businessman who sold it to them shortly after they had purchased the building .
In 1978 , just 4 years after the purchase of the business and property , the United States Congress established Lowell , MA , as The Lowell National Historical Park . The headquarters was opened directly across the street from the Athenian ! That brought and still brings many visitors to our doorstep !
At around the same time , Wang Laboratories in Lowell exploded as a global computer company , creating a thriving business environment that helped the restaurant transition from the first 5 years ( when many new businesses fail ) into a thriving business that has survived 46 years and counting . None of those lucky happenings were known in 1974 when the business and property were purchased and opened .
My parents had the support of family and friends in many aspects of the purchase of the business and the property , and by being their strongest helpers and doers in getting the business started and operating . They even helped with the interior design and set-up . Some of my father ’ s cousins helped with planning “ the opening ” and a few of their children also have worked here throughout the years .
How did they best attract customers , advertise , and promote the Athenian Corner ?
How did they best build their team of employees ?
Experience has shown that the key to developing a good team with mutual respect , trust and cooperation , is to find the right person , train them properly and put them in the best possible position to succeed . Ultimately , they are treated like family and made to feel like they are invested in the business . It is , in fact , common for our employees to attend family holiday meals , celebrations and even weddings .
How soon did they start having musicians and dancers provide entertainment ? For how many evenings to begin with ? Who were those early musicians , who are the most current ?
Entertainment goes as far back as the opening days . At first , it was strictly Greek musicians playing bouzouki and guitar . Most of the musicians came to America from Greece to go to college , performing on the weekends to help pay for school . Eventually , an older violin player from Greece named Mixalis was added . Then in 1980 we expanded the music to 4 nights a week , moving to the current format which mixes Greek and Middle Eastern music and added professional belly dance performers . Thus , we created a “ dinner theater ” experience for our customers ! Since our musicians play throughout the entire evening , many of our customers delight in dancing the traditional line-dances and belly dancing as well ! Some legendary performers in that genre of musicians who have performed here …. too many
Advertising and promoting were done using local media and importantly , by word-of-mouth complimentary recommendations from enthusiastic customers !
Top row : Costas Maniatakos , Freddie Elias , Mike Gregian Bottom Row : George Kokoras , Dr . Ed
How did your parents find and hire chefs and waitstaff ?
The recipes we use to this day are family recipes that my parents brought with them from Greece ! Chefs and cooks from the local area were hired and trained . As to waitstaff , many family members have worked here and some still do . Additional staff is recruited through word of mouth and advertising . In times when the job market made finding the right employee more challenging , we ’ ve always been able to count on family to help fill the void . Eventually our employees become part of the Athenian Corner “ family ”.
26 The Belly Dance Chronicles � May 2021