In Michiana, to find a true family oriented, owned, and operated restaurant that has a history and appreciation for the region, you only have to look one place: Prime Table Restaurant. Nick, Mary, and Bill Giannakakis of Niles, Michigan own the family dining establishment that has been a part of the local community since 1993. The family story—like the flavor of their signature steaks—is rich, and begins across the Atlantic.
The Quest for a Dream
The Giannakakis family hails from a little mountain village in Greece, but as a young man, Nick Giannakakis had his eyes on another land several thousand miles away—America.
“At this time, it was the land of opportunity. It really was!” Nick exclaimes, while reminiscing about his decision to head to the States. It was the late 1960s, a time of change in the U.S., and Nick got work soon after arriving, first taking a position in the hospitality industry in 1966, and then a job in a coffee shop in 1967. He picked up the tricks of the trade quickly, and using what he learned, Nick opened his first restaurant in Liberty, Illinois only few years after his arrival in the U.S. Soon, the rest of the Giannakakis family joined Nick, opening more restaurants in Michiana, including the Niles Prime Tables Restaurant in 1993. “God has been good to our family,” Nick says, summing up the Giannakakis’ success.
Family First
Nick describes what he considers his family in Michiana: “My family at home and the family of my customers. They are my big family… they really are.” They have shared weddings, birthday parties and many other family-centered events with the customers of Prime Tables Restaurants, as well as the Millennium Steakhouse, which the family opened in 2001. According the Nick, even the name of Millennium Restaurant was a family effort (his children created the name).
Nick, his wife Mary, Bill, their children and grandchildren all had a hand in the success of the Niles Prime Table Restaurant. Nick also attributes the establishment’s 18 years of harmony with the community to the patrons.
The Return
“We appreciate them. [The customers] have been loyal…they come back…and we hear comments like, ‘we will come back next year.’” Nick says of the patrons that have become regulars. Nick calls them family. “They [are] here seven days. When the economy took [a] downturn, they still [came] here… three or four days a week.”
The Giannakakis family respects the hard-earned dollars that the diners spend faithfully at the restaurants. In return, Nick says they buy quality produce, and create quality dishes that the families of the community continue to enjoy year after year.
Join Nick and the rest of the family for a month-long celebration of the Prime Table Restaurant’s place in the Niles community. It’s a partnership that the Giannakakis family has cherished since their immigration to the Midwest decades ago.
“Over the years, we have really enjoyed living in the area. We find the Midwest is always the best of four seasons, best water views of the local lakes, and you can’t beat it.”
Spoken like a true Michiana resident.
In years past, the great American steakhouse was the place that families went for celebration, to commune and to indulge. The steakhouse was always within the family budget and ensured that everyone got more than their money’s worth.
Many of the chic steak restaurants are expensive because of their trendy menus and décor. However, the traditional houses have been around long enough to learn that the key is to concentrate their efforts on the food once a comfortable décor is achieved. This ensures that the decorating whims of the owners isn’t passed on to the diners in higher food prices. At places like Millennium Steakhouse, the concentration is on the food over everything else, making a steak dinner affordable for just about any budget.
