When you think of Greece food is likely one of the first things that comes to mind. With the world currently on lockdown, an opportunity to experience the warm, inviting, and heavily food-based culture is welcomed by Americans stuck at home.

Thankfully, there’s now a way to get a taste at Greek From Greece (GFG) franchise locations. The Grecian cafe and cuisine brand, which was founded in 2016, signed its first franchise in early 2020. The franchise prides itself on providing high-quality, authentic Greek food in a friendly, comfortable environment.

Georgios Drosos, GFG’s CEO and founder of the chain, and his family have a generations-long history with baked-goods — his great-grandfather opened two of the largest bakeries in Athens after starting his journey selling koulouria in local markets. Much of GFG’s success has stemmed from the story and culinary history the brand brings to the table.

“They are a freight train barreling across the country,” Dan Rowe, founder and CEO of Fransmart and GFG Café Cuisine’s franchising partner recently told Fast Casual. “GFG continues to sign deals, build, and open locations, even during this unusual time for the restaurant industry. Their team is highly motivated and is creating incredible opportunities for all-star franchisees.”

The brand recently partnered with Greek NBA All-Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, and his family to bring authentic Greek culture to the United States. The 2019 MVP credits the collaboration to the fast casual destination's authentic flavors and strong family values

“What won me over is that GFG puts family above all else,” Antetokounmpo told Fast Casual. “They believe in the same values as me and my family, like loyalty and lifelong relationships. They embody delicious tastes, enticing smells, and a joyful culture that neither me nor my brothers can resist.”

The brand is growing at an interesting time; although COVID-19 has forced most Americans inside for the foreseeable future, Greek From Greece is swiftly achieving new franchisees. One of the main reasons, apart from their family-centered business model, is the innovative internal support measures they have implemented in light of the virus.

“This is our biggest growth period, because despite the unusual times and challenges surrounding COVID-19, we are continuing to sign deals, build, and open locations,” a representative from GFG told 1851. “In the first half of 2020, we merged with, and rebranded our largest competitor in Manhattan and launched a 31-unit expansion across Long Island and Stamford, New York. The recent expansions will increase our footprint to more than 41 locations.”

Recently, the brand has accomplished the development of their own Point of Sale (POS) system which aims to provide flexibility to monitor all store numbers on one screen, and export significant information to help departments support franchisees and deliver customized solutions and strategies. The most significant change, the representative told 1851, is an all-in-one communication platform designed by Greek From Greece’s IT team that frees-up working hours at all levels, improves information flow and allows the team to be more focused on results.

Greek From Greece’s innovation holds no bounds. What started out as a dream to bring the heart of a family business to the States, their way of cooking together with original Greek ingredients is what seemed to speak to franchisees in an inspiring way. Even in the height of a pandemic, this brand is built to sell.

“The love for authentic taste became our core aim, an authentic expression of our Greek roots found in everything from the food, to the service and customer experience,” said the representative. “We are proud to be different because we offer our customers an authentic food experience with recipes and ingredients straight from the homeland while we introduce a new Greek fast-casual all-day concept.”

How Greek From Greece Was Built to Grow

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Sarah Baumann