by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Milton Mavros has been in the restaurant business all his life. Until Tuesday morning, a vast majority of that time was in Chicago. Mavros, his wife Judith and their four kids opened Cafe 331 on West Adams Street across from the BellSouth tower.
Mavros moved to Jacksonville in January with the intention of opening a restaurant and he wanted it Downtown. After looking around, he realized that outside of the Landing, there are many other breakfast through dinner dining options, especially on the Northbank.
“I don’t know why everything shuts down at 3 o’clock,” said Mavros.
Cafe 331 is where Happy Chefs used to be and Mavros said during the renovations many from the BellSouth tower stopped by and encouraged him to stay open later than most places and offer delivery service. The cafe features hardwood floors, a fresh coat of paint with an art-deco look courtesy of Judith Mavros and a freshly-scrubbed kitchen. Mavros said he spent several days cleaning the kitchen and had to purchase several pieces of new equipment.
The menu offers much of the standard breakfast and lunch fare: omelets, sandwiches, burgers, salads and one specialty that’s hard to find in these parts.
“I will have souvlaki, which is pork with a Mediterranean flavor,” said Mavros.
The cafe will be run primarily by Mavros and staffed by family. In addition to himself and Judith, four kids — Siobhan, Rebecca, Peter and Catherine — will also work at the restaurant along with a few others. Mavros said finding help wasn’t easy.
“I have two cousins that own restaurants here. They told me they hire people and within two or three days they are calling in to say they are going to be late or they don’t show up at all,” he said.
Mavros said he and Judith have been looking for the right opportunity to open a restaurant for years. He also sees a correlation between Downtown Jacksonville and Chicago. He also sees the potential.
“My background is Greek and my wife is from Ireland. We have been trying to open a restaurant for 10 years,” he said. “Jacksonville looks like Chicago did 15 years ago. There wasn’t much Downtown (in Chicago). Then, they started building lofts and businesses came and restaurants opened. I think that’s what’s happening here now.”