Today we’d like to introduce you to George Yiannikakis.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I left Athens, Greece and landed in Miami in 2009, at the peak of the recession. My background was in operations and business development. I worked in Greece for a Plastic pipes company, a swimwear company, and a fine jewelry company. The transition was difficult, I could not find a job, so I briefly got involved in 2012, in the importing of frozen pastries and foodstuff from Greece. The same year we leased a space in South Beach and opened in 2013, with partners, a casual dining restaurant called Crema. I sold my shares at Crema last year. In October of 2019, I opened, with partners, Amaranthine, in Miami Shores, an all-day Mediterranean concept. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch. Prior to the mandatory shut down, we were open for breakfast but due to the prevailing situation we will not be serving breakfast until things go back to normal. We also have a full liquor license. The food is primarily Greek with certain Mediterranean dishes. We have pretty good reviews and between December ’19 and February ’20 we were featured twice on tv, Channel 7 and Channel 4, and we had several articles about our restaurant.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest struggles are competition and human resources. The past couple of years hundreds of new restaurants open every couple of months. The biggest asset of any restaurant is its people. It is very difficult to find and retain qualified and responsible personnel in Miami.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Amaranthine – what should we know?
Our company, like all companies, strives to offer a high level of food quality, service and most importantly food consistency, no fluctuations on how the food tastes. Our goal is to bring back time, to try to cook food with flavors like our grandparents were cooking, simple and flavorful dishes. We specialize in cocktails. My partner, Xavier Misailidis, is a very well know mixologist in Europe with a long experience and a considerable number of international recognitions under his belt. As we speak, we grabbed the opportunity of the shutdown to redesign our menu based on the feedback we got from our clients the past months. We created an all Greek menu. Up until now, the menu was a mix of plates from Countries of the Mediterranean Basin, but when we introduced an Greek menu on Thursday nights, the overwhelming success and the feedback we got from the clients, led us gear towards the Greek cuisine which is well perceived by the American diners.
What we are proud of and, I dare to say, sets us apart from competition, is the fact that everything we offer in the restaurant is way above mediocre. The coffee is an Italian wood-roasted blend, our cocktails are very well crafted and executed, we invested heavily in top of the line ice machine, so that ice does not water down the cocktails, something that very few restaurants have done so far, all of our dishes are flavorful. This is an ongoing discussion we have with food bloggers that visited our restaurant. Usually, a lot of restaurants build their reputation over a few signature dishes. So far, I believe we have accomplished, to have all of our dishes on a high taste level.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
You cannot play music without the right instruments; you cannot be a successful conductor without having the right group of musicians. The credit always goes to the team and the group of people that makes this magic happen and who is the soul of the restaurant. The truth of the matter is that when I go around talking to clients to get feedback about the food and the service, I am the recipient of the compliments (and occasionally of the complaints) but I always reply that the personnel deserves those compliments.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9801 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, FL, 33138
- Website: www.amaranthinebistro.com
- Phone: 7869074924
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