One of downtown Prince George's most popular restaurants is about to close.
After nearly 35 years of serving some of the best Greek cuisine the city has known, Kostas Iliopulos will shut the doors of the Achillion on Oct. 29.
At 62 years old, it's simply time to move on. Kostas won't miss the long hours.
"Probably, I know my customers better than my kids," Iliopulos said. "You talk about about seven days a week, maybe on average 14 hours a day."
Iliopulos hails from the island of Mykonos. He moved to Prince George in 1981 after meeting Cindy O'Neilly, who would become his wife (they're no longer married).
Iliopulos was a waiter when they met and he originally intended to get out of the restaurant business upon arriving in the city, and become a carpenter instead.
But when the Achillion's previous owner, Tom Papasimopolos, heard a fellow Greek with restaurant experience had moved to Prince George, he contacted Iliopulos and told him he needed some help.
"He said 'you know, tomorrow's Friday, you can come to give me a hand, it's busy,'' Iliopulos said. "I said 'if you want me to do dishes, no problem.' But he said 'no, no, no you have to work the floor.'
"I said 'look, I don't feel comfortable, I just came here like a few hours ago.'"
Iliopulos gave in. That was in August 1981. By June 1984, he was the owner and at a time when the Canadian economy was in rough shape with interest rates running at more than 20 per cent.
Yet the Achillion has survived and has outlasted some stiff competition over the years. At one time there were three Greek restaurants in the city's downtown but for several years now, the Achillion has been the only one.
The secret to his success? Iliopolus narrowed it down to concentrating on quality over price.
"You have to give to get," he said. "My rules in the kitchen, from the day that I started, was that if you don't [want to] eat it, you don't serve it."
Having a passion for the business is also important.
"You have to love what you do," Iliopolus said.
Among the turning points over the years was the provincial government's decision prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to toughen the smoking laws for restaurants and bars. Iliopulos draws a direct line between that move and the decline of nightlife downtown.
He said it affected everyone's business but on the bright side he said it was "a little bit rough when the bars were open."
With the lease on the building - owned by Commonwealth Campus Corp. - about to expire, Iliopulos decided it was time to pack it in. He said others have been interested in buying the business, but backed away because the building's owners are now only interested in short-term leases.
He said one of his three daughters was interested in taking over but Iliopulos has warned her off.
"I said 'look, you can have it any time but you're going to lose your family, so choose what you want,'" Iliopulos said.
Since word got out that the Achillion is about to close, business has tripled. While lineups into the 130-seat restaurant were common on weekends, Iliopulos said they're now occurring on weeknights too.
Running the Achillion, which employs 13-14 people full-time and part-time, has been a lot of hard work but Iliopulos is proud of what he's accomplished.
"That's the only way that life is sweet," he said when asked if all the effort was worthwhile. "It wasn't easy, it was very tough but right now, I feel good.
"There are other people who find everything ready for them and they lose it. Me, I start from scratch with not even one dollar."
Once the doors close at the restaurant, his first order of business is to travel back to Greece and reacquaint himself with his dozen brothers and sisters and their families. It will be the first time in more than 25 years Iliopulos has been in the country.
