Showmars’ founder, George Couchell (You can call him “Mr. C”), immigrated to the United States from Greece as a young boy. He earned his restaurant reputation from an early age, working in his family’s restaurant throughout his childhood. It was after Mr. C graduated from Duke University and served as a Naval Officer, that he set his sights on his dream – opening a restaurant that served the Greek cuisine of his native country combined with the Southern food of his current home.
In 1982, our first Showmars restaurant on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte had an eclectic menu that included bone-in chicken, sub sandwiches, breakfast, biscuits, waffles, salad bar, hot bar, and a breakfast bar. Despite our initial success and growing fanbase in Charlotte, a menu with so much variety created operational challenges. To put it bluntly, it was maddening! So, Mr. C took the most popular items that we could cook to order, and that is how our present concept evolved.
40 years ago, our Mr. C created an innovative restaurant model to fill the void between fast food and full-service restaurant dining. Mr. C effectively created a new restaurant industry called fast-casual, by offering a more extensive menu selection, with better quality than fast food, greater value and faster service than a full-service restaurant.
After Mr. C opened his fourth Showmars restaurant, he partnered with Koko Zitsos. Their operating and management styles were a perfect match. And from there, they grew Showmars rapidly all throughout the Queen City. Showmars robust expansion allowed Mr. C and Koko to bring on talented people like our current CEO, Dean Peroulas, and many others.
Today, we see our customers’ dining experience evolving, and we are changing to meet them where they are. Currently, over 70% of our business is takeout. We offer our customers the option to order via their mobile devices, online, and for delivery. And if you still like the experience of dining in, we have a great atmosphere and pride ourselves on our customer service.
We’ve always had delicious food that we deliver to our customers. Still, our excellent customer service and family values always set us apart. And those things will always remain.
We look forward to the next 40 years of serving up our unique blend of Southern, Fresh, Greek eats.
