This longtime Greek restaurant at The Arboretum in Charlotte is permanently closed
Akropolis Cafe in The Arboretum Shopping Center in Charlotte closed its doors permanently at the end of the day Tuesday, selling its last gyro sandwiches, kebabs and Greek salads.
Owner Mike Sadri worked through a busy last day at the longtime Greek restaurant staple, navigating a rush of customers through the lunch hour. A note was posted outside the door, saying: “Tuesday is our last day. Would like to see everyone to say goodbye.”
There was a small line inside the restaurant of hungry customers waiting to order shortly after noon, snaked around the restaurant’s blue tablecloth-covered tables.
Sadri told CharlotteFive, “The lease is up and due to my age and some sickness, I cannot continue working in this restaurant any longer. It’s been a long journey — I’ve seen so much the last 31 years. It’s a tough business. ... Not too many people can say they’ve lasted in the restaurant business this long.”
The restaurant got its start at Eastland Mall 33 years ago, and Sadri took ownership two years later, in December 1992.
“I was a young man myself when i first came here,” he said. “Now I’m 65.”
Akropolis Cafe moved to The Arboretum in the early 1990s and even franchised out at one point, growing to seven locations that stretched from Gastonia to Matthews and University City to Ballantyne. But only The Arboretum location held on, serving multiple generations of customers.
“Thirty-one years is a long time to spend in a 2,200-square-foot restaurant. I’ve seen so many restaurants come and go in this shopping center, it’s unbelievable,” Sadri said, mentioning Avanti, Mickey & Mooch, Cherry Blossom and Charlotte Cafe.
He said he’d had 22 employees before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and that staff had now dwindled to five workers, including himself.
“And now my days are up,” he added. “It’s the end of this era, and I have to just focus on my health.”
Information for this article was contributed by Alex Cason.
Akropolis Cafe
Location: The Arboretum Shopping Center, 8200 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Cuisine: Greek, American
This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 12:46 PM.
