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American Success Story

Greek immigrants built Leo's Coney Island chain of more than 50 restaurants.

W

hen she was a little girl and used
to come from California with
her parents to visit me in West
Bloomfield, our granddaughter Hannah
Raskin might have been among those who
wanted to try an authentic Detroit Coney
Island hot dog.
If so, she probably felt like so many
other youngsters or oldsters did when they
had their first taste of the original Detroit
specialty ... especially at a "Coney" eatery
belonging to a much-noted restaurant
group.
I was in California recently to attend the
June 27 marriage of Hannah, now a software
company marketing person, to Nicholas
"Nic" Berglund, schooling for his
chiropractic doctorate ... They
were married in Soquel, Calif.
(near Santa Cruz), an hour's
drive from San Francisco,
and live in Portland, Ore.
Closest then while she was
visiting here was Farmington
Coney Island, since moved with
name change to its corporate title
of Leo's Coney Island on Orchard Lake
Road north of 14 Mile, West Bloomfield.
Success stories the American Way are
many ... with the restaurant business hold-
ing its own as a major ground for the multi-
tude who have found America's greatness a
master springboard in their endeavors.
Brothers Leo and Pete Stassinopoulos had
begun their present chain of Leo's Coney
Island restaurants in Metropolitan Detroit.
Pete came here earlier, in the late '60s
... worked for Ray and Chuck Keros at the
Northland Coney Island ... then opened his
own Southfield Souvlaki on Southfield near
121/2 Mile in 1972.
Brother Leo couldn't speak English when
he later arrived from their hometown of
Kalamata in the Dara village of Greece, in
1970 ... and as a 17-year-old worked for
Henry and Allan Ross at their Great Lakes

Sausage Co.
On the weekends, he toiled at
Gus' Coney Island in Tel-12 Mall
on Telegraph and 12 Mile.
Then came the beginning of
the Leo's chain when he went to
work for older brother Pete at
Southfield Souvlaki ... It became
their first restaurant together ...
followed by Nine Mile Road and
Greenfield in 1979.
Back in the 1970s, hot dogs
were the biggest seller at the
Leo's Coney Island operations ... Not so
today, where untold amounts of Greek sal-
ads, on which is its noted family recipe for
Greek dressing, are sold, with the
Coney Island hot dog second,
made with regular or kosher-
brand hot dogs.
The Leo's Greek dressing in
bottles is found today also in
numerous specialty markets
and grocery stores.
When Leo's first began, few
breakfasts or lunches were served
... Today they are among its biggest sell-
ers ... And unlike so many other multi-
restaurant operations, Leo and Pete have no
central commissary supplying their restau-
rants ... Each Leo's eatery peels and cuts its
own potatoes to make their own fresh hash
browns ... They also create their own soups,
sauces, spinach pie, etc., along with mari-
nating their own chicken breasts, among
preparation of so many other items.
It also makes its own excellent Greek
salad dressing, regular or light, which Leo's
has sold since 1980.
When Leo and Pete began the Leo's Coney
Island chain, their only thought was each
making a living ... This they both certainly
have done ... To the tune of there now being
more than 50 Leo's locations today.
And Hannah might have helped them
to such success by eating as many Coney

Island hot dogs as she could
... and still always keeping her
cute little figure.
LITTLE WONDER WHY
those pastries are so good at Big
Rock Chophouse, Eton Street,
Birmingham ... Norm LePage's
pastry chef, Eric Voight's first
job after Oakland Community
College was at the former
upscale Tribute Restaurant,
working side-by-side with
James Beard Foundation pastry
winner Michael Laiskonis, before taking
over as Tribute's head pastry chef ... Eric
was one of the chefs at the recent series final
Seasoned Chefs dinner.
TIME IN THE restaurant business is both
a friend and an enemy ... Which is why new
eateries must keep their fingers crossed after
the thrill and results of opening are in ...
There are few bad restaurants at the begin-
ning when the best foot is put forward, every-
thing is so fresh and servers are smiling.
The here-today-and-gone-tomorrow eat-
eries are unfortunately many times owned
by totally inexperienced people who depend
on others ... and those whose big dollars
may take over tremendous egos.
In too numerous cases, many of them are
gone in months ... Which is why longev-
ity in so many cases tells a big story ... and
anniversaries are noted.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE ..."Hello, Mom.
Can I leave the kids with you tonight?"
"You're going out? With whom?"
"With a friend7
"I don't know why you left your husband.
He is such a good man:'
"I didn't leave him. He left me!"
"You let him leave you, and now you go
out with anybodies and nobodies7
"I do not go out with anybody. Can I
bring over the kids?"
"I never left you to go out with anybody
except your fathet"

4

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"There are lots of things that you did that
I don't:'
"What are you hinting at?"
"Nothing. I just want to know if I can
bring the kids over tonight7
"You're going to stay the night with him?
What will your husband say if he finds out?"
"My EX-husband. I don't think he would
be bothered. From the day he left me, he
probably never slept alone!"
"So you're going to sleep at this loser's
place?"
"He's not a loser7
"A man who goes out with a divorced
woman with children is a loser and a parasite7
"I don't want to argue. Should I bring over
the children or not?"
"Poor children with such a mothet"
"Such as what?"
"With no stability. No wonder your hus-
band left you:
"ENOUGH!"
"Don't scream at me. You'll probably
scream at this loser, too!"
"Now you're worried about the loser?"
"Ah, so you see he's a loser. I spotted him
immediately.
"Goodbye, Mother7
"Wait! Don't hang up! When are you going
to bring the children over?"
"I'm not bringing them over! I'm not
going out!"
"If you never go out, how do you expect to
meet anyone?"
CONGRATS ... To Henry Abrams on his
birthday ... To Alan Borsen on his birthday
... To Estelle Robinson on her birthday ...
To Bonnie Nosanchuk on her birthday ...
To Elaine Schonberger on her birthday ...
To Nate and Ethel Fine on their 60th anni-
versary ... To Bernie and Muriel Moray on
their 54th anniversary.

❑

Danny's email address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobaLnet.

