Seven years ago he left her for seeking a better fortune in his life. The change from Kefalonia to London may have been great for Ilias Georgatos, however, despite the difficulties he managed to create his own business, a souvlatziko/gyria and in a short time, he won with his flavors and his Greek temperament, the British. CORVERSE Elias Georgatos makes round sandwiches, which not only have authentic Greek flavor, but weigh up to four pounds, breaking all records and causing the interest of his customers. Round wrapped 4 kg challenge for his English clients “I left Greece in 2018 while in a deep economic crisis. 3.5 years ago, I decided to open “Pittagoras”, the name is a clever pun that attracts interest. But it’s not the only thing that attracts our clients. Recently, we added to our menu a “giant round” of 4 kg as a challenge. Anyone who can eat him in 15 minutes enjoys him for free. Otherwise, it costs £50. I even raised the challenge to TikTok and Instagram, and since Sunday it has been a mess! The world was thrilled, and I am grateful for the warm welcome they give us constantly,” explains Elias Georgatos in the APE and notes that, “since the first moment, the English embraced both us and our food. Over the years, I have not experienced a single moment of racism. On the contrary, many of our customers, who have visited Greece, tell us that our round reminds them of their best holiday.” Family tradition of the souvlatzikidi The family of Mr. Georgatos comes from Kefalonia, where he spent almost all his life. “My father maintains a souvlaji restaurant in Lixouri, while my grandfather was the first to bring the souvlaki/kalamaki to the island in 1956. Afterwards, my father took over the business and, with his business demon, created the souvlajikika “Chilikos”. Our name is well known in Kefalonia,” he proudly says and explains that, “when I first came to London, after all these years in my father’s stores, I had decided not to deal with this work again. Nevertheless, my love for the round and the souvlaki was deeply rooted in me. So, 3.5 years ago, I decided to open my own business. Today, we are already operating two stores and preparing to open two more in the next few weeks. One will be in Canary Wharf, in the economic center of London, where the skyscrapers are, and the other in London Fields, near a beautiful park.” ADVERSE “Through our food we try to convey the magic of Greece to England” Referring to his family Elias Georgatos, notes that, “it is an integral part of this route. My son, six, loves the round and comes to the store every week to enjoy his favorite food. My daughter prefers chicken souvlaki, while me and my wife, Helen, care to raise our children with love for our country and traditions. Greece is part of our lives and through our food, we try to transfer its magic to our customers. A few months ago, I suggested to my son’s school that I offer round and skewers for the cultural festival they organized. Not only did they accept the proposal, but I happily made wraps with rounds for all the students and told them about our Greek culture and gastronomy. It was a unique experience.” As he points out, “in recent years, with the increase of the Greek community in London, many options have been created for authentic Greek cuisine. We work with excellent suppliers who provide us with authentic Greek products and we can offer our customers a genuine Greek culinary experience. The Greek-Italian partnership the secret of their success “I could not have accomplished all this without my partner and mentor, Gianni Perillo. Gianni, an Italian in origin, shares the same love for good food and the same business vision. Our cooperation is based on our common values, as our cultures, Greek and Italian, are so similar. The most important thing is that we have done all this without loans or external investors, based solely on our hard work. I am grateful for my father, who taught me not only work, but also the importance of entrepreneurship. The pride I see in his eyes is the greatest reward. Our goal is to open two more stores by the end of 2025 and reach the total of 10 stores by 2027” points out by talking to the APM-APM.
Greek Souvlatis drives London crazy – The “challenge” with the 4 kg wrapper
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in Greece