A husband-and-wife team who run a successful Weston restaurant, which has been in the family for more than half a century, will hang up their aprons for the final time this month.
Chris and Milly Constantinou will close Chris’s Restaurant, in St James Street, on Tuesday.
The couple have announced their retirement after running the business since 1980 and they will hand over the keys to the new owner of the restaurant around July 30.
Chris said: “We’re closing on Tuesday, and follow completion on the 30th. We need two or three days to clean the kitchen, fill out paperwork and prepare the restaurant for its new owners.
“We have to hand-over the place for the new tenants, who are going to have the lease for 10 years.
“The new owner's been here four or five times, he came during the pandemic and when we were open. He was a chef himself and his girlfriend works in the industry and has the know-how to welcome people, hospitality needs a great front-of-house person, as well as someone in the kitchen.
Chris’s was founded by Milly’s father Charalambos Georgiou, also known as Charlie, in 1962, who came to Weston from Cyprus in 1947.
After a period of being a tailors, Charlie and his wife Eva opened the restaurant, then known as Weston Omelette Bar and Grill.
Chris’s serves English and continental food, from roast diners, pasta, vegetarian and fish dishes.
Chris and Milly are looking forward to enjoying their retirement years and want to thank their customers for their loyalty over the years.
Chris added: “We have been busy since we reopened after the pandemic, we didn’t open during, and our customers keep coming back.
“We would like to thank our customers, thank you for all the support over the years.
"They have been coming here for 59 years, five generations of one family that we know, every Saturday without fail. Grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“We wish the new owners well and hope they do very well. It’s a new adventure for them, this is their first time running a restaurant.
"We wish them every success in the future.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here