Franchisee Stories
The Panos family built their Atlanta Mellow Mushroom around their three children, blending shared responsibility, financial realities and a long marriage at the heart of the business.
When Lesley and Michel Panos bought their first Mellow Mushroom in Atlanta in the mid-1990s, they weren’t looking to build a multi-generation family business. They were new immigrants, new parents and new franchisees, trying to make a single restaurant work with limited capital and a 1-year-old in tow.
“I don’t think we would have achieved this in South Africa,” Michel said. “That’s why we came to America, to give our children every opportunity. We were hoping to build something that could be passed on to the children and they could operate and hopefully improve on and grow.”
In those early years, their oldest son, Nicolaos, spent as much time in the store as his parents. Lesley would drop him at a “mother’s morning out” program at a nearby church, rush to the restaurant to help Michel open and prep for lunch, then leave in time to make the carpool line. On days he came back to the store, Nicolaos napped and played in a playpen set up in the dish pit while service hummed around him.
It was less a grand strategy and more survival. But as the Panoses added restaurants and time passed, the business became the backdrop of their children’s lives — and, eventually, their careers.
Today, all three Panos kids — Nicolaos, Gabby and Michael — have a place in the operation, each gravitating toward a different side of the business.
“We all operate in different areas, so we don’t really make decisions together,” Lesley said. “For example, Gabby runs the social media. She knows what she has to do and she does it.”
Michael works in one of the restaurants, reporting to the family’s director of operations and his own general manager. Nicolaos has moved into catering and technology, using AI and other tools to streamline banking, communication and back-of-house processes.
Behind those roles is a very specific way of running restaurants that Lesley and Michel modeled for their children — hands-on, detail-oriented and humble, no matter whose name is on the franchise agreement.
“We have boots on the ground, which is what you need to do,” Lesley said. “I don’t put a manager’s T-shirt on. I put a Mellow Mushroom T-shirt on. I’ll pre-bus; I’ll do whatever needs to be done. I’m very grateful at the end of the day to our staff.”
That example has shaped how each of the kids shows up, from Nicolaos’ focus on numbers and incremental improvements to Michael’s insistence that no plate leaves the line unless it looks perfect.
“Nicolaos is very good at what he does, Michael is very good at what he does and Gabby is very good at what she does,” Michel said.
For all the upsides of working together, Michel is quick to acknowledge the built-in tension of mixing bloodlines and bottom lines.
“I mean, the golden rule is not to go into business with family, especially if you can avoid it,” he said. “You have to be careful because if there are problems within the business or if there are issues, they can spill over into family life. That’s always the risk you have to manage.”
The Panoses try to set boundaries — phones away at the table, a rule against talking shop at dinner — but business still sneaks in. Someone brings up scheduling or sales “just this once,” and before long the whole family is troubleshooting the restaurants over a meal.
At the same time, the realities of franchising have complicated the long-term plan. Fee increases and costly remodels have put pressure on profitability and left the next generation questioning whether they want to stay in the brand forever.
“What we really want for our kids is for them to be happy and fulfilled in whatever it is they’re doing,” Lesley said. “If that’s the way it goes, you just deal with the cards you’re dealt in life.”
Underneath the shifting roles, market changes and family debates is the same partnership that took a chance on a little pizzeria in Atlanta nearly three decades ago. Michel and Lesley still show up together, side by side, in their restaurants and at home.
“I love this lady next to me. She’s my rock,” Michel said. “We have a great relationship, and I’m very thankful for that.”
“I know in my heart that I can lean on Michel with anything and everything,” Lesley said. “I know I can count on Michel and Michel can count on me. That’s how we are able to get up, and whatever happens, the store will open.”
The Panos family may not know exactly how the next chapter will play out for each child, but the core of the story is already written: a family that grew up in a franchise, learned to work together inside it and built a life around keeping the doors open, one day and one shift at a time.
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