READY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
The story of Nicky’s Café started 30 years ago when brothers Nick and John Makris found the building on 8th Avenue and Winnipeg Street. How he got there is another story. Born in Eleohori, a remote mountain village in Greece best known for its fresh olives and savory herbs, Nick looked to Canada for a better life.
In 1965, Nick arrived in one of Halifax’s most notable ports, Pier 21. He then disembarked from the Queen Anna Maria and headed west. Twenty years later, he was ready to serve Nicky’s very first turkey sandwich with the help and support of his wife, Marina and their young family - including his son Perry.
Nick and Perry are excited to announce that Kevin Foley has recently joined Perry as new business partner in Nicky’s Café. Nick’s “newly adopted son, Kevin,” has been friends, and worked with Nick and Perry for over 25 years. Kevin started in 1989 and worked while completing University until 1995. The discipline and work ethic Nick taught them has allowed these new young entrepreneurs to continue on in the family business as co-owner’s of Nicky’s Café.
“I will tell you what happens here,” said Nick. “We open at 5:30 a.m. We get people: plumbers, electricians, blue collar people and we get people who work in real estate, accounting, law, whatever. It is really a mix of people from all walks of life who meet here to discuss the day’s events. We all go by first names and a handshake here. I don’t really have customers anymore - I call them friends. They are all friends. At Nicky’s, we have friends coming in here two-three times a day, so it’s an obligation.
“I remember people that weren’t even married first coming in here. Then they got married and now their own kids are coming in here with their babies. It’s a continuous clientele. Nicky’s is an institution right now - it’s not just another restaurant in Regina,” said Nick.
This community has been so good to my father that he likes to give back to the community,” said Perry. “We support our local producers and our local charities, such as An Evening in Greece, Cosmoplitan Learning Centre, Leader-Post Christmas Cheer Fund, Annual Opa Cosmo Gala and Regina Palliative Care Bike Run. We’re not a franchise so we run our business to support our family and to help the community. Staff and customers have a name not a number.
Despite the overwhelming hospitality found at Nicky’s Cafe, it is still the menu that will forever cement this establishment as a place known for great food that is always fresh and purchased from local suppliers. At Nicky’s, fresh doesn’t just mean prepared to order. It means fresh as in the turkey in that club sandwich was slow roasted this morning, the bacon was recently smoked by their local meat supplier, and those french fries were hand-cut-before-being-thrown-inthe-deep-fryer kind of fresh.
“Everything is homemade,” said Perry, we even grind and make our own homemade burgers. “We don’t own a can opener. We even bring in our own olive oil from Greece from our village in Eleohori. We’re into freshness here. This olive oil, oregano and herbs we bring in from Greece is a specialty item that you can even purchase from us. We’ve also added a lifestyle section to our menu that has gluten-free options, veggie burgers, fresh meats and salmon.
“We always cater to our customer’s special needs, but people still go back to the old-fashioned foods,” said Nick. “They still like the mashed potatoes and gravy, they still like our homemade burgers where you can see the grease on the onions. These are Saskatchewan people - these are people who go back to the staples.”
“It’s food that sticks to the stomach,” said Perry. “But we also have many healthy alternatives.”
Being aware of what their customers want and providing them with an exceptional, friendly experience has always been the staple of service for Nicky’s Cafe. Instead of relying on marketing tools that franchised restaurants use to try and create generic dining room atmospheres, Nicky’s Cafe - being an independent restaurant - has the freedom to create a place where their customers feel at home. The difference is found in the friendships forged between employees, customers and management.
Nick doesn’t charge his customers rent to talk about politics or their golf games. There is even a coffee club where people meet to discuss politics and world events. According to Nick, members are even given nicknames, such as The Arab, The Marquee, The Hanging Judge, The Accountant and The Intellectual. When these people talk politics, you can be sure that they always generate an accurate poll result before any election. This is one of many examples that proves Nicky’s Cafe is not so much a restaurant, but a meeting place for ideas. For the results before the election, call Nicky.
“I’ve been born and raised in this restaurant.” said Perry. “I’ve been cooking bacon and eggs in this restaurant since I was 12 years old on summer holidays at 6 a.m. It’s my dad’s past, but now it’s going to be our future. It’s still the same restaurant that I grewup in and the same restaurant that our patrons use as a second home.”