Bergen County couple rethinks fast-casual dining

A Bergen County husband and wife are channeling their love of food and travel into two growing chains of fast-casual eateries, Eons Greek Food For Life and SQ Pizza .

In North Jersey one of the most diverse culinary scenes in the country George and Anoush Georgiades are on a mission to make it easier and more affordable for people to enjoy food that is authentic and fresh, as well as healthy.

Since opening their first Eons Greek location a decade ago in New York City, the longtime Mahwah residents have since added outposts in Paramus and Montvale.

Known for its customizable menu of sustainably sourced, non-GMO Mediterranean food, the concept allows customers to select a base of pita, rice or salad and add proteins like hormone & antibiotic-free chicken, wild caught shrimp and “sushi grade” wild octopus. It also offers Greek sides, like chickpea or beet salad and farro, as well as signature bowls and wraps.

In 2020, they branched out to open SQ Pizza, a shop in Mahwah specializing in Roman-style square-shaped pies. Earlier this year, the Georgiades expanded the restaurant’s footprint with the launch of a location in Montvale.

Inspired by their trips to Italy, SQ Pizza serves pizza made from high-hydration, long-rising dough crafted from non-GMO imported wheat flour. The pizza which can be ordered by the slice, six-slice half pan or 12-slice full pan comes in varieties ranging from classic margherita to buffalo chicken to vegan.

“We want to give people the option to eat better,” said Anoush, a mother of two. “Not only the very upper class should be able to eat delicious, healthy food.”

The Chipotle of Greek eats

The concept for Eons Greek draws upon the cuisine George, a first-generation Greek American, grew up on and his many years of experience as a fine dining chef, as well as Anoush’s love of fast-casual restaurants.

Before opening the first location in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan, George was a chef and partner at fine-dining Greek seafood restaurant Varka in Ramsey for a decade.

Anoush, a Julliard-trained musician and teacher of violin, viola and piano, supported her early music career by working in numerous Manhattan restaurants and met George when he was working as chef at Avra Estiatorio.

After marrying and starting a family, they began planning their own concept Eons. In addition to providing healthy food at an affordable price, Anoush and George said the decision to pursue their own venture was motivated by the desire to have a better work-life balance and the ability to team up with each other.

As they brainstormed ideas, Anoush suggested they open a Greek version of Chipotle Mexican Grill that gives customers the option of selecting a base, protein, toppings and a side. George was skeptical at first but then said he realized it could work well.

“I think the thing that really sets us apart is that we have seafood because of the Mediterranean cuisine. So, we have shrimp, salmon and octopus. And, everything is made fresh at each location,” said Anoush.

The launch of Eons Greek and SQ Pizza come as the trend of fast-casual dining shows no sign of slowing down. Although quick service and casual dining restaurants continue to dominate the market, fast casual is considered the fastest-growing segment.

In the last two decades, the demand for fast casual has been influenced by customer desire for food that is customizable, affordable and quickly executed. While often categorized as a favorite of millennials, the convenience, quality and prices have attracted loyalty from all generations.

It’s also proven to be a space ripe for chef innovation, with low barriers to entry and potential scalability. As a result, many prominent chefs, like George, are pivoting from high-end establishments to develop dining experiences that appeal to a more informal crowd.

Fast-casual options saw rapid growth during the pandemic, helping secure it as a staple in the industry rather than a trend. In the U.S., the fast-casual market is expected to grow by $35 billion between 2020 and 2024, according to global technology research and advisory firm Technavio .

‘Upscale slice shop’

While they planned to add a second Eons Greek in New York City, after the onset of the pandemic the couple decided not to move forward with it, according to Anoush.

Opening another restaurant wasn’t something they’d considered until a chat with the landlord of a Route 17 property in Mahwah about a fresh concept for the shopping plaza. Developing SQ evolved into a pandemic project for George and he dove right in.

“The first SQ was originally going to be a deli. But, I was getting nervous because I didn’t know anything about delis. I did a lot of research and went to all these different delis,” he said.

“Then, at the last minute, we fell in love with the pizza idea,” he said. “We wanted to bring a better pizza product and we fell in love with this kind of pizza when we were in Italy. We wanted to try and make an upscale slice shop and elevate pizza.”

