On his plans for 2018 with Corfu, he said, “We are planning to renovate the restaurant, and bring nice furniture from Greece. It will look more European, with a Greek touch. People get tired from the same menu, so we will refresh the kitchen a little bit. We are happy with the way the food comes, but we must always improve and modernize it.”
He shared that the most popular menu item at Corfu is their chicken kebab. “We sell a lot of chicken kebab and gyro,” he said. “A lot of customers are asking me for the chicken gyro right now. It became very popular in every restaurant.”
Aspiotis’ thoughts on the Greek-American community are as follows: “The Greek-American community is like any other community. We love each other and we hate each other. I really love the people and wish them the best. Happy New Year to them! We need to help each other more.”
Digital transformation of the Greek food business
On the impact of technology on the Greek restaurant business, especially in Forest Hills, he said, “I believe technology is good and beautiful, but it takes away a lot from the personal contact with the customer. The customers don’t even pick up the phone to call anymore. They do everything though Grubhub and Seamless and all these other applications. We have become more like McDonald’s, which is something I don’t want to do in my restaurant. That’s why I’m here seven days a week and I have a personal relationship with my customers. Technology forces a lot of restaurants to lose a lot of money, because they became partners through force. Every time people order on these apps, the restaurants lose about 20 percent on the orders. It is really hurting the restaurant a lot.”
The restaurant owner revealed that he has his own app on the App Store, entitled Corfu Grill. “You can order directly through our app, so you don’t have to go through a third party,” he said. “I didn’t increase my prices for the last four years, and I’m not planning to. Everything is getting too expensive. I just want the people to support the business, without the need of increasing the prices.”
Aspiotis also took the time to apologize profusely about his pro-Trump groping comment that he made last year, that many locals took offense to and subsequently boycotted his restaurant. “I am so sorry if I offended anyone. I feel terrible! I wanted to let everybody know that I posted that as a joke, and it was taken way out of context,” he said.
Corfu Grill should not be a reflection of that careless comment that Aspiotis posted last year, especially since it is quite the authentic Greek eatery in Forest Hills, New York. Corfu earned a favorable review from Digital Journal, and rightfully so. It also ranked in Digital Journal’s “Top 3 Greek restaurants in Queens, New York.”
To learn more about Corfu Grill in Forest Hills, check out its official Facebook page, and its official website.
