Green’s Lunch co-owner remembered by family as a jokester with a generous spirit
When Greek immigrant Pete Sikiotis moved to Charlotte in the 1980s to follow love, he inherited a hot dog shop with his marriage.
That hot dog shop, Green’s Lunch, would become one of Charlotte’s most iconic restaurants. But first, he had to persuade the love of his life, Joanna, to marry him.
As a child, Joanna’s family would visit Sikiotis’ hometown, Lefkada, Greece, every three years.
“We were little kids playing hide-and-go-seek and stuff,” Joanna Sikiotis said. “One day he told me he was gonna marry me. And I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, whatever.’”
Sikiotis was persistent. His statement never faltered every time he saw Joanna: “I’m gonna marry you.”
In 1986,his persistence paid off and Joanna said yes. Three years later, they bought Charlotte’s oldest restaurant Green’s Lunch from Joanna’s parents, and began serving up burgers and hot dogs in the uptown restaurant scene for decades.
As Sikiotis’ health declined in recent years, his smiling face was behind the Green’s Lunch counter less and less, and regulars noticed the absence of his humor and generosity.
On Feb. 19, Panagiotis “Pete” Nikolaos Sikiotis died, surrounded by his family. He was 61.
‘He loved to make people laugh’
When Sikiotis came to America, his career did a 180-degree turn.
In Greece, Sikiotis worked as a mechanical engineer on merchandise trading ships. Sikiotis’ son, Nicholas, recalls his father telling him Navy stories.
He thought about working on a dock when he moved to the U.S., but his transition into the restaurant industry was natural. Along with Green’s, Pete Sikiotis owned several restaurants in South Carolina.
Nicholas still works at Green’s with Joanna Sikiotis, although the restaurant recently announced it will sell its uptown building and its fate is uncertain. Both Nicholas and Joanna Sikiotis said Pete Sikiotis grew to love the restaurant industry and had a reputation for being a jokester.
Someone once called Green’s Lunch asking if they served pizza.
“Yeah, we got lasagna, too. No, we don’t have pizza! Do you see the hot dog man on the side of the building? We have hot dogs and burgers,” Nicholas remembers his dad answering.
But Sikiotis’ tone wasn’t cruel. The joke was taken in good fun, as were the hundreds of others he dished out along with meals.
“He loved to make people laugh,” Joanna Sikiotis said. “He had a serious side, but with customers and friends and stuff, he always just wanted to go out and make you smile.”
‘A generous spirit’
Sikiotis had a generous spirit, too, she said. After watching a stray dog navigate the streets for a few days, he knew he had to rescue her.
“So he picked her up and brought her home,” Joanna Sikiotis said.
They named her Roxy and he loved her like family.
His generosity wasn’t overlooked by Green’s customers. Over almost four decades, Sikiotis saw bankers, CEOs, hospitality employees, folks without stable housing, kids, families, politicians and athletes come through the doors of Green’s. The ones who regularly returned for a bite to eat became close friends with the family.
Green’s Lunch, like many mom-and-pop restaurants, makes up the fabric of Charlotte’s community. The absence of Sikiotis’ smiling face behind the counter was felt by customers from all walks of life who attended his funeral.
“A lot of our customers came and that meant so much to me,” Joanna Sikiotis said. “I’m so grateful for them coming and taking time out of their day to give us their respects for him. That was very touching.”
