We recently connected with John Gianoulidis and have shared our conversation below.

John, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

“The Customers always right.”
I grew up working with my family in the pizza business. They were Greek immigrants that worked factory jobs to save enough to open their own little place in Ct. called Johnny’s Pizza, (named after my Dad and myself.)
My father believed that the customer was a guest in our restaurant. Accordingly, we had a responsibility that every guest be treated equitably with good will and tolerance. It didn’t matter that they were spending their last dollars or had pulled up in a limo, their race, gender or orientation. Everyone deserved equitable and mannered treatment.
The other side of the guest social contract was that the guest was expected to act as a guest, not be rude, aggressive or overly demanding. No customer had or today has the right to get aggressive with our staff, be belittling or overly demanding, try to game the system or just generally be a jerk in our restaurants.

John, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a first generation Greek American. My parents came to the US in 1963 and I was born in 1965. I grew up and worked in my parent’s pizza place in Ct. They had worked in factories and saved money when they arrived in the states to open their own business, the American dream. They moved to Atlanta in 1983 and opened Christos pizza along with my two older brothers.
When I went off to university I took jobs in the night club industry and worked in nightlife. Needing to make a change after a number of years, I bought and started operating a little cafe called Parkgrounds in my neighborhood of Reynoldstown. Parkgrounds is still going strong and I love stopping in for my morning coffee and checking in with my staff and manager! They do an amazing job of keeping the vibe local, chill and approachable.
With Parkgrounds being so successful, I wanted to expand to food that was informed by my heritage and youth, so I and a managing partner opened Kafenio Avondale in Avondale Estates in 2018. Keeping the business open was a rough go through the Covid shutdowns but we stayed open, at times just with myself in the kitchen and my partner at the counter.
With my older brother finally retiring and closing his location, I decided that I needed to open a pizza house to keep the pizza family legacy alive,(plus I really only like my family’s pizza and when he closed, I would need to make it myself, so why not open another restaurant. Hence The Greek Pizzeria and Gyros in Brookhaven at the corners of Buford Hiway and Clairmont Rd!
Honestly, I am most proud of the opportunity to carry on my family’s legacy of offering honest, wholesome food in a welcoming vibrant environment and upholding their benchmarks of treating people equitably in a forthright manner with a bit of snark and attitude thrown in. The snark and attitude come from my Dad’s side of the family.
I want people to know that I strive to provide a welcoming and approachable atmosphere with food and libations that are fairly priced and genuine as possible.

Any advice for managing a team?

The best thing I’ve learned is to not jump to conclusions or take a situation at face value.
I have slowly and painfully learned to slow down, allow the situation to unfold without value judgement and learn as much as i can before making a decision or coming to a resolution.
I approach my staff and ask them questions, allowing them to explain the situation from their perspective as objectively as possible. Taking into account that most of the time the truth lies somewhere in between the perspectives of the people involved.
I strive as much as possible to be equitable and fair in my interactions.
Mind you, this is the bar I set for myself. Some days I come close to that bar and some days I fall far short. As long as I have this in mind, I can continue to grow and learn.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are 3 books beside my bed right now, Tao 365, Meditations by Aurelius and Plato’s Republic.
I read the Tao 365 as part of my morning meditation and inventory. In the evening a read a bit of Meditations or one of a number of books in my library.
Having a morning reading helps guide my thoughts higher than the basics of money, power, and the fact that no one is doing what I want them to do, (especially in Atlanta traffic). This morning reading really serves as displacement therapy, displacing the crap I wake up with in my head with something that can provide better guidance.
My evening readings helps me to take stock of my day and refocus on what I need to consider as truly important, versus what my baser instincts would tell me are paramount.
At the end of the day, it’s not the specific book or reading that is of importance. It’s the idea of continuing to strive for a greater purpose and aspire to being the best version of myself that I can on any give day in any given situation.
I do change out my readings periodically with the guidestone being that it challenge my thinking and help me grow as a human being.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.thegreekpizzeria.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/Greekatl/ And @instagram.com/Gianoulidis/
• Facebook: https://M.facebook.com/greeekatl/

Image Credits

Myself.