He schooled himself on how Italian pizzerias crafted their dough and learned how to make his own. Born from unbleached flour that is hydrated and fermented for two days, George said his pizza is lighter, airier and preservative-free.

“We’re basically just looking toward the European way of how they eat healthy and Americanizing it a little bit and giving it a little twist,” said George, whose professional background includes working at several top-notch establishments in the metropolitan area, such as Le Cote Basque, Hudson River Club, Bar Six and Chez Es Saada.

With an estimated 2,000 pizzerias in New Jersey, specializing in everything from tomato pie to brick-oven Sicilian pies to thin crust tavern style to deep dish slices, it can be a tough business to try and make some dough.

The state’s reputation for tasty pizza is already well established, with many local joints frequently earning accolades from publications like Thrillist and NJ Monthly. “Jersey people and their pizza are very finicky,” George said. “They’re loyal and they know what they want and I’m fine with that. I think that’s a good thing because the small mom and pop businesses are what keeps America going essentially.”

George joked that he felt like “the devil” as he worked on the concept of SQ. However, he believes “the timing was pretty good for us” because people are generally becoming more adventurous with food and interested in trying out new styles of pizza.

Additionally, SQ Pizza offers freshly made gelato, pizza bread, sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads and desserts. Its most popular dishes are margherita and vodka margherita pies as well as a chicken parmesan sandwich.

“We have guys coming in and telling me, ‘George, this is great. It’s not like the old school pizza shops. It’s fresher and cleaner.’ So, they’re starting to get it and appreciate it the work and love that went into the thought,” George said.

Pandemic-proofing

During the height of the COVID crisis, fast-casual establishments had a bit of an advantage over other types of eateries. Unlike traditional dine-in restaurants that were forced to make great changes and pivot their model to focus on curbside and delivery, fast-casual joints were able to quickly adapt to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and continue business with minimal disruption.

It also helped that more than half of fast casuals already had online ordering, dedicated apps, loyalty programs and drive-thru lanes, which made the transition to pandemic-era restrictions easier.

Now, during the post-pandemic period, convenience remains a primary motivator for customers and they still expect to get their orders quickly and easily.

Anoush said SQ Pizza and Eons Greek stayed afloat because of take-out orders. She estimated that it represented about 99% of business at the height of the pandemic. Another way they kept their spirits up when in-person dining was shut down giant stuffed animals.

“Just because it was so empty. We had ones from arcades from when the kids were little and we put them all over the dining area just to look like there was something going on over there,” Anoush said.

The period also presented an opportunity for them to rethink operations to become more geared toward delivery and pickup, George said.

SQ Pizza was also among seven North Jersey restaurants selected for an accelerator program run last year by on-demand delivery platform DoorDash. Along with $10,000 grants, the eight-week initiative provided small businesses with training, education, one-on-one customized advising and marketing benefits. The program was open to restaurants with fewer than 50 employees with no more than three locations and owned by women, immigrants or people of color.

“It was great to gain more knowledge across the board on different aspects of the business,” Anoush said. “Of course, many things were familiar and some surprising, but it was a great experience in all.”

Post pandemic, Anoush said the locations have a “really good balance” of dine-in customers and those who have take-out orders.

At Montvale, the 2,500-square-foot restaurant includes a bigger dining area for families to enjoy dinner together. There’s also an outdoor patio with seating. In Mahwah, the 2,000-square-foot space on Route 17 tends to have more take-out than dine-in guests.

Like many other small, independently owned establishments, George said the business is contending with inflation. “I feel the biggest challenge and everybody’s complaining about it, including me is just keeping up with the cost of goods It’s ridiculous to a certain degree and I don’t want to overcharge any customer. I just want to make ‘x’ amount of percentage to make the concept work. We’re not looking to gouge people,” he said. “The balance of food costs and labor costs to make sure that restaurants stay somewhat profitable is hard for everybody.”

“If I sell a slice at about $3, give or take, and we have to raise it to $4 and the customer comes in and complains, ‘Why are you charging $4?’ I have to be like, ‘Well my vendors are charging me more money.’ It’s a domino effect,” George said.

In New Jersey, the restaurant space “does get a little bit competitive,” but George said he believes the public is “very smart and able to tell what is delicious, really good food.”

“I think for both brands, the food has been our number one driver of sales because people do pick up that we have delicious, good food and appreciate it,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s about us doing consistently good quality food and maintaining a loyal customer base that enjoy us.”

