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NORTH CENTER – The son of the former owners of a North Center grease spoon is returning to the neighborhood where his family ran their business for 26 years.
Erin’s Finer Diner will open next month at 2012 W. Irving Park Road. The owner, Petros Papatheofanis, named the restaurant after his mother.
Papatheofanis’ father opened Alps East at the same address in 1986. He ran until his death in 2000, Papatheofanis said. His mother and other relatives They continued to run the business until they closed in 2012, Papatheofanis said.
The restaurant changed hands a few times over the past 10 years and became Danny’s Egghead Diner, which closed in 2018. The most recent was Northside Kitchen, which opened in 2019 and closed in February 2020.
After two attempts to secure the spot, Papatheofanis is set to open Irene next month.
“Fast forward 10 years and here we are trying to open a restaurant that my family opened in 1986,” Papatheofanis said. “Basically what we’re doing is opening a restaurant with better, more thoughtful ingredients, but still having that diner feel.
Being able to deliver something that feels like a greasy spoon where you’re like, “Wow, this is so unhealthy, but it feeds the soul.” We’re still saying you can feed someone’s soul, but you can feed it with better ingredients that are a little better for you.
Papatheofanis had long had his sights set on running the family business, if not his parents’ long-running restaurant.
Papatheofanis’ father worked for the owners of the original Alps Pancake House, 3637 W. Irving Park Road, and became friends with them before opening his own diner, Papatheofanis said.
Papatheofanis grew up working with his father and remembers stealing bacon off the grill as a kid and helping out at Alps East the summer he left college.
Papatheofanis said he studied hospitality management at Northern Illinois University with the intention of helping his family run the restaurant, but closed the business before graduating.
“I wanted to help my mom and change things, but I graduated too late, so I started working corporate,” Papatheofanis said.
While working at Kimpton hotels and other River North restaurants, Papatheofanis kept an eye out for the Irving Park Road spot, hoping to one day return to open a restaurant there.
When Papatheofanis heard about the closing of Danny’s Egg Diner, he tried to get the building’s owner, Tony “Doc” Athens, to make a deal.
The two have known each other for years. Athens, a dentist, took the property from his own father – he rented it to Papatheophanis’ father for a place east of the Alps.
Athans was not immediately available for comment.
“My father signed the first lease in 1986 with his father,” Papatheofanis said. “When I heard about it, I was like, ‘Hey, Doc, is the position open?’ But at that time he made an arrangement with another owner.
Papatheofanis continued to oversee the property and reached out to Athens again after Northside Kitchen closed, he said.
“In the year “We had a meeting in March 2020 where we learned about the arrangements and it was agreed that I would take the position,” said Papathiophanis. “We shook hands and thought we’d give it a couple of weeks to see how this Covid thing pans out. The rest is history, and we’ve been here almost two years trying to work things out,” he said.
Papatheofanis brought on Christian Mendoza and Nora Zamler as co-owners at Irene’s House. The trio worked together at Sable Kitchen & Bar and The Press Room.
Credit: Alex V. Hernandez / Club Chicago BlockPapatheofanis was the manager of the crop floor when he met Mendoza, who was working as a servant. Zamler was most recently the executive chef of the Press Room.
“It was really organic. He kept talking about reopening it for years, and it was an opportunity for us to do it,” Mendoza said.
The new owners put a new coat of paint on the deck and installed new equipment in the past several weeks, Papatheofanis said.
“Because of its emotional importance, we want to focus as much as possible on this project,” Papatheofanis said. We also understand how important first impressions are. We’re trying really hard to make sure everything is dialed in before you open our doors.
The menu is still being finalized, but will feature dinner dishes made with ingredients from local farms and vendors, Papatheofanis said.
For example, the eggs come from Slagel Family Farm, and the produce comes from Nichols Farm and Orchard, Papatheofanis said.
Additionally, instead of regular pop, the diner will carry Jones Soda, a craft beverage made with pure cane sugar, he said.
“I think it’s good to have an omelet where you know where the pork and vegetables come from,” Papatheofanis said. “It’s important to me because I think people who are passionate about restaurants are passionate about where the food comes from.”
Papatheofanis said he is excited to continue the family legacy and have his children work together on the family business as they once did.
“The Greeks name their children after their parents. My eldest son is named Dimitri after my father. “I thought I paid tribute to him, so now it’s my turn to pay tribute to my mother, Irene, with the restaurant,” he said. “It’s always been family to me.”
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