MIKE ANESTASIOS, owner of Pappas Restaurant, said the eatery will close after Sunday.
Marc Ethier/Staff
■ Sunday will be popular eatery’s last day
By Marc Ethier and Donna Beth Weilenman
Herald Staff
A rule of thumb in the restaurant business, said Mike Anestasios, is that you want no more than one eating establishment for every 1,500 residents.
When Anestasios first opened Papa’s Family Restaurant in Southampton, Benicia was closer to that ideal ratio. Now the city, with fewer than 30,000 people, has more than 80 restaurants — about one for every 375 residents — and that, more than anything else, is the reason Anestasios will close his restaurant after 23 years in the city.
Sunday will be the last day for Pappas, which Anestasios renamed when he moved it 17 years ago to 1654 East Second St.
“There are so many eating establishments here,” he said. “It’s a smaller pool (of diners) to draw from.”
He said Pappas’ decline began in the last two years when that small pool of diners was made even smaller by the recession.
Suddenly, fewer and fewer people were eating out. Longtime customers said they couldn’t afford to take their families to dinner. One told him, “I’ve been out of work for over a year.”
In early 2012, however, Pappas got a financial shot in the arm when the Food Network TV show “Restaurant: Impossible” chose it for a high-profile renovation and menu overhaul. Benicians lined up to see, and eat at, the “new” Pappas.
“They had to make it juicy,” he said. “That’s the show.”
But Anestasios, 78, said after the excitement died down, the restaurant faced the same obstacle: trying to compete with so many restaurants for so few palates.
Moreover, he said, many regular Pappas diners missed their favorite dishes after the “Restaurant: Impossible” menu changes — and Pappas was too slow bringing those items back.
MIKE ANESTASIOS.
Marc Ethier/Staff
“I look at it as a positive experience,” Anestasios said of participating in the Food Network show. “If I had it to do over again, I would react to it much faster and bring some of the old items that the people were used to — the regulars — I would bring those back. Like fish and chips — we took a long time to bring it back, and that is one of our biggest things on the menu.”
Pappas came close to closing in February, but plans to shutter were put on hold as Anestasios attempted to line up financing to keep the restaurant open.
Explaining the last-minute maneuvering, he said someone familiar with the restaurant offered to buy the building from Anestasios’s creditor, then let Pappas lease the space.
But the prospective purchaser backed out after learning the site was seven spaces shy of meeting minimum parking requirements.
Still, the restaurateur sought other options. “I was working very hard to make a deal,” he said. But in the end, he had to face facts.
Anestasios’s two sons, Nicolas and Andreas, have been working in Pappas’ kitchen, and Andreas’s wife, Lauri, is a server.
Anestasios said he will retire and does not plan to open a new restaurant — though if either of his sons decided to do so, he would certainly help them get started.
He said he’ll keep one remembrance of the restaurant in the family, the 19th-century cash register that once belonged to his grandfather when he operated an Oakland liquor store. “That will stay in the family forever,” he said.
Mostly, he said, he plans to enjoy life and his family, most of whom live in Benicia. “I’m retired, but I’m the kind of person who has to stay active,” he said.
“I’m here every day. In 17 years I’ve taken maybe 90 days off.”
He said he’ll keep the restaurant open its usual hours through the final day: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“I wish I could have given the customers more time,” he said.
He won’t miss the 14-hour days or the seven-day work weeks, he said, but he will miss many of Pappas’ loyal employees, such as Alejandra Cueves, who has worked for him for seven years, and Kathie Shedd, who has worked for him since Pappas first opened 23 years ago.
“I have loyal employees. I have some people that are really, really good,” he said. “I feel sorry for them. I hope they will find a good job. I will miss them.”
He’ll also miss interacting with members of the Benicia community, in the warm confines of a restaurant he calls “home.”
“Definitely, the thing I’ll miss the most is the people,” Anestasios said. “I like to make them feel comfortable, I like to make them feel like they have come into my home.
“I want to thank the community for their support for close to 23 years, and thank my employees for the service that they provided.”
Sharing is caring!
Finally! How this place managed to stay in business so long is really beyond me.
Weve worked hard as a family to make things work.. Beyond you.. our family is all out of work..your caring is BEYOND ME>>
Lori, don’t let the turkeys get you down. They are called trolls for a reason. You and your family have worked hard and have earned a bright future which is awaiting you around the next corner. There isn’t a troll on the internet that can say that. When your karma comes back to you it will be full of light, dedication, loyalty and service, just like you have put out there. When a troll’s karma comes back at them… well, they will get as good as they gave. They don’t deserve your time or energy. You and Andreas are going to land on your feet and get great new jobs. I just know it. Phil and I will miss seeing your smiling faces and feeling like we are being served breakfast in your home. <3 You'll do great, and we will miss you.
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Weve worked hard as a family to make things work.. Beyond you.. our family is all out of work..your caring is BEYOND ME>
I should of said, you lack of caring is beyond me.
Sad to see Pappas go. Enjoy your well earned retirement Mr. Anestasios.
Thank you Tom
80 Restaurants? Name 40.
Randys
Sandovals
McDonalds
Burger King (2)
Jack in the Box
Carl’s Jr
Kinders
Ensenada
Round Table
Pizza Pirate
Pacifica Pizza
Mountain Mikes
Palermo’s
Lei Wai
China Garden
Union Hotel
Sailor Jacks
My Thai
Little Thai
Napoli’s
Taco Bell
Subway (2)
Rickshaw
Aroma
Nations
Capitol Cafe
2nd St Grill
Chars
Rosies
Sprankles
Szechwan House
Rookies
Matsuri
Luccas
KFC
Boun Appitito
Issys
Kaigan
There’s your 40 wise guy.
