Tacoma Greek restaurant known for filling gyros, cheesy pizza to close after 35 years
It’s Greek To Me, a Central Tacoma staple known for hearty fare at reasonable prices, will close by December after a 35-year run. The owners, Jim and Erin Wick, will keep their new-this-year food truck, Bomb Burger, currently parked at Sixth and Fife.
The shutter carries with it a welcome silver lining for Tacoma, though: Balloon Roof Baking Co., which specializes in sourdough bread and laminated pastries, will take over the building at 1702 6th Ave.
Don and Emily Broyles have amassed a following at local farmers markets since 2022. The Greek restaurant will become the bakery’s new retail headquarters.
“I think it’s gonna be a great business in a great building,” Jim Wick said in an interview last week.
He described the Greek goodbye as bittersweet.
“I’m sad because people have all these great memories — I don’t want to let them down,” he said. “But it’s time for a change.”
He is open to the idea of selling the It’s Greek To Me brand and recipes, but for now it’s so-long to the cheesy pan-style pizzas, chicken saganaki, spanakopita and loaded gyros — although special appearances at Bomb Burger are a real possibility.
It’s Greek To Me first shared the closing news on Facebook Nov. 2, writing with blue hearts and Greek flags that they were “happy, yet sad to announce a new direction for our family business … We could come up with a hundred reasons why, but we think ‘tired’ is a good and all-encompassing story line.”
They had already informed their staff, some of whom have worked with them for a handful of years and a couple more than 20, said Wick. The menu will be truncated in the final weeks, and they anticipate closing around or just after Thanksgiving. An attorney’s office in the building also will soon vacate, as Balloon Roof gets the keys in the new year.
The post collected more than 120 comments and 95 shares as of Monday afternoon. Many professed their love for the tzatziki sauce, the gyros, the fries, the falafel and the super-cheesy, pan-style pizzas.
30-PLUS YEARS OF GREEK FOOD IN TACOMA
The restaurant, with its blue-and-white facade, has been a landmark of the Sprague, 6th and Division intersection since 1989, when Wick teamed up with chef Johnnie Dimakis to open the original location across the street, now home to Memo’s Mexican Restaurant.
Wick was neither Greek nor attuned to the restaurant industry at the time. He sold insurance. He “cold-called Johnnie,” he recalled, and visited the chef at his place in Edmonds. The food was great, said Wick, but the area wasn’t right for the concept, which was fast-casual, leaning into takeout — before that business model was in vogue.
“We became friends,” continued Wick, and eventually he helped the chef land the Memo’s address.
The insurance agent never intended to get so involved, but within a few months he had quit his day job.
“Back then you could open up in two to three weeks,” said Wick. The first restaurant had just five tables and maybe 12 seats. “We were busy from Day 1.”
A Federal Way expansion fizzled. The duo split up, with Dimakis launching his own place in Lakewood. In 2010, they reunited to open another It’s Greek To Me in Puyallup. In 2013, the Tacoma restaurant hopped across the street after Wick bought the former auto-shop and office space at 1702 6th Ave. for $475,000. It offered a few parking spots and a drive-thru.
In the early 2010s, Wick also bought an old Franz delivery truck and converted it into a food truck, which they used for mobile catering — a highlight to be part of so many special events, he said. That truck now belongs to Bomb Burger.
The menu hasn’t much changed in 30-plus years. When it opened in 1989, gyros cost just $3.25, spanakopita $2.50 each and an order of fish and chips $3.95. “Homemade Greek cuisine in a hurry” was their tagline. These days the prices are still fair for the portions — a filling gyro is $9.99.
“It was fun back then,” said Wick. “We used to cook food, shake hands, talk to people.”
Over the years, he and his team embraced technology like DoorDash and Uber Eats, despite the increasingly slim margins on those sales. He learned how to manage social media pages and became a de-facto electrician and plumber.
“It’s so tough, it’s so difficult — it’s mind-numbing sometimes,” he said of the triumphs and travails of the restaurant business. “You’ve got to look at nickels and pennies.”
He’ll miss the calamari and the pizza, baked in Chicago Metallic pans that have been seasoned through countless pies. (The pans themselves might be available for the taking in the coming weeks, teased Wick.) Moving forward, he said, “I’ll enjoy going out to get other people’s pizza!”
IT’S GREEK TO ME
▪ 1702 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-1375, facebook.com/itsgreektometacoma
▪ Tuesday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
▪ Details: longtime fast-casual Greek restaurant closing at the end of November
BOMB BURGER
▪ 2515 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-459-9068, instagram.com/bomb_burger_tacoma
▪ Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
▪ Details: food truck with limited indoor/outdoor seating, burgers $5.50-$8
The News Tribune’s archives contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 2:45 PM.