for example, they tend to get entrees or specialties, not gyros.
What was your first restaurant job?
Nick: I was 14 and my dad was the food and beverage director for The Clayton Inn, which catered a lot of 300-seat parties. I bussed tables and eventually tended bar.
Laura: My mom owned a place called The Greek Gourmet, on North Ballas. I got involved when I was a teenager, bussing tables. People told me what they liked and disliked, until I told them it was my mom’s place, so I tried to stay anonymous.
Laura, what was your job on the food truck?
For the first few years, I was the order taker and cashier. But I was a psychologist by trade and became a certified life coach. My business was always connecting with people, so it was a struggle, because all I could get to say was things like do you want onions on your gyro?
Nick: Laura would start up little sessions and I’d have to intervene, just to keep the line moving. Laura: When people looked a little sad, I wanted to find out why. If they shared anything, I’d delve deeper. That’s just me. I hope to somehow incorporate all this into the restaurant business.
So was the food truck business different than you thought it would be, too?
Nick: I thought it would be more laid back, and we could converse with the customers, but it’s more turn and burn, especially at lunch when the service time window was short. To make a profit, you’d have to do 200 people in two hours. There was no time to chit chat….
What was your biggest challenge?
Nick: We prepared what we sold on the truck. This wasn’t a commissary or a steam table, scoop-it-and-serve-it operation. There were a lot of moving parts. It wasn’t our main source of income, which lessened the burden. We challenged ourselves to take care of our employees. We were even able to initiate a profit sharing program, if they met their sales goals.
What are the secrets to a well-made gyro?
Nick: Carve the meat off the spit to order because there’s no way to short cut that crispy, crunchy caramelization. Season properly, as too many places underseason their food. Heat the pitas on a char broiler to impart a little smoke and color. Laura: I admire Nick for never compromising. We could have served twice the people and made twice the money if we pre-cut and premade the gyros.
Do you use a special tzatziki sauce?
Nick: It has to be homemade, starting with a high-quality Greek yogurt. Mine’s more peppery and spicy than some, and tangy, from a little extra lemon juice.
I understand that people tend to favor a pre-formed meat cone over one made in house. Why is that?
Nick: It’s true and I wish I had a good answer to that. I think that most people are looking for the familiar taste and texture that they’re used to. But there still are a lot of options possible: cones with different percentages of meats and fat. Experience has shown that our sweet spot is an 80/20 mix of beef to lamb.
Did you reuse product the next day?
Nick: Never. We took any leftover meat to friends or people in need.
What’s the biggest misconception to owning a food truck?
Laura: The glamor. It’s like restaurants. Everybody wants to own one. I tell them to work with us for one day and then decide. Usually, that’s all it takes.
Any unusual stories from the food truck days?
Nick: We went to one event and realized we forgot the pita, which is a problem when you’re selling gyros.
The Daily Meal named Go! Gyro! Go! one of the best food trucks in the country several times as well as the best food truck in Missouri. How does that affect business?
Laura: If someone is on the fence whether or not to hire us for an event, maybe those awards helped swing the needle.
When did you decide to build a brick and mortar?
Laura: Part of it was to answer the countless ‘where’s your restaurant?’ inquiries, but it really sunk the day I made the mistake of asking people on social media to place advance orders which promptly went through the roof. That’s when the potential hit me. The downside is that technology has made people more impatient, as I quickly learned when I couldn’t keep up with the orders that day.
So why is Orzo a Mediterranean-themed restaurant rather than just Greek, your wheelhouse?
Nick: We didn’t want to be confined strictly to Greek food… we thought it too restrictive. We wanted the flexibility to introduce spices from Spain, North Africa, maybe even the Middle East. These days, the public expects and appreciates different flavors.
Why did you choose Creve Coeur for Orzo?
Nick: Our demo is the lunch crowd, so that works. We wanted Class A space, and found it where we wanted it. We narrowed it down to either here or Clayton.
Laura: We live in Creve Coeur. For our first restaurant anyway, living close by will help.
Mediterranean food restaurants have become popular in St. Louis the last few years, and that includes Creve Coeur. [I asked this question because people are already calling the Cowlens out for locating just up the street from the Creve Coeur Garbanzo]
Laura: I think there’s room for a lot of people to be successful [in Creve Coeur]. And just because they’re successful does not mean less success for us.
Nick: We’re different enough to be perceived differently—kind of like Chipotle and Qdoba—but we can react and change instantly, unlike the corporate places.
How will you differentiate yourself, food wise?
Nick: Our menu will have a build-your-own component, but there will be signature dishes for people who get overwhelmed with which sauce and add-ons go best with what protein.
Laura: That really comes into play when you’re ordering for several people in your office. We want to make it easy. Streamline the process. People are in a hurry and want things quickly.
What items does Orzo have that the food truck did not?
Nick: One standout is the grilled veggie Mediterranean bowl with an option to add marinated grilled chicken, marinated grilled steak, or other protein. The grilled chicken and pesto gyro contains Greek spiced and marinated grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, orzo pasta, house-made basil pesto, and shaved Reggiano. A personal favorite is a modern take on traditional Avgolemono soup, made from chicken stock with orzo pasta, chicken, lemon, and frothed eggs tempered into the soup, topped with fresh grated Reggiano and cracked pepper.
What’s for dessert?
Nick: We’re toying with a signature lemon bar or even a Greek yogurt bar with fresh fruit, crunchies, and honey.
What’s the tone of the décor?
Laura: Neutral with pops of color—on the plates and on the walls—but the biggest difference is that it will be comfortable. Some fast-casual places are designed so customers will eat and leave, quickly. That’s not our intent.
How will you handle off-premise ordering and delivery?
Nick: Online ordering will limit call-in orders, which is the idea. We designed two identical cooking lines so mobile and pick-up orders won’t slow down dine-in orders. Delivery will be phased in when we’re sure we can handle it. We’ll use our own catering van to deliver larger orders but are still weighing whether to deliver smaller orders ourselves or use a third-party company.
Lastly, a burning question. What’s the right way to eat a gyro…without spilling it all over your shirt?
Nick: With your hands, and very carefully, peeling away the foil wrap as you do so.
Laura (laughing): Well, maybe, but do you know how much Spray ‘n Wash we go through at our house?
