Christos Family Restaurants Named November Small Business of the Month

Family Operates Christos, Camille’s and Red Seven

Whether you’re in the mood for a pepper jack burger, salmon with rock shrimp or a flatbread pizza, the Christodoulakis family can fill the bill.

They operate five local restaurants: two Christos New City Grills (christosgrill.com) at 3291 Teal Road and 1018 Sagamore Parkway West; two Camille’s Sidewalk Café franchises (camillescafe.com), at Lafayette Pavilions and 1056 Sagamore Parkway West; and Red Seven Bar & Grill (redsevengrill.com) at 200 Main St.

The group, collectively called the Christos Family Restaurants, has been chosen the Greater Lafayette Commerce Small Business of the Month for November 2009.

Varied Venues, Menus

The two Christos restaurants are known for their all-day breakfast menu, variety of burgers, more than 30 sandwiches and taste treats such as the Greek Isles chicken pita.

They’re popular stops for families, says John Christodoulakis, son of the founders, Mike and Maria Christodoulakis. “We’re constantly changing and adding to the menu. There’s something for everyone.”

A casual upscale spot, Red Seven opened in March 2007. There, diners enjoy five cheese ravioli, red pepper shrimp, and cowboy steak and hash, among other menu items. Some of the most popular items, John says, are the double-cut pork chops and Black Angus steaks.

Camille’s offers wraps, salads, Panini and pizzas. “It’s a healthy, light lunch,” John says. Among its most-often-ordered items are the apple-walnut-tuna sandwich and dill-chicken-salad. Camille’s also does a lot of catering.

First Lafayette Restaurant Opened in 1988

The family business began in Lafayette when Mike and Maria sold restaurants they owned in Hebron and Demotte, Indiana, and moved to Tippecanoe County. The two met in Greece, Mike’s native land, and married after a four-day romance. Of Greek descent, Maria was born in Sudan, Africa, where her father worked in construction. The two came to the United States in the 1960s. Mike first worked in the Gary steel mills, then as a restaurant entrepreneur.

Their first Lafayette business, opened in 1988, was the Greenhouse Family Restaurant on Teal Road, since renamed Christos.

“They liked the size of the community, and thought there was room to grow here,” John says. It was their sole venture until 1993, when they opened a second Christos.

They’ve since been joined in the business by their four children, their children’s spouses, a couple of nephews and employees—some 150 in all on the payroll.

Hands-on Owners

“Our success is based on our family being involved in the day-to-day business,” John says.

“You have to put the time in. You have to be in the store. And you have to like to work with each other.” Another key ingredient, John says: “We have great, great staff. Many employees have been with us for many years.”

Most of the family members average about 60 hours a week. “It’s something you do without clocking in,” John says. “The work has to get done. You want to be there. And for us, it’s a little bit of a social thing, too.”

The community means everything to them, John says. “The biggest thing for us is the closeness we feel with the community, the close connections we have with our customers. We know a lot of people by name, and it’s rewarding day-to-day.”

Truly a Family Business

Mike and Maria are most often found at the West Lafayette eatery.

Their son Chris Christodoulakis, a Purdue electrical engineering graduate, and daughter Kalliopi Christodoulakis, now working on a doctorate in anthropology, operate the two Camille’s restaurants.

Daughter Stacey Papadogiannis, a Purdue restaurant, hotel and tourism graduate, is a manager at the east side Christos, and her husband, Manny Papadogiannis, also a Purdue graduate, manages the west side Christos.

Son John, a Ball State University urban planning graduate, floats around where’s he needed and handles marketing for them all; his wife, Eva Christodoulakis, is headquartered at Red Seven.

The founders’ nephews, George and Gus Vasilarakis, are also involved; George as Red Seven’s general manager, Gus as the east side Christos general manager. “We run all the stores together,” John says. “We have no titles. When we’re going to open a new store, I do a lot of that, and that marketing end of the business.”

Management by Consensus

Who’s the boss? “At the end of day, it’s probably Mom and Dad,” John says. “But, really, each store has a general manager in charge of that store. And any major decisions are done by committee. We are working toward a good quality of life for everyone, so we keep the doors open to communication and understand everyone is working for everybody else.”

What’s next? “We always have a project on the back burner,” John says. “Right now, it’s something a year to a year-and-a-half away, another niche.”

The only day the restaurants close is December 25, but they do work shorter hours on Easter and Thanksgiving. All of the restaurants give generously to the community. Some of the many they support: West Lafayette Police shop with Santa, Taste of Tippecanoe, Young Survivors Coalition and various community festivals.

Small Business of the Month is sponsored by Lafayette Savings Bank

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Criteria for Small Business Winners

Businesses nominated for the Small Business of the Month award must be:

 Privately owned

 In business under current ownership at least three years

 A Greater Lafayette Commerce member

 Staffed by 50 or fewer employees

 Involved in the community