John Karakasidis
At times I sit at home and watch my grandchildren play in the yard. “Ελα Παππου” they cry, “παμε στο μαγαζι να φτιαζουμε πιζζα”. To some its dinner, to some it’s a snack. For me, it means so much more.
I look again at my grandchildren; it seems like yesterday when my children were playing in the yard. Where did the time go?
35 years ago, Tony, Joe and myself opened up our first store. A small store, but nonetheless it was ours. It was the American Dream, the dream I heard of in Greece and I was living it. The dream that rewards hard work, the dream that proclaims success can be obtained by anyone. But dreams are made to be shared, and share I did. One store became two, two became four. Before long, nephews, brother in laws, cousins would join my dream. Everyone was welcomed and everyone had a role.
My dream is family; it connects us to our past and identifies our future. My dream is like our pizza, it’s meant to be shared. Thirty-five years and fifty-five stores later, I am fortunate to be part of a unique business where my family has shared in my dream. Without their support and their hard work, my dream (and I believe I speak for Tony and Joe) would have remained just that, a dream.
In 1974, three cousins; Tony, John and Joe bought a little neighborhood sandwich shop in Pennsville, NJ. Known to the locals as “Pats” the three cousin decided to keep the name but add their own, unique flair to what became known as “Pat’s Pizzeria.”
In terms of service, “Pat’s” is recognized for striving to provide only the freshest, highest quality products to its customers. With this focus in mind, “Pat’s Pizzeria” began to develop a reputation for its name and expansion soon followed.
In 2004, “Pat’s Pizza” evolved to the next level of service. We combined our years of experience, service and quality and replaced our dining rooms with a modern, distinctive look and feel.
This created “Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurant.” The result, a truly unique dining experience. With over 50 locations in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, there is sure to be a “Pat’s” near you!
Our commitment to quality and service has and always will remain our focus. On behalf of “Pat’s Pizza Family Restaurants”, we want to thank you for your support and look forward to serving you for generations to come.
Joseph Demourtzidis
When we immigrated to this country some 40 years ago, we lived in very modest conditions in North Philadelphia, where I worked as a butcher. Several years later, my brother in law who worked in South Jersey, drove by a small pizzeria that was for sale. He quickly told us about this and we jumped on the opportunity. For us, purchasing the pizzeria was a means of leaving the city and raising our families in a small town setting. After purchasing the pizza shop, burning countless pizzas and miscommunication with hundreds of customers due to language barriers, we found our footing in the pizza business.
Tony, John and I worked long hours and shared many laughs in our first pizza shop in Pennsville NJ. The shop was no more than the size of a one bedroom apartment, but it was ours and we were proud. Once we opened our second and third locations, other family members from Greece immigrated to this country and joined the Pat’s Pizzeria ranks. Three stores became 10, 10 became 20 and 20 became 50.
I am now retired from the business, and in many ways I do miss it. I think what is most notable from our little success story is not the number of locations we have opened but the memories we have shared along the way. Pat’s Pizzeria is family first, business second.
Antoni Kotanidis
I feel an enormous sense of pride and I reflect on the past 35 years. When we opened our first Pat’s Pizzeria, our goal was to provide our families and give them a better life here in the United States. Although we didn’t speak a word of English, we worked hard and supported one another as a family. We overcame many obstacles together. Our efforts were no in vain. We watched our business expand from a little pizzeria in Pennsville to over 55 locations in 4 states. I could never have imagined such success. I am grateful to this country for giving me such a wonderful opportunity. We are living proof that the American dream does exist.
