Jeremy Wladis behind the counter at Big Gay Ice Cream on the Upper West Side, which he revived earlier this year.
Jeremy Wladis, president of the hospitality company aptly named The Restaurant Group, has done it again.
In June, he brought back Big Gay Ice Cream with a licensing deal after it was served an eviction notice in March. He also acquired Fred’s, the local favorite on Amsterdam Avenue, at around the same time.
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Now it’s Telio, the beloved Greek restaurant which – along with Perfecto Pizza – closed its doors last Sunday after a run of more than 30 years due to a massive rent hike. Wladis tells us that, starting on Thursday, Telio will begin serving dinner inside Good Enough to Eat (GETE) at 520 Columbus Avenue at West 85th Street.
“Telio is going to move into Good Enough to Eat by night for dinner only and Good Enough to Eat will stay Good Enough to Eat for breakfast, lunch and brunch. At 5 p.m., it becomes Telio Greek Taverna,” Wladis told ILTUWS. He also mentioned several members of the Telio staff have already started working there, including servers and cooks. John Manouilidis, the chef and manager from Telio, is on board too, along with Telio’s owner Yianni Berbeis. According to Wladis, about 80% of the Telio menu will make the trip when they open at GETE.
Telio’s baklava
Wladis grew up and still resides on the Upper West Side. While Good Enough to Eat has been operating for over 40 years (Wladis revived it in 2013), the restaurateur hasn’t been shy about testing out new concepts.
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In November 2020, Brad’s Burgers and BBQ, also owned by The Restaurant Group, consolidated its menu with Good Enough to Eat. At the time, Brad’s was right next door to GETE at 522 Columbus Avenue, having opened in September 2019. Before that, it was Good Enough to Eat Burgers Chicken and Brew.
More recently, Wladis tested an outdoor ramen pop-up in January 2021 called Good Ramen to Eat outside 522 Columbus Avenue. At the time, two other restaurants, King Wang’s and The Great Burrito, were offering delivery and takeout from this address. Shortly thereafter, Hachi Maki opened at 522 Columbus Avenue, but it didn’t last very long. Wladis opened Nina’s Great Burrito Bar the following year, in January 2022.
Looking to the future, Wladis said he’s planning a new donut concept called Rainbow Donuts which will live inside the Big Gay Ice Cream space at 516 Columbus Avenue at West 85th Street, steps away from GETE. Visitors will be able to design their own custom donuts starting with donut type, then the icing, followed by a lineup of toppings. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
So when you say this guy has ‘done it again’ what do you mean? He has more failed restaurants and closures than successes. And anything he has taken over, like Fred’s, is much worse than before
100% BS. Sounds like a disgruntled former employee.
The article literally lists out way more failed ‘enterprises’ than success stories. And no, I’m not an ex employee. But maybe you should speak to a few and get their perspectives, which has nothing to do with what I’m saying.
“Done it again” pretty obviously refers to the fact that he very recently brought back Big Gay Ice Cream and saved Fred’s. He’s also had some failures, yes, but here’s hoping this works.
Can Jeremy bring back Cafe Lalo too?
Ah – wouldn’t that be grand? I am still heartbroken.
One word – Hurray! Regarding Fred’s – it’s exactly the same. I’ve been going there since it opened and it is still one of my favorite places to “Come! Sit!” and “Stay!” a while.
This is a creative solution to keep Telio operating. We’ll see if it works!
I cant get enough of GETE
Thank you Mr Wladis