Fate is written, the Greeks say and Liza Tsolorides sure thinks so because when she and business partner Brooke Saunders were looking to open a restaurant up popped one for sale whose name was too good to be true – or be changed.
It’s J-K’s Greek Cafe which first opened in La Mesa, California about 40 years ago offering traditional Greek fare before closing in 2024.
Tsolirides told San Diego magazine she was casually browsing restaurants for sale online, and when this one popped up, “it lit the fuse,” she explains. They decided to keep the name as-is after meeting with the original owner’s son, who shared that the initials J-K stand for his father and uncle, Jacob and Kostas.
https://sandiegomagazine.com/food-drink/j-k-greek-cafe-restaurant-la-mesa-new-owners/
“My son’s name is Jacob, and my brother’s name was Kostas,” she laughed. “We kept it because we felt like there’s a history to it, and if we change the name, then we’re a whole new restaurant.” And they’re going to keep the vintage vinyl pink chairs too.
