Nick’s legacy carried on by family

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This article was published 25/07/2016 (3667 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For nearly 80 years, Nick’s Inn in Headingley has prided itself on good food and great service.

It’s cliché for restaurants to claim their food and service are above the rest these days, but then again, Nick’s has never advertised and is usually full for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Word of mouth has been the only promotion Nick’s has done since John Nicholis Cholakis took over the restaurant from the original Nick in 1963.

‘Nick,’ who died in 2008 at the age of 85, came to Canada in 1951 and after working in the floral business for several years, purchased Nick’s Inn from the original Nick.

In those early days, the restaurant stayed open late, a hotspot for those leaving town on their way home or for night owls looking for their burger or hot dog fix.

“In those days, the bars would close at 1 a.m. and the drinking and driving laws were not the same as they are today,” said John’s daughter, Bertha Ganas. “There used to be a dance hall across the road as well and we had a jukebox. Not a lot of restaurants stayed open late in those days.”

Nick’s hours don’t extend late into the night anymore, although they do play it by ear depending on the how busy the kitchen is. Their menu has changed, too. There are still the same hot dogs and burgers, including recipes that have stood the test of time. But Nick’s has also taken to home-cooked meals, including their roast turkey dinner — Nick’s still prepares two fresh turkeys almost every day — and a Nick’s classic, breaded veal cutlets, also prepared fresh each day.

“We’re into the new generation now,” Bertha said. “But we try to keep everything the same. Our burger recipe is the same; the chili recipe is the same. Everything we can do ourselves, that’s what we do.

“We stress our quality and consistency. What you’ve come to expect is what you should get every time you come in. We don’t want to be a restaurant on the road where people come in and never come back.”

Cholakis turned a friendly neighbourhood restaurant into an institution in the province. Bertha and her husband Jim took over along the way, and customers began calling him Nick too.

There’s rarely a day that goes by where three generations aren’t working. Bertha has been a staple in the restaurant since she was a teenager when her father bought the business. Her son, John Ganas, and daughter-in-law Vicki run much of the show now. John does much of the preparations and Vicki keeps customers smiling.

And Bertha’s teenage granddaughter Potoula is now serving, meaning Nick’s will likely be in the family’s hands for years to come.