In addition to promoting their brands on social media and relying on old fashioned word of mouth, Anoush said they “do try to spread our food outside of our stores.” As a result, the Georgiades have secured a number of corporate clients through networking.

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“We cater to a lot of big companies in the city and in Jersey. So, we do reach out. It’s not just our five brick-and-mortar locations right now,” she said. “These companies see and appreciate good quality food that tastes great and is affordable. It’s great going into companies where we’ll serve them and then a person may know someone else at another company.”

A better balance

As a family-run business, Anoush said, “I think we’re a really good team. We complete each other in many ways, so it’s awesome and I love it.”

At both chains, George is the mastermind of the menus and running the kitchens. Anoush is in charge of overseeing employees, handling human resources and managing payroll.

George said, “I think it’s fun and we do work well together. We complement each other. We do different things also. And then, the moral support is more than anything because you’re doing it for the family. So, the little stresses and challenges, to me, feel a little bit easier. You’re not on your own you’re in it together.”

After working at SQ Pizza throughout high school, their daughter is now a freshman at Parsons School of Design and returns home every weekend to help out at the shops or at catering events.

“She’s extremely helpful and loves being a part of it,” said Anoush, who added that their son, a freshman, will also begin working soon at the pizzeria.

The fast casual sector is also more conducive to improved workplace culture and work-life balance, the Georgiades said. “Before Eons, the kids never saw George when he was in fine dining,” Anoush explained. “So, it’s really nice, much more humane hoursIt’s much better for the family.”

George recalled, “When I was a chef, a normal week was six days a week. You would never have two days off. And I implore these workers to take two days off you need to recharge your batteries.”

“They did that in Europe when I worked in Switzerland and France in my younger days apprenticing a bit. You were supposed to get nine days off a month. It was normal,” he said. “How you took them was up to you. But you still need that work-life balance. I think that’s important and makes the work more productive.”

George went on to say, “It’s a good healthy environment where you pay them their vacation and you pay everybody legit. We don’t play those games that some other places play We do everything on the books and no cash. This way they get the benefits.”

About eight to 10 employees work at each of the Georgiades’ five locations. And some of those team members have been with the couple since the very beginning.

“We’re grassroots everything and both come from humble means,” Anoush said. “We’re not these wealthy people, so it makes us feel good we’re giving people jobs and that we’ve had people with us for many years We have an amazing staff and it’s definitely a team effort we make.”

Good moods and foods

Anoush said their focus as a business will always be on “trying to do the right thing” by “providing better food options.” They are also intent on giving back locally, particularly through outreach at schools in New Jersey and New York.

“We believe in integrating the community and appreciating the community,” she said. “In turn, the community appreciates the business. It’s a lot of give-and-take and finding balances of how to work together. And we are definitely very thankful for our communities.”

For instance, during the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Anoush said they donated thousands of meals to hospital workers. And one of the most successful efforts so far was teaming up with the Mahwah Public School District to have the high school principal come serve up slices at SQ Pizza. The Montvale location will soon welcome the principal of Pascack Hills High School behind the counter for a similar fundraiser.

“It was so much fun. The entire school showed up, the principal was making jokes and we donated all the proceeds from it,” Anoush said. “It was such a memorable event and everybody had such an amazing time. It makes things so much more worth it because you feel like you’re part of it and like you’re doing things to help people. It’s very rewarding.”

The Georgiades’ goal is to franchise SQ Pizza “because it is such a beautiful, simple concept that can help more people have a healthier type of pizza,” Anoush said.

“It’s surprising how many people walk into SQ and think it’s a franchise already. And we’re like ‘No, it’s just us,’” she said.

George believes SQ Pizza is an easier brand to control. “I’m crazy about the quality of food. With this concept I wanted to keep it simple because of the employees and finding the right people. And just trying to have a hyper focus on just a couple of products helped us do that,” he said.

“As I looked at it and took a step back, a friend of mine who franchises some stuff, like Dunkin’ Donuts and a few other concepts was like ‘Wow, this will be a good franchise concept,’” he said. “Then we could start centralizing everything making the dough in one place and shipping it to them and making sure all our products are bought from the same supplier. It could be more controllable. I would definitely trust it with the right team. A franchisee could run an SQ if we were able to give them our products and they do the right thing.”

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