Apola Greek Grill is serving customers food just like mom used to make—if you grew up in Greece, that is.
Founder Yianni Kosmides and his brother were born in the United States, but were raised in Greece. He thinks fondly of the local cuisine. “It’s your comfort food, your quick meal, the late night junk food or the food you get before you go to the movies,” Kosmides said. “It satisfies all those categories.”
When the brothers moved back to the United States for college, they didn’t find any authentic Greek food and so launched Apola—Greek for “the works”—in 2017.
The franchise boasts “the most authentic Greek gyro you can get without buying a plane ticket.” The line-style restaurant serves pita sandwiches, plates, bowls and salads, with options such as chicken breast souvlaki, falafel or, Kosmides’ favorite, pork gyro.
“We don’t consider ourselves Mediterranean. There’s a wide range of other restaurants that try to be all-inclusive and Mediterranean,” Kosmides said. “We just focus on what’s truly, truly authentic Greek.”
In the United States, lamb and beef are typically associated with gyros. In northern Greece, where Kosmides is from, pork is more traditional. At Apola, the menu features pork belly, which Kosmides said is more flavorful. “We spend the extra money to get the better product,” he said.
His go-to? A pork pita sandwich with eggplant spread, mustard and French fries. That’s been his favorite since he was a teenager.
Apola prides itself on being authentic—down to the brand of table salt used in-house. “If you get something in the restaurant, it’s how we either grew up eating it at home or how you would eat it in Greece,” Kosmides said.
Source : Franchise Times