When Lisa Nicholas, co-owner of The Greek Kitchen, explained to one customer why she was closing the Ellisville restaurant—lack of help in the kitchen—the woman quipped, “You need grandchildren.”
With only her fiancee, co-owner Joe Kandel, and one line cook, however, Nicholas says they plan to close the restaurant this Saturday, July 14.
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“This is a business that has not failed—it’s been very, very successful,” says Nicholas, who opened the restaurant at 15939 Manchester in Ellisville in 2016. At the time, SLM dining critic Joe Bonwich described the food as well-prepared and affordable: “Both the gyros and the chicken souvlaki are sufficiently stuffed with the main protein and complemented with colorful and flavorful vegetables and sauce.”
In reaction to the restaurant’s recent Facebook announcement that it was closing, more than 150 people commented. “The food, hospitality, and service are terrific,” one person wrote, “but the best part has always been how much your food makes me feel like I was at my Nana’s table!”
“We have built up a wonderful clientele with great regulars and great catering jobs,” says Nicholas. “But we just cannot get help out here in Ellisville as far as back-of-the-house.”
Since the holidays, Nicholas says, it’s been difficult to find kitchen staff, which has meant 13- to 14-hour days for the couple. The owners say they offered a starting hourly wage of $10, with a $1 per hour raise after a couple weeks, plus pooled tips, which translates to $12 to 16 per hour.
“I think the reasons why we—and many businesses in Chesterfield, Wildwood, and this West County area—can’t get restaurant help is that a lot of restaurant workers come from the city and farther east,” she says. “They are taking buses or driving 45 minutes to work, and it’s just not worth it for them. There are lot of kids out here, but they just don’t want to work in a restaurant.” (Nicholas notes that the West St. Louis County Chamber of Commerce plans to hold a meeting to discuss the labor shortage in local restaurants, though a date has not yet been set.)
Despite The Greek Kitchen’s closing, Nicholas says it’s not the end of the couple’s restaurant career. They hope to open a new Greek restaurant closer to the city.
