Pete's of Gaffney employees scurry to get orders out to customers during their lunch rush Thursday. The local eatery re-opened from its usual post on Floyd Baker Boulevard on Thursday after several months on the other side of town while workers built the new building on Floyd Baker Boulevard. If there was one thing siblings Demetrios Hrysikos and Dorothy Kalogirou learned from their father, late Pete's of Gaffney owner Constantine "Gus" Hrysikos, about the restaurant business, it was that things would be fine if they were able to take care of the customers while also taking into account what was needed for themselves as owners.

They had seen his formula of success work over the years, primarily in the form of a loyal customer base at the popular Floyd Baker Boulevard eatery Pete's of Gaffney, which their father took over in 1984.

Since opening the small burger joint, the local restaurant has relied on great food and service to maintain customers for the past 25 years.

"Many of the people that walk in, we know exactly what they are going to order," Demetrios Hrysikos said. "It's all a part of having loyal customers who appreciate your food and an atmosphere where everyone is family. For me this is home, but we like our customers to feel that way too."

"Gus" Hrysikos passed away in 2006, but his children have not forgotten his instructions. The siblings have cried at several points during the past few days, knowing their father would have been proud to see them open a new chapter in the restaurant's history.

The new Pete's of Gaffney officially opened to the public Thursday, the centerpiece of the newly built 6,600-square-foot Pete's Plaza.

"We've seriously grown with this community," Kalogirou said. "Without them none of this is possible."

The restaurant was located at the former SnowTop building at 1558 N. Limestone St. since November while the old Pete's building was being razed and the new facility built on the Floyd Baker Boulevard property.

Not surprising to Demetrios Hrysikos, the sights of movement inside the new Pete's restaurant prompted customers to stop by in the days prior to its grand opening.

"If my math is right, the old building had been around for 40 to 45 years," Demetrios Hrysikos said. "In that facility, we only had three fryers, a grill and an old stove. Add to the fact, if you had to use the restroom, you had to go all the way around back to do so.

"Now, we have more than enough equipment and much-needed space, something we didn't have with the old restaurant ... as well as restrooms up front. We put a lot of emphasis on that."

These upgrades have enabled the restaurant to expand its menu, now including meat and vegetable plates, appetizers, fresh seafood, traditional Greek dinners, ice cream and milkshakes. Demetrios Hrysikos said much of the past few months was spent toying with recipes and testing entrees in hope of finding a taste customers could enjoy.

"If I'm not at the restaurant, I'm at home cooking anyway," Demetrios Hrysikos said. "So it gave me the chance to play with recipes and find what would go best with what we were trying to do."

Moving back to this side of town does have somewhat of a bittersweet feeling though, as the eatery gained new customers simply through its presence on North Limestone St.

"Being on Floyd Baker has its advantages, mostly because of its convenience," Demetrios Hrysikos said. "But we really hope to make things easier for customers on the other side of town by re-opening the North Limestone location very soon. After all, there are customers that want us over there, just like over here."