About 100 years ago, Louis Pappamichalopoulos invented a new dish: the Greek Salad with Potato Salad. It was designed to bulk up the calorie count for soldiers fighting in the First World War, who needed all the fuel they could get.
“At the time, it was about adding some heartiness,” Joshua Varon, Operating Partner at Louis Pappas Restaurant Group, told What Now on Wednesday. “And when he came back, he opened his first restaurant in Tarpon Springs, around 1924.”
Over time, the Pappas family continued operating the restaurant, and the family business lived on in various forms. Louis Pappas, Jr., who began working at the restaurant at the age of 13, went on to consolidate the business, buying out his father and uncles. The restaurant has continued in its present form since the early 2000’s, during which time Louis Pappas Fresh Greek has expanded to a total of five locations.
And now the restaurant is preparing to open its sixth outpost, this time in Largo, at 440 W Bay Drive, Suite 1. The new location will serve as a kind of update to the concept (details there still forthcoming), while preserving the important things, the things that have kept Louis Pappas Fresh Greek great for years.
“We’re going to keep serving what has made us who we are, our salads with potato salad and other Greek specialties,” said Varon.
The Largo location will be Louis Pappas Fresh Greek’s smallest unit, coming in just under 1,500 square feet and featuring 35-40 seats, taking into account its outside seating.
“We have a long history of hospitality, and we’ve been around Tampa Bay for a long time,” Varon said. “We’re looking forward to continuing the same service and quality we’ve been offering for decades.”
You can keep up with all things Louis Pappas by following @pappasfreshgreek on Instagram.
