Pano's Restaurant on Elmwood Avenue broke ground yesterday, May 28, and according to a construction worker on site, the concrete foundation for Pano's new addition will be poured tomorrow.
With a completion date of mid-August, according to owner Pano Georgiadis, the two-story restaurant will be able to accommodate many more patrons. "We're open now and will stay that way except for about a week when they join the new building with the old," Georgiadis said. He also said that they're still seating patrons, though not as many. "We're always full. Come in, sit down, we'll feed you," he laughed.
Georgiadis said that he's happy to finally reach this stage of construction, and that it took five years to get this far. "Some people are still bitter," Georgiadis said in reference to the demolition of the Atwater House, "but a lot of them are back."
Georgiadis related, "I saw a customer at Wegmans recently, and said, 'Where have you been?' They said, 'You tore that house down, I'm not coming back.'"
What would Georgiadis say to those who are angry with him? "I love you. Come in. I'll feed you and make you a customer again. People can't refuse a good deal." As for himself, Georgiadis says, "I play by the rules."
Pano's
1081 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
716.886.9081