Coffee with…Gus Makris

Baristanet sits down with Gus Makris, co-owner of the Montclair Char-Broil Restaurant in Upper Montclair, and talks about America, Greece and Montclair’s Russian spies.

You’re originally from Greece. Tell me about your life before Montclair.

I was born on 10-18-41, 10 days before the Germans invaded Greece. After the war, my father passed away, I was nine years old and my brother was five years old. My mother had no job, she had nothing. So at 11 years old, I started working at my cousin’s restaurant in Greece for free, just for food, so I had something to eat. I was there six or seven years. After six, seven years, everybody was starting to make money. I needed money, too, but my cousin said I can pay what you can eat, so I left and went to Athens. I was 14 years old, and I rented a room with another boy and started working as a busboy in a restaurant in Athens. I was making a little money there and I was paying my rent and we had free food from the restaurant, where were we worked from 7 in the morning until 9 at night.

After that, I got another job close to the American Embassy in Athens and I had a lot of people from the Embassy that would come into the place. I started having American friends and started to fall in love with America. I was dreaming that one day I’ll come here and have a nice car. I used to think then that when you come to this country, everything is automatic — you press a button, the coffee is ready! You press a button, your bed is ready!

I went into the Army in Greece because [at a certain age] you have to serve. I don’t have any education, but I became a sergeant — I don’t know why; I passed a test. After the army, I went back to the same place close to the American Embassy and I started dating at 23 years old, going out.

How did you meet your wife, Maria?
One day, a young lady came in [the place close to the Embassy] with a young man. So there was a bar; they sat down, and we started talking. She said to me, “I’m from Denver, Colorado. I’m visiting here, I just finished high school and I want to see the country.” The person with her was her brother. After the next day, they came back again and then I had a date with the young lady from the United States. So we started dating. I took her to my mom and my mom loved her right away and my brother and everyone in the house liked the young lady, so we got engaged and married in Athens. And she brings me here to the United States. And she’s my wife now for 45 years.

Where did you move to when you came to the United States?
We came to New York. She came before me and waited for me in New York. After three months, I came in December to the U.S. by boat because we didn’t have any money. After I came to this country, I lived in Manhattan in a $25 a week room and found a job as a dishwasher at 53rd Street and Ninth Avenue. I was making $67 a week.
On May 17, 1965, we had our first child.

What was it like living here?
I was in love with this country before I came here. I had opportunities to go to different places–Australia, Canada, Germany. The only place I wanted to come to was this country. I love this country.
After I saved a little money, I bought a business across from the Waldorf-Astoria, a little sandwich shop. I bought the place. At the same time, I was making a little money, not much, but I got business experience. After my lease expired, I looked for something else, but I couldn’t find anything. At the same time, somebody came in and said “I want to buy your restaurant with a two-year lease left.” So I sold it for $25,000 in 1974.
After that, I worked at another restaurant on Third Avenue and 49th Street, a diner-style restaurant. It was busy. The money was good, but it was like a factory. I’m a person who doesn’t want to work for anybody. I said,” I work for somebody else, I do the best I can and I make $150-$160 a week. Why shouldn’t I use my skills for myself?” So I started looking for another business.

Is that what brought you to New Jersey?
Yes, I found a diner in Irvington. I make a deal to buy a diner. I stayed there five years. Somebody came in and gave me a good offer, so I sold the place. The money was good. I sold the place and bought a house in Union and I was looking for another business. So I started working in Madison at a diner. One day somebody came into the kitchen and said to me, “Is your name Gus? I want to talk to you.” I never saw this guy before. He said, “I have a restaurant in downtown Newark and I want you to come in to manage the restaurant, I’m not there. After three years, you’re gonna buy my business.” I said I don’t want to come to Newark. He said you come and you see. So one day I was in the office district — Gateway One, Gateway Two, Gateway Three. Thousands and thousands of beautiful people there, so I see business and beautiful people, and at four o’clock everything closed, so I said “you got a deal, I’ll come here!”

I started building up the business there and it started flourishing right away. The guy wanted to retire, so I bought the business in 1981. I stayed there for 23-24 years. I made a lot of friends.

When I was 56-57 years old, this guy came in and said ‘I wanna buy your restaurant.” I said “the restaurant is not for sale.” He said “In case you want to sell, here’s a $10,000 check.” I was so tired — 23 years I never took a vacation ever. The only time I got vacation, two-three weeks, was the time my mom passes away here in the United States.

So what happened?
I went across the street to my lawyer and said, “Cash the check, I want to do the deal.” My lawyer didn’t want to do the deal because he loved me so much and he didn’t want to lose me. My wife and kids didn’t want me to do the deal.

They called me the “Mayor of Newark.” I used to do free dinners for Thanksgiving for the homeless every year. President Clinton, the Mayor of Newark and the Town Council gave me a proclamation. I gave something back to the city and my new country.

I wanted to retire, so I sold the place. I went back to Greece; we have a house in Athens. I was there in body, but my mind was here in this country. I missed the people, everything.

What things did you miss about this culture?
Just say you go to the bus stop. People stand in line, one by one. You go over there [Greece] and the last person comes in and pushes to go first.

So you come back to the States?
Yes. After I came back, the guy who bought my restaurant in Newark lost all this business. After he found out that I came back, he called me to help build up his business. So I went there and started working for him. At the same time, I was not free.

He was saying “do this” and “don’t do this” and “go my way.” So I told him he better get somebody else because I’m gonna go and buy a business.

I see in a Greek newspaper that there’s restaurant for sale in Upper Montclair, so I come here. I see the neighborhood. At that time, the restaurant was not like this. For 75 years, nobody did anything here. I bought the place and after one year I remodeled it.

Soon after, somebody from The New York Times came in, a young lady. She had dinner two, three nights a week with her kids. She put me in The New York Times, a good article. So after that, everybody was calling me, “Where’s your address?” So we did very well after that. We have owned the restaurant for 11 years.

Have you changed the menu much over the years?
We changed a lot of things. Before, we didn’t sell that many salads. Now, we sell a lot of salads. Before, we used to sell a lot of beef stews and a lot of ribs. Now people go for light things, grilled chicken breast, salads, wraps. If someone wants a special order, no problem, I’ll make it.

Are you here all the time?
I come in 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. My partner comes in 2 to 7 p.m. My partner is a good man, got a nice family. He works his shifts, I work my shift. My son works in the kitchen. My daughter splits the shifts on the register between her and my wife. The same thing with my partner.

Why do you think customers keep coming back?
You got to have No. 1, a good personality. Then a clean restaurant, good food, good service and never try to cut corners to buy second-quality to make money. We make everything here. We make everything fresh from scratch because my partner is a very experienced chef.

The Montclair residents and Russian spies known as Cynthia and Richard Murphy would come into the Char-Broil. What were they like?

Regular American family, like everybody else coming here. Very polite, very nice; I would talk to them. But I don’t like what they were doing to this country. I love this country. I don’t want anybody to hurt my country — this is my country now.

The reason I have all these flags here; I put these flags here from 9/11. On 9/11 at 10 a.m., I bought all these flags and put them there. They’re gonna be here forever, as long as I live, because I give my respect to all these people who died there and all those people who go to war for us to be free here.

Do you define yourself as an American, a Greek-American, or how specifically?
I can say now I’m more American than a Greek.

When you have some free time what do you like to do?
My wife and I, we stay home, or we go out to dinner. Most of the time we go to New York because we have relatives there.

Where do you get the energy to work 60-70 hours a week?
I don’t know; I like it here.

Would you ever retire?
If I retire, I’m gonna die.