This July marks the 25th anniversary of family-owned Greek restaurant Acropolis Grill. The anniversary itself falls on July 17, but diners can expect specials and giveback opportunities all month long. 

The Kyriakidis family and restaurant staff are proud members of the Chattanooga community, feeding the families in this city, and strengthening the community together has been their greatest honor, they said.

The Acropolis Grill took its shape over time, breaking through the soil of a beautifully rich history. After opening its doors in 1995 and a quarter century of food service to the community, the authentic Greek restaurant has earned its place as a Chattanooga staple where dining out is concerned.

Mrs. Betty, the Kyriakidis family matriarch, and owner of the Hamilton Place restaurant, recalls the early years being difficult ones, opening a brand new place, and building from the ground up. 

"Everything else in the area was a chain,” she said. “They all said you’ll never make it against the big guys, but we did it anyway, and we’re still here.” 

Although, perhaps the most beautiful piece of this story is a community support that flows two ways. Not only has Acropolis owner, Nick Kyriakidis, worked to support the community when times have been tough throughout the years, but also, the Chattanooga community has shown their reciprocal support by way of 25 years of eating the food lovingly prepared in the Acropolis kitchen. 

It’s this mutual admiration that affords a mom-and-pop restaurant this kind of longevity, and Kyriakidis is feeling the weight of that now more than ever amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want to give a big ‘thank you’ to the Chattanooga community,” Mr. Kyriakidis said. “We know we could not continue without your ongoing support.”

According to Mr. Kyriakidis, the restaurant’s “Always Fresh, Always Family” tagline rings truer now than ever before in light of current circumstances. The current climate, if nothing else, has illuminated the importance of social connectedness, community bonds, and perseverance through difficult times. 

Mr. Kyriakidis has sought to respond in kind as the community works to overcome so much– from global health crisis to local tornado relief. Acropolis has shown support to the Chattanooga community over the past several weeks, donating $1,000 in Acropolis gift cards to tornado victims, and more than 300 meals to victims and volunteers. 

In honor of 25 years of Acropolis Grill, as a ‘Thank you’ to the Chattanooga community and in an effort to offer continued support to our community during this time, the Kyriakidis family will match every $25 gift card purchased this July, up to $2,000. Those funds will then be donated to a local nonprofit. Nominations for the recipient of this donation can be made on the Acropolis website at acropolisgrill.com.