The fine diner’s club

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Michael Petrogiannis finds little of interest in cliched anecdotes of immigrants who come to the United States seeking a better life and through hard work and perseverance live out the American Dream.
"They all have the same story," says the 50-year-old, who at 15 left his family’s rural Greek village and landed in our nation with little money and even less knowledge of the English language.
Since then, Petrogiannis has climbed the ladder of his industry from dishwasher to cook to restaurant owner. Now, he could rightly be considered Northeast Philadelphia’s answer to Wolfgang Puck with more than a half-dozen eateries in his growing local empire.
Yet, he still hasn’t accomplished what he set out to do when he came to America.
"I didn’t plan on staying here," Petrogiannis revealed during an interview last week at the popular Country Club Restaurant, at Cottman Avenue and Frontenac Street. "I wanted to save five thousand dollars and go home. But I still haven’t saved five thousand dollars."
Petrogiannis was only half joking. Instead of storing up piles of cash during his financial rise, he has chosen to reinvest his money in property. That philosophy has resulted in a portfolio that includes the Country Club, Tiffany Diner, several Michael’s locations and a new addition, the venerable Mayfair Diner, which he bought in November.
Two younger brothers who followed Petrogiannis to America, John and Nick, are also principals in the business, while other relatives work for them. Nephew Manouili Lagoudakis manages the Mayfair, and son Gus manages Michael’s in Bensalem.
Petrogiannis doesn’t think of himself as an entrepreneur. It’s true that his deference to personal attention is certainly contradictory to the stereotypical self-made man. Nevertheless, he knows there are a lot more valuable traits than vanity.
When asked to explain his success, he replies simply, "Hard work. Very, very hard work. If you want to follow me around for a week, you’ll see."
Petrogiannis maintains a hands-on style. He visits each of his local restaurants daily. He figures he spends as many as 20 hours a day on business matters.
It leaves time for little else, including sleep. He usually gets "a couple" hours of that.
"It’s not much, trust me," he said.
Yet to him the sacrifice is well worth being able to live out his lifelong dream.
"Since I was a little kid, I liked restaurants. I wanted to open a restaurant," said Petrogiannis. "I like cooking. I like serving people. I like giving people jobs."
He broke into the business as a dishwasher and left Philadelphia for New Jersey and New York to find his niche before returning.
"When you’re young, you jump around," he said.
Later, he became a cook. Notably, he prepared meals at Tiffany Diner, 9010 Roosevelt Blvd., for seven years. Five years ago, he returned to Tiffany and bought the place.
Petrogiannis bought his first restaurant more than 20 years ago. It was a seafood place named Chesapeake on the boardwalk in Wildwood, N.J. He has since sold the business.
Over the years, he has owned about 16 different restaurants but sold many.
He opened the first Michael’s restaurant in Pottstown. In all, there are currently five Michael’s including one at Roosevelt Boulevard and Haldeman Avenue in the Far Northeast, one in Bensalem and one in Glenside. He also owns a Michael’s nightclub in Bensalem.
After the Tiffany acquisition, he bought the Country Club three years ago.
Petrogiannis plans to handle the ownership transition at the Mayfair Diner, 7373 Frankford Ave., much like the Tiffany and the Country Club.
All three businesses were well-established and successful before his arrival. So Petrogiannis looked to improve each where he could without alienating the existing customers.
The Country Club, for instance, had a lot going for it, particularly its homemade pastry counter. Yet, Petrogiannis felt that the interior of the restaurant was unappealing with too many walls forming a series of small dining rooms. He prefers a more open environment with windows that allow the flow of natural light.
"He walked in here the first day and said, ‘This is what has to be,’" recalled manager Melody Eagan, who has worked at the Country Club for 24 years.
"This is very beautiful now," Petrogiannis said. "I like to keep places new, clean and nice."
He concedes that there may not be such a simple remedy to the sometimes overly cozy Mayfair environs. But then, folks are probably used to the railroad car-style layout by now. In fact, most consider it a large part of the place’s charm.
The building dates back to 1928, when it opened as Morrison and Struhm Diner, at 41st and Chestnut streets. After a few years, the owners moved it to Frankford and Ryan avenues in Mayfair. Another move came in 1941, when the diner settled at its current location.
Petrogiannis bought the restaurant from its longtime owners, the Mulholland family.
"I like what it is," the new owner said. "It’s been there seventy-some years. It’s very established. The neighborhood is nice people."
The Mayfair has long been viewed as a landmark for its longevity and its retro-diner style, with plenty of neon and stainless steel.
"I like that style. It’s unique and that’s the style," Petrogiannis said. "That’s how you have to keep it."
However, he sees the value of the place not as its past, but its present. For regular customers, it’s not really a landmark, but rather a part of life.
"It’s a place where you go and get decent food," the owner said.
Petrogiannis takes his greatest joy in providing the community with such a place.
"I like the challenge. I like to do what I do. It gives me energy and makes me happy," he said. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com