It’s not that there are too many restaurants, it’s the quality and the fare.
Thirty eight issys has been closed for months and rookies is a bar
Fine… Sam’s Harbor and Happy Hot Dog then. 40.
Happy Hot Dog lives on… Secret menu at Little Thai lol. Now leave me alone I’m getting my Pacman on at Sam’s, if the geese don’t eat me first.
Ok now name 40 more and I’ll shut up
wow — what a collection of heartless jerks here wasting their time on earth full of hate, jealousy and anger!
The story is that many families are now facing hardships because of the loss of employment and an old friend is letting go of a dream.
We will miss you. Thoughts of better days are with you all.
w
The guy is 78. If he hadn’t prepared to be comfortable and retired by 78 YEARS ago, than it’s his fault.
This man and his family provided a valuable service to the community. Besides the food they had a large room and allowed people to use that when it was needed for larger gatherings. It’s location and the demeanor of the proprietor made it a place where you always felt welcome.
@replies above:Are you kidding me?
“Pappa”: May you all have a wonderful well-deserved life from here on in. You deserve it and to be away from the above ppl who replied that have no respect for hard work and dedication, nor have any manners or compassion. i am a friend of Jill Feneis….., and have been following your progress since the renovation. I wish I lived there to have enjoyed going to an establishment like yours! i understand the kind of restaurant you have as I am a former Kalliambetsos. much love and success for your next adventures!
My husband and I will greatly miss you! Pappas was our regular place… and you always knew our orders even before we placed them. We were treated like family. We will miss you all!
Thanks Mike for a great place to go on sundays after church when it was up in south hampton and then down on second.You and your family always treated my family great. I will miss your greek pasta. Shame on all those that had nothing better to do than just be jerks and had nothing nice to say.
it is so sad that the way of the family eatery has given way to fast food.
Sad to see Pappas closing, I will probably go eat there one last time this weekend :/ now where am I supposed to get a gyro pita lol
Yes we would go there to eat now and then even though we do not live in Benicia , you could get a big selection, loved when there was the gyro’s . i do not like going to fast food all the time , and in town seldom a place to park , truly the only real place there to eat and have a large choice , Hate to see you go , Best of luck
Don’t feed the trolls above.
Best of luck to you Anastasios’ – whatever people might have to say, running a family business is more often than not a labor of love, and we are sad to see you go. Our kids enjoyed eating at your place, and we will miss it. Have a great retirement and get some well deserved rest.
I wish Papa a wonderful retirement, I know you will miss the business, but you deserve to take some time off for yourself. I thank you for the wonderful meals we have enjoyed at your establishment, and wish you sons much success in whatever they decide to do next.
I was able to get to know Lori, Andreas and family when the moved next door to me. I was sorry when they moved in January. I don’t go out to eat much but did go there a few times. You are missed as a neighbor and friend. Hugs!!
Mr. Anastasios —– I was your happy diner at the Southampton location so long ago …. AND I WAS
the lady who used to live and work in FT.PECK, MONTANA too (like you did) ….. we moved away from
Benicia around 2000 ….. now are retired in Austin,Texas ….. Best wishes to you & family …..
Lynda Loftus Smith
I ate there exactly once. Now, it folded after almost two dozen years.
I’m sad to see anybody suffer. But let’s face it, denial is what drove these folks out of business. The food was inedible. It’s not the competition; it’s not the “old standards”. That they can say people missed the old food speaks to a level of self-delusion that makes it impossible to sustain a business. Best of luck to you and your family. It sounds like it was time to say goodbye. It doesn’t always work out, but you’ve worked hard and you should enjoy retirement.
denial?? Please explain that iamiam.. >>>> Is denial meaning you put every penny and every blood , sweat and tear into a place that you cant just let it go in an instant?? Or, do you keep on trying so that everything that you have worked for, for years is making it for your family and for your kids future..?? All you do as a small business owner is hope for the best and try to re create yourself and your place so you can make a living. You hope that the community is with you and has the same feelings. Denial is one thing, but giving up is another.. we refused to until we HAD to..There is no retirement when you put it all into one basket.. Its just not that easy.. Everyone is starting all over again..
Person who cares
June 9, 2013 at 2:01 am
Reply
We visited Benicia last September and had breakfast at Pappa’s. LOVED IT and the interior. Very sorry to see this restaurant close. The staff was friendly and warm and the food was excellent. Sad we won’t be able to look forward to returning on our next visit. You may have to close your doors but know, in your heart, you gave it your best.
It’s interesting hearing people defend this place. From what I could tell, the management went back to their old ways of sub par food. That is why the business did not succeed. It’s not the competition. Of all the restaurants in your city, how many of them offer great food at a great price?? What Robert Irvine said on the show about why restaurant was failing, (bad food and infighting) turned out to be true. Seeing how the brothers had no clue about food on the show, was this not true? And then to hear they went back into the kitchen?? C’mon! The nice well meaning people here with their lovely stories of how great Pappa’s was, is why this business is now closed. You want to blame the old terrible dishes for not coming back sooner and think the business will survive from a failed past strategy?? Delusions of grandeur.