Sitting at a corner table, eating a sandwich, Carol Angelopolous could be mistaken for a customer at her own restaurant.
Angelopolous and her brother Ted opened the cafe My Panini, 1100 Davis St., in early July. When she is not taking orders or brewing specialty coffees, Carol Angelopolous can be found sitting at her usual table, eating and chatting with the regulars. On a recent Monday morning, Evanston residents trickled in and out, ordering drinks and sandwiches to go.
“Why paninis?” Angelopolous said. “It’s not fast food.”
The brother-sister team also owns Cafe Mozart. Ted Angelopolous operates Cafe Mozart, while Carol Angelopolous runs My Panini. Ted Angelopolous said he decided to open a new restaurant when he saw the vacant lot across from the post office on Davis Street and envisioned a lunch-oriented sandwich shop.
“I really like panini sandwiches,” he said.
Ted Angelopolous said he entered the restaurant business by accident. The Skokie resident saw Cafe Mozart for sale and decided on a whim to buy it though he had no prior restaurant experience, he said. The cafe was so successful, he opened My Panini.
Despite receiving mixed reviews online, the restaurant has received steady business, Carol Angelopolous said.
“As a new store, everyone came to check it out,” Carol Angelopolous said.
Carol Angelopolous said the restaurant has its regular customers, most of whom come by at lunchtime to enjoy the meat, vegetable and dessert paninis. The chicken pesto panini is a favorite, but coffee and pastry sales are picking up, she said.
With only one other part-time employee, Carol Angelopolous has to handle many customers at once. She said the 12-hour days are worth the effort.
“We want to progress and make sure everything’s right,” Carol Angelopolous said.
Carol Angelopolous said the current customer base of My Panini meets her expectations, but to draw in new customers, she and her brother will soon launch an advertising campaign.
While Carol Angelopolous said she, like her brother, has limited restaurant experience, cooking and hospitality are in her blood.
“Maybe it’s just a Greek thing,” she said.
